The title track to The Beatles’ fifth album and second film, ‘Help!’ was written mainly by John Lennon at his home in Weybridge.
When ‘Help!’ came out, I was actually crying out for help. Most people think it’s just a fast rock ‘n’ roll song. I didn’t realise it at the time; I just wrote the song because I was commissioned to write it for the movie. But later, I knew I really was crying out for help. So it was my fat Elvis period. You see the movie: he – I – is very fat, very insecure, and he’s completely lost himself. And I am singing about when I was so much younger and all the rest, looking back at how easy it was.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
The film was originally to be called Eight Arms To Hold You, and was announced to the press as such on 17 March 1965. The title had been mooted for some time, with ‘Eight Days A Week’ initially considered for the theme tune.
I think we wrote [‘Eight Days A Week’] when we were trying to write the title song for Help! because there was at one time the thought of calling the film Eight Arms To Hold You.
Hit Parader, April 1972
In mid-April the title Help! was settled upon, probably chosen by director Richard Lester. Paul McCartney later described the genesis behind the title and the song of the same name.
I seem to remember Dick Lester, Brian Epstein, Walter Shenson and ourselves sitting around, maybe Victor Spinetti was there, and thinking, What are we going to call this one? Somehow Help! came out. I didn’t suggest it; John might have suggested it or Dick Lester. It was one of them. John went home and thought about it and got the basis of it, then we had a writing session on it. We sat at his house and wrote it, so he obviously didn’t have that much of it. I would have to credit it to John for original inspiration 70-30. My main contribution is the countermelody to John.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Following the song’s completion, Lennon and McCartney performed the song on guitars for Cynthia Lennon and visiting journalist Maureen Cleave, a long-time associate of the group.
Once we’d done our writing session there was nothing left to be done except put the instruments on. That’s what I was there for; to complete it. Had John just been left on his own he might have taken weeks to do it, but just one visit and we would go right in and complete it. So we came down and played the intro, into the verse, descant coming in on the second verse. It was all crafted, it was all there, the final verses and the end. ‘Very nice,’ they said. ‘Like it.’
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Although originally conceived as a ballad, The Beatles performed ‘Help!’ faster in the studio, as they had done with ‘Please Please Me’, to satisfy the group’s commercial instincts.
I remember Maureen Cleave, a writer – the one who did the famous ‘We’re more popular than Jesus’ story in the Evening Standard – asked me, ‘Why don’t you ever write songs with more than one syllable?’ So in ‘Help!’ there are two- or three-syllable words and I very proudly showed them to her and she still didn’t like them. I was insecure then, and things like that happened more than once. I never considered it before. So after that I put a few words with three syllables in, but she didn’t think much of them when I played it for her, anyway.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Lennon had been a user of marijuana since August 1964, and within six months was introduced to LSD. Introspection increasingly became a hallmark of his songwriting throughout Help!, Rubber Soul and Revolver.
I meant it – it’s real. The lyric is as good now as it was then. It is no different, and it makes me feel secure to know that I was aware of myself then. It was just me singing ‘help’ and I meant it.I don’t like the recording too much; we did it too fast trying to be commercial… I might do ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ and ‘Help!’ again, because I like them and I can sing them.
Rolling Stone, 1970
A live version of ‘Help!’, recorded for the BBC television show Blackpool Night Out, was included on Anthology 2. The performance took place at the ABC Theatre on 1 August 1965.
In the studio
The Beatles recorded ‘Help!’ in a single night, on 13 April 1965. The four-hour session took place from 7pm at Abbey Road’s studio two.
Twelve takes of the song were recorded. The first eight were of the rhythm track only, with vocals appearing for the first time on take nine.
Some discussion at the beginning of take four indicates that George Harrison is having a little trouble executing the complicated, fast riffs; he’s also worried about having to play and sing at the same time, though Paul assures him that won’t be necessary, as there are two voice tracks available.
Richie Unterberger
The final attempt was the best, and onto this Ringo Starr overdubbed a tambourine, and George Harrison added the series of descending Chet Atkins-style guitar notes which close each chorus.
