I Should Have Known Better

Infobox Single
Name = I Should Have Known Better

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Artist = The Beatles
from Album = A Hard Day's Night
A-side = "Yesterday"
Released = 8 March 1976
Format = vinyl record (7", 12")
Recorded = Abbey Road Studios 25–26 February 1964
Genre = Pop
Length = 02:44
Label = Capitol Records (US)
Parlophone/EMI (UK)
Writer = John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Producer = George Martin
Certification =
Chart position = * #1 (CAN CHUM Chart)
* #8 (UK - 1976)
* #53 (US Billboard Hot 100)
* #6 (German Singles Chart)
* #1 (Norwegian Singles Chart)
Last single = "Let it Be" (1970) ------
"Can't Buy Me Love"
(1964)
This single = "Yesterday" (UK-1975) --- "A Hard Day's Night" (US-1964)
Next single = "Back in the USSR" (1976) ------ "I'll Cry Instead"
(1964)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = A Hard Day's Night
Type = studio
Tracks = ;Side one
# "A Hard Day's Night"
# "I Should Have Known Better"
# "If I Fell"
# "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"
# "And I Love Her"
# "Tell Me Why"
# "Can't Buy Me Love";Side two
# "Any Time at All"
# "I'll Cry Instead"
# "Things We Said Today"
# "When I Get Home"
# "You Can't Do That"
# "I'll Be Back "Infobox Song
Name = I Should Have Known Better


Caption =
Artist = The Beach Boys
Album = Beach Boys' Party!
Released = 8 November 1965
track_no = 2
Recorded =
Genre = Pop
Length = 1:40
Composer = Lennon/McCartney
Label = Capitol
Producer = Brian Wilson
Tracks =
#"Hully Gully"
#"I Should Have Known Better"
#"Tell Me Why"
#"Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow"
#"Mountain of Love"
#"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"
#"Devoted to You"
#"Alley Oop"
#"There's No Other (Like My Baby)"
#"Medley:I Get Around/Little Deuce Coupe"
#"The Times They Are a-Changin'"
#"Barbara Ann""I Should Have Known Better" is a song composed by John Lennoncite book |first=David |last=Sheff |title=All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono |year=2000 |pages=194 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=0-312-25464-4] cite book |first=Barry |last=Miles |authorlink=Barry Miles |title=Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now |year=1997 |pages=164 |publisher=Henry Holt & Company |location=New York |isbn=0-8050-5249-6] (credited to Lennon/McCartney), and originally released by The Beatles on the United Kingdom-version of "A Hard Day's Night", their soundtrack for the film of the same name.

In January 1964, during a three-week engagement at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, the Beatles became aware of American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan and, having acquired a copy of his album "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", began playing it continuously.cite book |author=The Beatles |authorlink=The Beatles |title=The Beatles Anthology |year=2000|pages=112|publisher=Cassell& Co |location=London |isbn=0-304-35605-0] American journalist Al Aronowitz personally introduced them to Dylan when the Beatles visited New York in February 1964, and Dylan subsequently became a big influence on the group, especially Lennon, who even started wearing a copycat Huckleberry Finn cap.cite book |first=Bill |last=Harry |title=The Beatles Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated |year=2000 |pages=357-359 |publisher=Virgin Publishing |location=London |isbn=0-7535-0481-2] A consequence of this “infatuation” (as Ian McDonald later described it) was the song "I Should Have Known Better".cite book |first=Ian |last=MacDonald |authorlink=Ian MacDonald |title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties |year=1994 |pages=85 |publisher=Henry Holt and Company |location=New York |isbn=0-8050-2780-7] Paul McCartney said Dylan's songs were "great lyrically,"cite book |first=Barry |last=Miles |authorlink=Barry Miles |title=Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now |year=1997 |pages=195] and Lennon credited Dylan with inspiring him to write more meaningful lyrics.cite book |first=David |last=Sheff |title=All We Are Saying |year=2000 |pages=179]

Lennon's harmonica playing opens the track, the last occasion the Beatles were to feature the instrument on an intro ("I´m a Loser", recorded 14 August 1964, has a harmonica solo) and thus drawing a line under a significant period of their music. The song's middle sixteen section features George Harrison's brand new Rickenbacker 360/12.

