I'll Cry Instead

Album This song officially appears on the A Hard Day's Night (Mono) LP.

Timeline This song has been officially released in 1964

Song facts

From Wikipedia:

“I’ll Cry Instead” is a John Lennon composition credited to Lennon–McCartney, and recorded by the Beatles for the soundtrack to their film A Hard Day’s Night.

Background

Lennon wrote the song for the “break-out” sequence in the film. The song was recorded on 1 June 1964 in two sections, A and B, which could then be spliced together at a later date to achieve the required length to fit the film. However, director Richard Lester eventually decided he preferred the livelier “Can’t Buy Me Love” with its upbeat lyric, and that was used instead. When Walter Shenson re-released the film in 1981, “I’ll Cry Instead” was included in a re-vamped opening sequence consisting of a “Swingin’” early to mid-1960s-style collage of photos of the Beatles in 1964 around the time they were shooting the film.

Although the song was not part of the original movie, the label of the American 45 lists the song as being “From the United Artists Picture, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’“.

Structure

“I’ll Cry Instead” was described by Cynthia Lennon as a cry for help, saying “It reflects the frustration he [John Lennon] felt at that time. He was the idol of millions, but the freedom and fun of the early days had gone.” John Lennon later said the line “A chip on my shoulder that’s bigger than my feet” was an accurate indication of his feelings at the time.

“I’ll Cry Instead” is rooted in country & western, a genre that the Beatles, and especially Ringo Starr, enjoyed playing.

Releases

The full version (2:09) was released in the US on the United Artists soundtrack album A Hard Day’s Night UAL-3366 (mono) and UAS-6366 (rechannelled stereo). This same version also appears on the US single and the mono version of Capitol’s Something New T-2108 (mono). This full version appeared on The Capitol Albums, Volume 1, but was not included in the Beatles’ remastered albums, making it exclusive to the Capitol Albums set. According to Mark Lewishon, this is the only true mono mix.

An edited short version (1:49—the third verse deleted) appeared in the UK on Parlophone PMC 1230 (mono) & PCS 3058 (stereo) A Hard Day’s Night, the British EP Extracts from the Album A Hard Day’s Night Parlophone GEP 8920 (mono) and on the Capitol stereo version of Something New ST-2018. The stereo was folded down to mono for the mono album release.

“I’ll Cry Instead” reached No. 25 in the Billboard Hot 100, and spent seven weeks in the chart, including two in the Top 30.

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

• [a] mono 4 Jun 1964. edited.
  US: United Artists UAL 3366 and UAS 6366 Hard Day’s Night 1964, Capitol 5234 single 1964, Capitol T 2018 Something New 1964.
• [b] mono 4 Jun 1964. edited.
  UK: Parlophone PMC 1230 Hard Day’s Night 1964.
  CD: EMI CDP 7 46437 2 Hard Day’s Night 1987.
• [c] stereo 22 Jun 1964. edited.
  UK: Parlophone PCS 3058 Hard Day’s Night 1964.
  US: Capitol ST 2018 Something New 1964.

Lewisohn reports the song was recorded in two sections that were edited together, but not what the sections are. Additionally, only one mono mix is documented, but we have two, which I tentatively date the same day. The mono mix used in the US [a] is the “long version” that has an additional verse, verse 4, obviously edited in, which repeats the lyrics but not the same recording of verse 1. The UK mono mix [b] and the standard stereo mix [c] are by comparison the “short version”. (Possibly, [b] is just a mono reduction of [c], explaining why only one real mono mix is documented?)

A “long version” stereo mix made by editing [c] was used in a montage of still photos that opened the 1982 theatrical reissue of the film A Hard Day’s Night, as well as the subsequent home video release. It is a forgery of a nonexistent “complete” version, as if the mono long version [a] were not extended by an edit, and is not like [a] because it edits in a repeat of the same recording of verse 1, not a different one. It’s reported but not confirmed that this “long version” stereo mix is on late copies of the single, Capitol A6282, and it’s on the bootleg LP “Casualties” of 1982.

Last updated on March 6, 2016

Latest concerts where I'll Cry Instead has been played

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.