Chart success
‘Help!’ was released as a single in the US on 19 July 1965, and in the UK on 23 July 1965, two weeks ahead of the album of the same name. It topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
The ‘Help!’ single sold much better than the two before it: ‘I Feel Fine’ and ‘Ticket To Ride’. But there were still a lot of fans who didn’t like ‘Help!’. They said, ‘Ah, The Beatles are dropping us. This isn’t as good as ‘A Hard Day’s Night’.’ So you can’t win. Trying to please everybody is impossible – if you did that, you’d end up in the middle with nobody liking you. You’ve just got to make the decision about what you think is your best, and do it.People think of us as machines. They pay 6s 8d for a record and we have to do what they say – like a jack-in-the-box. I don’t like that side of it much. Some people have got it all wrong. We produce something, something great every time. The onus is on the public to decide whether they like it or not. It’s annoying when people turn round and say, ‘But we made you, you ungrateful swines.’ I know they did, in a way, but there’s a limit to what we’re bound to live up to, as if it’s a duty.
Anthology
The 45 version and the LP version of Help use different lead vocals. Why no mention of this in the description of the recording session notes?
Wikipedia (I know, I know) states the following:
The vocals were re-recorded for the film during a session on 24 May 1965 at CTS Studios, a facility specializing in post-synchronisation.[10] In addition to attempting a better vocal performance, the session might have been done to eliminate the tambourine (which had been on the same track as the vocals) since no tambourine appeared in the film sequence.[11] With the new vocals, a mono mix was created at CTS Studios which was used for the film soundtrack. Mixes for record releases were prepared on 18 June. For the mono version, Martin decided to use a mix of the opening chorus of take 12 edited to the remainder of the CTS film mix.[10] Because all instruments were combined on a single track for the CTS session, it could not be used for a stereo mix, so the stereo mix was made from take 12.[11]
The Capitol Single has a superior vocal track and more power…..but now it seems to be gone forever…..I don’t think a stereo mix exists of this better version.
The mono versions of Help! have the vocal track you’re looking for. It is superior in my opinion as well.
I believe it is actually George Harrison playing the tambourine. If you listen to take 9, there is no lead guitar (as it was overdubbed later, as you say), but there are both drums and tambourine.
Replying to myself literally four years later to point out that, yes, there is drum and tambourine… but since they were doing vocal overdubs on take 9 it’s entirely possible that Ringo was playing the tambourine while the other three sang.
Shouldn’t there be a mention of this song being the first song featuring a reduction mix (to allow for Harrison to record his solo).
It wasn’t the first. That Means A Lot had one, and there may be others (I don’t have time to research it right now).
Some sources list it as the first song done on 4 track to receive a reduction mix to another 4 track tape. However, it would only qualify as the first released song to receive this treatment, as the first version of the unreleased “That Means A Lot” also received the same reduction.
And, of course, I need to correct myself yet again! “That Means A Lot” did receive a reduction mix, but it wasn’t to another 4 track tape — it involved combining two of the tracks down to an empty track on the same tape. (Source: Recording The Beatles, page 390)
So in summary…
a) More than a few tunes received 2-track to 2-track reductions before 1965
b) “That Means A Lot” was the first tune recorded on 4-track to receive a reduction mix of any kind, but it was an “internal” reduction to the same tape.
c) “Help!” was the first tune that reduced one 4-track tape to another 4-track tape
One of (if not) the first Beatles’ song with background vocals that differ from the melody. On earlier songs,Paul and John song in unison, usually with John’s more raucous voice the more audible.
The harmonic vocal on “Help!” show the Beatles’ music really moving forward.
“Baby It’s You”, “Devil In Her Heart”, “Please Mr. Postman”, “You Can’t Do That”.
Very good point Dartos – I remember one the song first came out that the background vocals were different.
Not only that but on the verses, the background vocals sing first “when I . . ”
When this stuff first came out people noticed it was new and creative – still is!
How [not] to interpret a Beatles’ song, Part 1 of 5: Don’t be gullible.
The lyrics to “Help!” sound like a cry for help from John Lennon – personally: “Help me if you can I’m feeling down.” But if you had given this interpretation in 1965, John would have scoffed: “I didn’t realise it at the time; I just wrote the song because I was commissioned to write it for the movie. But later, I knew I really was crying out for help.” At the time he wrote it, it just sounded right to his ear: it sounded like a hit single to promote a parody of James Bond films in which peril follows our heroes wherever they go. What John didn’t realize at the time was that his ear was also picking up on something else, something more real and painful.
