Help!

Help! is the title of a 1965 film starring The Beatles and also featuring Leo McKern. It is also the soundtrack album from the film, which has the words 'HELP' spelt out in semaphore, as well as the title song from that album.

Produced by George Martin for EMI Records, the album contains seven songs that appeared in the movie and seven that did not, including one of the most successful songs in history, the archetypal Paul McCartney ballad "Yesterday".

Even without the presence of the legendary "Yesterday", many critics consider the album Help! worthy of high praise. The album shows The Beatles, but mainly John Lennon, under the influence of Bob Dylan and folk music. The title track shows Lennon's confusion and cynicism hidden under a maze of rhthyms; "Ticket To Ride", a number one single, is the widely recongnized as the first grunge song due to its descending chords and disabled vocal; "It's Only Love" is another tugging vocal by Lennon.

McCartney, adds "Yesterday" as well as "Another Girl", a fast moving congo beat pop song, "The Night Before", a standard rock & roll song, and "I've Just Seen A Face", a rollicking Dylanesque folk song often overlooked by Beatle fans.

George Harrison contributes the low-key "I Need You" and the headstrong "You Like Me Too Much".

This album seems to be the turning point for the Beatles, coming off of Beatlemania and entering a more focused stage. Shortly after this album was released the Beatles played their last live concert in San Francisco in order to concentrate more with the studio.

The film's original working title was "Eight Arms to Hold You". The plot of the movie is about a ring which Ringo can't take off.

The single "Help!" was also covered by Bananarama.

Songs marked with * appear in the movie:

1. "Help!" (Lennon/McCartney) * SAMPLE (148k)
2. "The Night Before" (Lennon/McCartney) *
3. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" (Lennon/McCartney) * SAMPLE (153k)
4. "I Need You" (Harrison) *
5. "Another Girl" (Lennon/McCartney) *
6. "You're Going to Lose That Girl" (Lennon/McCartney) *
7. "Ticket to Ride" (Lennon/McCartney) *
8. "Act Naturally" (Morrison/Russel)
9. "It's Only Love" (Lennon/McCartney)
10. "You Like Me Too Much" (Harrison)
11. "Tell Me What You See" (Lennon/McCartney)
12. "I've Just Seen a Face" (Lennon/McCartney)
13. "Yesterday" (Lennon/McCartney) SAMPLE (126k)
14. "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" (Williams)

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See also first aid