Help! Lyrics



Lennon/McCartney


Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me.

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so insecure,
I know that I just need you like I've never done before.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me.

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these daya are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me, help me, help me, oh.

 
Lead Singer: John

Recording: 4/13/65
Mixing: 4/18/65, 6/18/65
Length: 2:33
Take: 12

Anomalies

0:20Double tracking timing error on word "way"
0:25 * NEW *
Shout, just before "find", easier to hear on right of stereo.
The mono version has the intro spliced on. The vocals differ between the mono and stereo mixes.
Danny Caccavo adds this :-
Here's more about the mono mix.
Whenever you hear the guitar run, there's an edit which cuts out the band hangover (cymbals) and the thumping on John's acoustic guitar. "Won't you (edit) please, please help (edit) me". On the second edit, the band returns, and the guitar run stops suddenly.
These edits are not (unfortunately) on the stereo mix. They are quite effective on the mono.
Also at the end on the mono mix, there are three "Help Me"'s. Note that the second one is "Help" (Paul/George) and "Me" (John). On the stereo, John's voice is double tracked, so you lose the back and forth effect (highlighted in the film "Help" -- note how it is edited back and forth)

* NEW * Glenn Koury also notes:-
The anomaly is in the tempo of one phrase in the first verse. The line is "Now I find I'VE CHANGED MY MIND". In the single version of the song, the tempo of the vocal phrase I"VE CHANGED MY MIND is evenly spaced, with MIND coming right at the downbeat (actually, a 16th beat before). In the album version, the phrase is double-timed, with MIND arriving on the upbeat. Also, in the album version, the phrase is repeated at the END of the song, and there, it is the slower, evenly-paced tempo like the single version (and thus inconsistent with the same line at the beginning of the album).
 
This was used as the title song to Beatles' second movie. The original title to the song and the movie was "Eight Arms To Hold You." The first copies of the single said it was from the movie "Eight Arms to Hold You."
John Lennon: "I really was crying out for help. It was my fat Elvis period."
There are different lyrics on the album and single versions.
The Beatles sped up the tempo to make it more commercial, Lennon intended it as a slow song.
In 1985, this became the first Beatles song ever used in a commercial when it was used in an ad for Ford cars. Ford paid $100,000 for it, and the version in the commercial was performed by a sound-alike group.
Deep Purple recorded this on a demo that helped them get a record deal in 1968.
George Harrison played a 12 string guitar on this.
The movie was used by The Monkees to prepare for their TV show. The Beatles showed off their individual personalities in their movies, which The Monkees made sure to emulate. By not presenting all members of the band as identical, it made the Beatles even more popular, as many of their fans picked a favorite.
McCartney helped Lennon write this, but did not realize it was actually Lennon calling for help until years later.
The lyrics appears to be addressed to another person, but they could also be seen as being addressed to a mind altering substance. There are lots of clues in the lyrics but the major ones are, "I've changed my mind" and "I've opened up the doors" as in "The Doors Of Perception" which is the title of a book by Aldous Huxley about his mind altering experiences with mescaline. The title is taken from a quote of William Blake's, "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." (thanks, Ed - Perth, Australia)


Help! Lyrics   

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