Let this be a lesson: even the songwriter himself can miss the meaning of his own song. A songwriter can tell us what he remembers about the inspiration of the song, the process of writing the song, or even what he was trying to say in the song (if anything), but his memory might be faulty, he might just be kidding around, and most importantly, he might be flat out wrong. If a song has a meaning, the meaning is in the song itself – what the writer says about the song can help us to hear things in it we wouldn’t otherwise have heard, but that is the most we can get from a songwriter. The rest comes from listening and enjoying.
Back when I used to have LPs – you know before CDs and iPods and all that, I had an LP of the double album 1962 – 1966. And the track ‘Help’ had an unusual beginning to it…
The first 10 seconds or so had a musical intro which was like a James Bond soundtrack, then jumped into the well known Help song.
Has anyone else heard this??
Does anyone know where this track can be found??
iRon
Yes, it was on the US version of the album. You can get it as part of the Capitol Albums Vol. 2 box set – I’m not sure if they’re still making them, but they’re easy enough to find online.
I didn’t know that version of Help! was used for the Red album. It wasn’t on my UK copy. Are you based in the US? Perhaps there were alternative pressings in different countries.
This is the version of ‘Help’ that I first heard as a kid. It took years for me to adjust to the ‘official’ version
Same here. I still think that jazzy, James Bond-ish tacked on intro works great!
For part 2 see “Blue Jay Way”
I was recently talking to a coworker who grew up with this song/album/film and he was telling me about an alternative version of the song (it’s not the alternative vocal or James Bond intro version). From what he was saying, he was watching the film on television one night and at the end of the film, where everyone is fighting and there’s a Help! reprise, he swore that the song repeated the “I need somebody” line several times, whereas in the version we know and love, we hear “I need somebody, not just anybody, you know I need someone”. He claims he recorded it on a little tape recorder and set it in his stereo to be his alarm to wake up in the morning. Any verification on this alternative version?
Funny, I was just listening to Deep Purple’s inaugural album..and maybe it’s just me, but their version of Help is the best take I’ve heard on that tune…other than the Fabs of course. Later brethren and sisters, –Riffking
I always wished I could hear John Lennon sing Help like Deep Purple’s version. Slow and bluesy, a real cry for Help!
It´s not like Dear Purple, but it´s slower and beautiful : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeySOG1QQZc
I liked the harmonies of the song. I like to thik of George being more of secondary vocalist rather than a backing vocalist. Because while John is singing his bars, George’s voice is more easily heard in the background. Is that possible or Paul and George are in unison singing in lower vocals than John’s singing voice?
In general I think the movie Help is under appreciated. But this song in particular is a real triumph.
The A-c#min-f#min chord progression with the monotone melody on c#… Brilliant. The same chord sequence shows up (in g) in A Day in the Life and Instant Karma–I think it proved to be a favorite of John’s.
The countermelodies are unequalled in the Beatles’ oeuvre. And the guitar riff is IMHO, George’s first but not last brilliant contribution to a Beatles’ hit.
The Beatles released a lot of great songs in 1965, but this one was their best. Runner up: Ticket to Ride.
Not that it matters much, but I find some of Paul’s remarks about how he contributed to what are mainly John’s songs to be very vague. This is a good example of it.
“We sat at his house and wrote it, so he obviously didn’t have that much of it.”
Seems to indicate that the song was co-written, nearly 50-50.
“I would have to credit it to John for original inspiration 70-30. My main contribution is the countermelody to John.”
Paul highlighted that his main contribution was the countermelody – but didn’t he also say that they wrote most of the song together? Seems to me John actually had much of it – Paul’s percentages sound more clear and accurate than his words in some cases.
Paul’s recollection of Beatles history isn’t very accurate. I’ve found this over thirty-five years of cross-referencing what the four have said in interviews with the wealth of historical documentation available. If you watch or read the Anthology, George has the most accurate memory, John and Ringo somewhat less so, and Paul seems to have (whether intentionally or not) a revisionist recollection that serves to bolster his personal legacy.
