Recording and Release
"You Can't Do That" was recorded on Tuesday, 25 February 1964, in Abbey Road Studios in London. An early take with a guide vocal is included on Anthology 1. It was the first song completed in the week before the Beatles began filming A Hard Day's Night, though "I Should Have Known Better" and "And I Love Her" were also started on the same day.
While in New York for The Ed Sullivan Show guitarist George Harrison was presented with a Rickenbacker 360 Deluxe electric 12-string guitar worth (in 1964) $900. Only the second one produced, it was heard for the first time on "You Can't Do That" (although actually used for the first time on "Can't Buy Me Love" but lost in the mix) and gave the song its distinctive chiming sound. Harrison would end up playing the guitar extensively on the A Hard Day's Night LP, greatly influencing Roger McGuinn, who later went on to form The Byrds.
The song was first released as the B-side of the "Can't Buy Me Love" single on 16 March 1964 in the United States by Capitol Records and on 20 March 1964 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone. it was the seventh US single and sixth UK single. It was later included in the A Hard Day's Night album in the UK, and The Beatles' Second Album in the US.
The Beatles were filmed miming to "You Can't Do That" as part of the final concert sequence in the A Hard Day's Night film. The filming took place on 31 March 1964 at the Scala Theatre, London, but was not used. It was, however, broadcast on The Ed Sullivan Show on 24 May. The performance is included in the documentary The Making of "A Hard Day's Night".
The Beatles recorded "You Can't Do That" four times for BBC radio in 1964. It also became a part of the group's live repertoire that year, and was the second song in their set—after "Twist And Shout"—during their Australian and North American tours.
According to Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Recording Sessions book, George Martin overdubbed a piano track to Take 9 on 22 May 1964 ostensibly for the album version of this song, but it was never used.
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