[youtube width=720 height=405 autoplay=yes]ZNahS3OHPwA[/youtube]
Words and Music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Performed by The Beatles
© 1968, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Youtube video uploaded by Ron Santoro
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 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, help me, help me, oh.
Describe a time in your life when you realized you needed someone to help you. Do you ever look to God for help? How can HE help you?
“Help!” is a song by the Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The original title to the song and the movie was “Eight Arms To Hold You.”
Primarily written by John Lennon during what he has described as his “fat Elvis period” he further elaborated in a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, that this was one of his favorite Beatles records, because, “I meant it – it’s real.” The former Beatle added: “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 that aware of myself then. It was just me singing ‘Help’ and I meant it.”
The documentary series The Beatles Anthology revealed that Lennon wrote the lyrics of the song to express his stress after the Beatles’ quick rise to success. Writer Ian MacDonald describes the song as the “first crack in the protective shell” Lennon had built around his emotions during the Beatles’ rise to fame, and an important milestone in his songwriting style. “ Paul McCartney helped Lennon write the song, but did not realize it was actually Lennon calling for help until years later.
Along with “Yesterday,” this is one of two Beatles US #1 hits with just one word in the title.
While The Beatles sped up the tempo to make it more commercial, Lennon originally 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. In 2004, “Help!” was ranked number 29 on Rolling Stone‘s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.