The song is performed in the train compartment scene of "A Hard Day's Night". It was in fact filmed in a van, with crew members rocking the vehicle to fake the action of a train in motion. cite book |first=William |last=Dowlding |title=Beatlesongs |year=1989 |pages=68]

An orchestrated version of the song conducted by George Martin appears on the B-side of the U.S. version of the album.

Recording

The first recording session for the song was on 25 February 1964 at Abbey Road Studios when three takes were attempted, but only one was complete. Take 2 was aborted when Lennon broke into hysterics over his harmonica playing. The song was re-recorded the next day after making some changes to the arrangement.cite book |first=Mark |last=Lewisohn |authorlink=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |year=1988 |pages=39-40 |publisher=Harmony Books |location=New York |isbn=0-517-57066-1]

The mono and stereo versions have slightly different harmonica introductions. In the stereo version, the harmonica drops out briefly.cite book |first=Craig |last=Cross |title=The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record |year=2005 |pages=384 |publisher=iUniverse, Inc. |location=Lincoln, NE |isbn=0-595-34663-4] Also, a noticeably clumsy and audible tape edit is heard during the second middle eight between "You're gonna say you love me, too" and "And when I ask you to be mine".

Release

United Kingdom

In the UK, "I Should Have Known Better" was on "A Hard Day's Night" and released on 10 July 1964. It was not released as a single at that time. In 1976, it was released as a B-side to "Yesterday".cite book |first=Craig |last=Cross |title=The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record |year=2005 |pages=592] cite book |first=Mark |last=Lewisohn |authorlink=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |year=1988 |pages=200]

United States

In the U.S., "I Should Have Known Better" was released on 13 July 1964 as the B-side to "A Hard Day's Night."cite book |first=Craig |last=Cross |title=The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record |year=2005 |pages=530-531] cite book |first=Mark |last=Lewisohn |authorlink=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |year=1988 pages=201] As part of the movie contract, United Artists acquired album rights for the American market.cite book |first=Bill |last=Harry |title=The Beatles Encyclopedia |year=2000 |pages=483-484] They released a soundtrack album on 26 June 1964 with 8 Beatle songs and 4 instrumentals. "I Should Have Known Better" was performed in the film, and it appears on the soundtrack. Capitol Records released "Something New" a month later with songs from the UK-version of "A Hard Day's Night" that were not used in the film and other material. "I Should Have Known Better" did not appear on a Capitol album until five years later on the "Hey Jude" compilation album.cite book |first=Mark |last=Lewisohn |authorlink=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |year=1988]

Continental Europe

"I Should Have Known Better" was released as a single in a number of continental European countries, including West Germany where it reached number 6 [http://ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/~topsi/deu1964/deu_1964t.html] and Norway, where it reached number 1 [http://lista.vg.no/show_list.php?ListsOp=showWeek&week=42&year=1964&listID=1]

Credits

*John Lennon — vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar, harmonica
*Paul McCartney — bass guitar
*George Harrison — 12-string lead guitar
*Ringo Starr — drums:Credits per Ian MacDonald

Cover versions

Green Day later reworked the song as "Hold On" on their album "Warning".Fact|date=December 2007 It was also played live on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 1996 when Starr was a guest on the show.The song was also covered by The Beach Boys in 1965. The Skatalites recorded an instrumental version under the name "Independence Anniversary Ska." She & Him covered the song on their 2008 debut album, "Volume One", as a duet with both M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel singing.French version by Richard Anthony (la corde au cou). The Punkles did a Punk cover of this song on their first album.

American Idol Season 7 contestant Ramiele Malubay performed this song during the top 11 week which the theme was The Beatles part 2

Notes