Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Tuesday, April 30
The Indiana Daily Student

No assistance needed


“Help!” might not have introduced any innovative music from The Beatles, but it did pave the way for the albums to come. And from “Help!” things could only get better.

Packed with 12 original songs and two covers, the album showcases the talents of each Beatle. It kicks off with the song “Help!,” a confession by John Lennon, who felt stressed and insecure after rising to success with the band.

But Lennon’s gems on the album channel Bob Dylan in “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” and “Ticket To Ride.”  Each song shows a more constricted voice from Lennon and soothing guitar to back it up. 

“Help!” was also a big leap for George Harrison, who had two songs on the album, “I Need You” and “You Like Me Too Much.” Both songs are not the best Harrison, but it did push him in the right direction for his songs to come.

But the winning Beatle on the album is Paul McCartney.

The best recording session in music history took place during the “Help!” sessions. In one day, McCartney recorded “I’ve Just Seen A Face,” a fast-paced country-oriented song and “Yesterday,” the most-covered song in recording history.

There are filler songs, such as Ringo’s cover of “Act Naturally” and a Lennon/McCartney collaboration on “Tell Me What You See.” Although these songs don’t live up to the rest of the album, they are still great songs.

With three cookie-cutter albums behind them, The Beatles exploded back with “Help!” preparing them for half a decade of innovation.

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe