Any Time at All
"Any Time at All" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, it was mainly composed by John Lennon, with an instrumental middle eight by Paul McCartney.[2] It first appeared on the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night album.
| "Any Time at All" | |
|---|---|
 Label of Philippine 7-inch single | |
| Song by the Beatles | |
| from the album A Hard Day's Night | |
| Released | 10 July 1964 |
| Recorded | 2 June 1964 |
| Studio | EMI, London |
| Genre | Rock[1] |
| Length | 2:13 |
| Label | Parlophone |
| Songwriter(s) | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
Origin
In his 1980 interview with Playboy, Lennon described the song as "An effort at writing 'It Won't Be Long'. Same ilk: C to A minor, C to A minor—with me shouting."[3]
Lyrically, the song appears similar to the 1963 song "All I've Got to Do" from the album With the Beatles.[4]
Lennon's handwritten lyrics for "Any Time at All" were sold for £6,000 to an unidentified individual at an auction held at Sotheby's in London, on 8 April 1988.[5]
Recording
Incomplete when first brought into EMI Studios on Tuesday 2 June 1964,[6] Paul McCartney suggested an idea for the middle eight section based solely on chords, which was recorded with the intention of adding lyrics later. But by the time it was needed to be mixed, the middle eight was still without words and that is how it appears on the LP.[5] McCartney sings the second "Any time at all" in each chorus because Lennon couldn't reach the notes.[7] "Any Time at All" reprises a George Martin trick from "A Hard Day's Night" by using a piano solo echoed lightly note-for-note on guitar by George Harrison.[8]
Releases
In addition to A Hard Day's Night, "Any Time at All" was included on:
- Extracts from the Album A Hard Day's Night British EP.
- Capitol album Something New
- Rock 'n' Roll Music compilation LP.
Personnel
According to Ian MacDonald,[9] except where noted:
- John Lennon – lead vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar, electric guitar (concluding chord)
- Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass, piano
- George Harrison – 12-string lead guitar, classical guitar[10]
- Ringo Starr – drums, cowbell[11]
References
Citations
- "Any Time at All by the Beatles - Track Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- Miles 1997, p. 164.
- Sheff 2000, p. 195.
- ""Any Time At All" by The Beatles. The in-depth story behind the songs of the Beatles. Recording History. Songwriting History. Song Structure and Style". beatlesebooks.com. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- The Beatles Bible 2009.
- Lewisohn 1988, p. 44.
- Alan W. Pollack's Notes on "Any Time At All"
- "95 - "Any Time at All"". 100 Greatest Beatles Songs. Rolling Stone. 10 April 2020.
- MacDonald 2005, p. 120.
- Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2014). All The Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release. Running Press. ISBN 978-1603763714.
- Margotin & Guesdon 2014.
Sources
- "Any Time At All". The Beatles Bible. 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-84413-828-3.
- Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
- Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.