Glad I’m not the only one who has noticed this.
Yeah, as the years go on, McCartney is taking more and more credit. I recently saw on the tube John Lennon’s 75 birthday concert celebration where they interviewed McCartney. He specifically says something to the effect of “When I wrote Help”. I am paraphrasing, but he didn’t say “when we wrote Help”. He is also now adamant that he wrote “In my life”. He also is starting to claim a larger and larger fraction of the early pieces. They’re all hollow claims now since John isn’t here to dispute him.
As Paul Gambaccini put it, in the 60s people didn’t know who wrote what. That didn’t happen until the 70s, when John started giving interviews, carving up the empire between himself and Paul. So, if anything, John was the original revisionist. (I wrote a much longer text, but something went wrong. If it also suddenly appears, I can only apologise.)
That’s not true. Both John and Paul discussed their songwriting contributions in the 1960s, in each others company, on occasion. It just so happens, that for the April 1972 issue of Hit Parader, they sat John down and discussed the topic of “who wrote what”…John didn’t initiate that interview topic (nor did he with Jann Wenner or David Sheff in later interviews)! After the Hit Parader interview was over and transcribed, they gave John’s list to Paul who agreed with all of John’s assessments except for one (and I quote): “Paul McCartney saw the list and came up with one correction. He said that John didn’t write the music to “In My Life,” just the words. Paul contends he worked out the melody on a mellotron in John’s house.” The problem with Paul’s recollection is that they didn’t own mellotrons in 1965. Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues introduced them to it in 1966. John and Paul have lapses in memory but Paul has, by far, the least accurate recollections and it’s hard to escape the conclusion that he’s willfully attempting to re-write History into a narrative that he knows is false. But, it IS certainly possible that he just has a bad memory. He’s human and therefore fallible. Walter Kerr once wrote: “memory is unreliable not because it forgets; but, because it often creates.” It’s not helpful to call John or Paul liars. It only separates folks into separate camps. But, irrespective of who they are, or their feelings on the subject, it is important to explore and to document, and to assign song authorship, and co-authorship, to their canon of work where the evidence is clear and to acknowledge where it is not…
If you watch the Beatles anthology, you would see that George has the worst memory out of the three Beatles when it comes to the band. So much so that Ringo and Paul are making fun of George because he can’t remember if a song was on Abbey Road or Let It Be.
Beatlesebooks have got this quote: ‘Interestingly, the song actually began to be written well in advance of the movie, which is contrary to popular opinion. “We wrote it in my house (Kenwood),” Lennon stated shortly after the song was released. “I had a little bit of a song, which I’d played around at writing, called something like ‘Keep Your Hands Off My Babe.’ Anyway, it was floating around for a long time and, when Paul came over, we decided to, sort of, adapt it. We wrote ‘Help!’ after we had been told of the film’s title. We never write to fit in with the story line, but this one seemed to fit okay.”’
“We sat at his house and wrote it, so he obviously didn’t have that much of it.” I don’t understand that as equal contribution. It actually gives me no idea of how much contributed each. I just understand that Paul was there to see all the process and he contributed at least a little bit. Otherwise, he couldn’t add the “and wrote it” with the subject”we”. Yes, surely vague but the porcentages that each person understands from this is pure especulation. Maybe he was sitting there while John wrote almost everything and Paul just gave some suggestions 95/90% J 5/10%P or maybe 80-20 70-30 and you can go on with all the possibilities.
” but didn’t he also say that they wrote most of the song together? ” No, he didn’t or at least I don’t see it like that. I repeat, I understand that he participated and saw all the process of the creation, but not necesarily participating much. But sure, the first sentence of Paul was vague.
Note that John is playing 12 string acoustic guitar on this track.
Does anyone know where to find a good version of the music video? the one where they’re all sitting down on a weird stool contraption? and john, paul, and george are playing their instruments but ringos just holding an umbrella because it starts to snow towards the end.. ive only found one version on youtube but its pretty low-quality
I know we’re 3 years later at this point, but it’s available on the new 1+ release with quite a few of the videos that came out a year or two ago.
The “Help” movie turned out to be like an Elvis movie because the corporates want more cash.
I’m sorry, but I think that Paul made his vocals the prominent vocals that you hear in any version of Help today. I have both versions, (not including anthology) and the difference and timing of the lyric delivery is extremely noticeable. It is plane to hear that Johns vocals are not present as in the original. Much to my dismay, I later found an article that stated Paul had gone into the studio and replaced Johns vocals with his own. If your fortunate enough to happen upon a 45 of the song and it’s on the original orange and yellow Capitol label… You have John singing… The Apple label is not. The original also ends with ooooooooooh, while the other ends with a hmmmmmm. The soundtrack CDs available today have also changed, as did the song in the movie too.
I can’t even hear Paul on this. I only hear George on backing. Paul seems to be missing, at least to my ear.
I hear the two of them singing in unison. George’s voice is more nasal, so it cuts through more.
This is as everyone knows is a very autobiographical song by John Lennon. It was speed up for commercial purposes, which Lennon mentioned on a number of occasions.This was a huge hit and the title song for an album and film, but Lennon really was crying out for help. A great song.I have always loved McCartney’s I’m Down on the B side. A brilliant rocker with a great lead guitar solo. I first heard this on my oldest sisters original 45 she got when this single was released. I played it first in 1976, though I had heard the A side many times before.
The greatness of John Lennon´s ability to compose is that he has two kinds of melody-mobilities. One outer mobility, and one inner mobility. In the outer mobility the melody moves up and down (that´s what George Martin like), or uses several notes. In the inner melody, the melody consists of almost one note, but instead the accompaniment changes. In that case the song will be more expressive, like this wonderful song Help from 1965. This song would have been even more expressive in a lower tempo? I even think the melody would had been more beautiful without the countermelody.
Many composers use sometimes only one note,to get the music more expressive. Listen for example to Purcell´s Dido and Aeneas: “…remember me, remember me…” In Verdi´s Otello there are often only one note used.
In the years 1963-1965, or before Yesterday, Lennon was the dominant composer. That embarasses McCartney enormously. In a show 1990, McCartney dared saying he wrote Help! But after MacDonald´s book Revolution in the Head 1994, McCartney admitted Help is a Lennon composition
On what show in 1990 did Paul McCartney claim to have written “Help”? Please cite this claim. Thank you.
Of course, Johan never cites the sources of his outlandish, John-loving-Paul-hating claims.
Just a hunch, but I’ll bet they don’t exist outside of his own head. 😉
Take one features John breaking a strong on his 12 string. I don’t know what string it is (maybe an octave) but it was a great reaction.
Of course, Johan never cites the sources of his outlandish, John-loving-Paul-hating claims.
Just a hunch, but I’ll bet they don’t exist outside of his own head—-
The clip saying Paul wrote Help with John was posted here . So Johan was right which proves you never did your own research to find out the truth. It was not an outlandish claim and your hunch was wrong. Maybe you are just a Paul loving John hater? Seems your blind faith translates into bashing those of us who have been tirelessly pointing out the simple truth of Paul McCartney’s blatant rewrite of musical history.
Mr. Slave- Please listen to the clip below your comment and then read the two comments from Joe and Veronica afterward. Paul clearly says John and he wrote “Help” and John took the lead vocals. In Joe’s summary of “Help” above Paul estimates that “Help” was John’s inspiration 70-30.
If this clip is the program Johan was referencing whereby Paul claims to have written “Help”, then Johan is indeed wrong and has yet to provide a reference to prove his claim which he is usually wont to do.
“The clip saying Paul wrote Help with John was posted here”. Where did it say anything about a 1990 interview? You haven’t even answered the question. The only people who blatantly rewrite history are Beatles fanatics who interpret what they want.
Slave-Read a little further and a lot closer and you will find the correct answer thanks to Joe, Veronica and, indirectly, Stan.
OK – I understand what Paul actually said in the clip. I am corrected. But we are talking about a song Lennon said he wrote by himself, according to his 1972 Hit Parader magazine interview.
When McCartney says, “a song I wrote… with John” don’t you think it completely reduces John’s role? Does that sentence sound like John wrote 70%? To me it subtly makes it sound like its Paul’s song and John helped. Imagine Lennon saying “Hey Jude, a song I wrote… with Paul” – Yesterday , a song I wrote with Paul. Well, just as McCartney claims sole credit for those songs – Lennon claims sole credit for Help.
PS – sorry for the late response. I was defending John on 12 other songs! ?
Mr. Slave-I agree with your point about “I wrote with John.” More accurately perhaps Paul should have said “John and I wrote together…” But he does reference “Help” along with “Strawberry Fields” and “Give Peace A Chance” as John’s and very John so I think it’s safe to say those songs are more John’s creation than Paul’s.
Like you I am late to replying.
In this interview, Paul says he was the one who wrote Help! and John took the lead vocals…
No, he says “Help!, which I wrote with John, but he takes lead vocals”.
Yes totally!! As you clarified, he did not say that he wrote Help. People don’t listen and don’t read. They just keep imagining whatever they want to believe and they even show you the sources to disprove themselves. What a shame.
I agree that slower tempo suits this song well, a good example of an attempt maybe Roxette’s 1995 cover version also recorded at Abbey Road. Though I still like the original
“We wrote it in my house (Kenwood),” Lennon stated shortly after the song was released. “I had a little bit of a song, which I’d played around at writing, called something like ‘Keep Your Hands Off My Babe.’ Anyway, it was floating around for a long time and, when Paul came over, we decided to, sort of, adapt it. We wrote ‘Help!’ after we had been told of the film’s title. We never write to fit in with the story line, but this one seemed to fit okay.” [beatlesebooks]
This pretty much backs up Paul’s 70/30 claim, doesn’t it? Not a mile away, anyway.
If Paul said in 1990 that he wrote Help!, he’s not necessarily saying that John DIDN’T.
Yes, with this it is clear that Paul was not lying, just in case anybody wanted to believe that. In a previous coment someone gave the source trying to back up that Paul had attributed this song and the video just shows Paul saying “I and John wrote that song”. He stresses the “I” but I understand that stress as just clarifying that although everybody believes is John’s song, he also wrote it. However, that’s my interpretation. We should ask him why he stressed the “I”. It would have be more proper to say “John and I” though, hahaha.
Yes, for grammar school boys both John and Paul seemed to have a mental block regarding the correct use of personal pronouns, lol.
Dear Laura, the video you mention is, I believe, part of the TV show “The music of Lennon and Mc Cartney”. it was broadcast in late 65, probably december and also features “Day tripper” and “we can work it out”.
Dear Joe, I think it would be appropriate to state that John played 12-string acoustic guitar. “Rhythm guitar” sounds like it was an electric guitar, to distinguish from the lead electric guitar.
Occasionally, as with all big bands and their recollections of inspiration, I tend to think it’s a great story rather than hard fact. In early 1965 Motown released The Supremes, Stop! In The Name Of Love. A few weeks later The Beach Boys released Help Me, Rhonda. I prefer to believe these songs were an influence on the writers much more than they might admit to.
Does anyone know if an electric or acoustic 12 string was used on the Help recording? The videos show John and George playing 6 string guitars, but the Beatles Complete scores indicates the use of a 12, and it does sound like a 12 to me, but not sure if it was an electric or acoustic.
John Used his Acoustic 12 string for rhythm Guitar.
This song has resonated with me for years and I do believe that has to do with George Harrison ‘s background vocals. Fascinating how the boys would through curve balls and change things up. You know it would be Paul 9 out of 10 times. But the perfect mixture of spoken/sung backround is perfect for this. Paul would not have been able to help but make the backing VOCALS too “beautiful/pretty”. a song with this much bounce needs something to calm it down and Georges voice does this perfectly. The Stereo mix is Essential. THE ORIGINAL mono MIX DOES NOT do this song justice. Beautiful song. Amazing arrangement. 10/10
How can you have a thread on the song “Help” and not mention Australian icon John Farnham’s version?
He sings it at a much slower tempo, which is how John envisioned the song.
The result is one of the few covers that is actually better than the Beatles original.
Check it out on YouTube.
Can someone settle an argument? My brother says Paul and George both sing the counter vocals to John in the verses while I say George only chimes in mainly on the last line of the chorus and northing during the verses – any idea who’s right?