"With a Little Help From My Friends" (McCartney – June 2, 1967)
1963 – Concert at the ABC, Carlisle (Helen Shapiro tour).
1967 – Studio 2. 7.00pm-2.15am. Recording: "Good Morning Good Morning" (takes 1-8). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush.
Sgt. Peppers… – Side 1, track 2 (2:44)
Lennon and McCartney deliberately wrote a tune with a limited range – except for the last note, which McCartney worked closely with Starr to achieve. Speaking in the Anthology, Starr insisted on changing the first line which originally was "What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and throw tomatoes at me?" He changed the lyric so that fans would not throw tomatoes at him should he perform it live. (In the early days, after George Harrison made a passing comment that he liked jelly babies, the group was showered with them at all of their live performances.)
The song's composition is unusually well documented as Hunter Davies was present and described the writing process in the Beatles' official biography.
The song is partly in the form of a conversation, in which the other three Beatles sing a question and Starr answers, for example: "Would you believe in a love at first sight? / Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time."
The band started recording the song the day before they posed for the Sgt. Pepper album cover (29 March 1967), wrapping up the session at 5:45 in the morning. At dawn, Starr trudged up the stairs to head home – but the other Beatles cajoled him into doing his lead vocal then and there, standing around the microphone for moral support.
Recording –
The original second line of the song was originally "Would you throw tomatoes at me?" but Ringo refused to sing it, fearing he'd be pelted with tomatoes if he ever had to perform the song live. (The Beatles had been pelted by jelly beans from adoring fans during their touring years, after it was reported the band liked to eat them.) John and Paul have both admitted that "What do you see when you turn out the light? / I can't tell you, but I know it's mine," a couplet suggested by John, was a masturbation joke.
Though the Beatles have always remained noncommittal on the song's phrase "get high," they were certainly aware of the term's double meaning. US Vice-President Spiro Agnew, a notorious rock-hater, contended that the band meant "high" in the illegal sense, and further maintained that the "friends" in the song were not flesh-and-blood humans, but rather various drugs.
The band The Iveys, a Beatles discovery who had already released a single for Apple Records, changed their name to Badfinger after hearing of this song's original title.
Some "Paul Is Dead" enthusiasts insist that "Billy Shears" is actually pronounced "Billy's here," a reference to the "fake Paul," William Campbell, taking over for the "dead Paul." This is unlikely, since Ringo is Billy. And for many, many other reasons.
This Day in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) February 8 –
1958 – Evening: Performance of the Quarry Men at the Wilson Hall, Garston. Paul introduces George to John.
Paul, John and George in 1958
1962 – Brian Epstein goes to HMV's store, 363 Oxford Street, London, to have acetates cut from tapes of some songs of the Decca audition, and chat with Bob Boast, disc-cutter Jim Foy, and Sid Colman, who contacts him with George Martin.
YouTube (Joe Cocker cover)
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone and About.com –
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone and About.com –
"With a Little Help from My Friends" (originally titled "A Little Help from My Friends") is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, released on The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. The song was written for and sung by The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr as the character "Billy Shears". It was ranked No. 311 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Origins –
Lennon and McCartney finished writing this song in mid-March 1967, written specifically as Starr's track for the album. It was briefly called "Bad Finger Boogie" (later the inspiration for the band name Badfinger), supposedly because Lennon composed the melody on a piano using his middle finger after having hurt his forefinger; but in his 1980 Playboy interview Lennon said: "This is Paul, with a little help from me. 'What do you see when you turn out the light/ I can't tell you, but I know it's mine...' is mine." Lennon also attributed most of the song to McCartney in his 1972 Hit Parader interview: "Paul. It was Paul's idea. I think I helped with some of the words. In fact, I did. Hunter Davies was there when we did it and mentioned it in the book. 'What do you see when you turn out the light, I can't tell you but I know it's mine.' That was mine." McCartney, though, claims at least partial credit for the line, stating: "I remember giggling with John when we wrote the lines 'What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you, but I know it's mine.' It could have been him playing with his willy under the covers, or it could have been taken on a deeper level."
Lennon and McCartney deliberately wrote a tune with a limited range – except for the last note, which McCartney worked closely with Starr to achieve. Speaking in the Anthology, Starr insisted on changing the first line which originally was "What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and throw tomatoes at me?" He changed the lyric so that fans would not throw tomatoes at him should he perform it live. (In the early days, after George Harrison made a passing comment that he liked jelly babies, the group was showered with them at all of their live performances.)
The song's composition is unusually well documented as Hunter Davies was present and described the writing process in the Beatles' official biography.
The song is partly in the form of a conversation, in which the other three Beatles sing a question and Starr answers, for example: "Would you believe in a love at first sight? / Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time."
The band started recording the song the day before they posed for the Sgt. Pepper album cover (29 March 1967), wrapping up the session at 5:45 in the morning. At dawn, Starr trudged up the stairs to head home – but the other Beatles cajoled him into doing his lead vocal then and there, standing around the microphone for moral support.
Recording –
Personnel
Ringo Starr – Lead vocal, drums, tambourine
Paul McCartney – Backing vocal, bass, piano
John Lennon – Backing vocal, cowbell
George Harrison – Backing vocal, lead guitar
George Martin – Producer, Hammond organ
Geoff Emerick – Engineer
Paul McCartney – Backing vocal, bass, piano
John Lennon – Backing vocal, cowbell
George Harrison – Backing vocal, lead guitar
George Martin – Producer, Hammond organ
Geoff Emerick – Engineer
Joe Cocker version
English singer Joe Cocker's version of "With a Little Help from My Friends" was a radical re-arrangement of the original, in a slower, 6/8 meter, using different chords in the middle eight, and a lengthy instrumental introduction (featuring drums byProcol Harum's B.J. Wilson, guitar lines from Jimmy Page, and organ by Tommy Eyre). Cocker performed the song at Woodstock in 1969 and that performance was included in the documentary film, Woodstock. His cover was ranked number two in UpVenue's top 10 best music covers of all time in 2009. The version heard in the film Across the Universe segues from the original to Cocker's arrangement at the end of the song. In 2001, Cocker's version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Personnel
Joe Cocker – Vocals
Brad May – Guitar
Chris Stainton – Bass
Tommy Eyre – Organ
B.J. Wilson – Drums
Rosetta Hightower – Backing vocals
Sunny Wheetman – Backing vocals
The Joe Cocker version was used as the title music for the 1988–1993 television series The Wonder Years. "With a Little Help from My Friends" was played as wake-up music on Space Shuttle Mission STS-61.
Brad May – Guitar
Chris Stainton – Bass
Tommy Eyre – Organ
B.J. Wilson – Drums
Rosetta Hightower – Backing vocals
Sunny Wheetman – Backing vocals
The Joe Cocker version was used as the title music for the 1988–1993 television series The Wonder Years. "With a Little Help from My Friends" was played as wake-up music on Space Shuttle Mission STS-61.
Cultural references –
To date, Starr has closed every concert with each version of his All-Starr Bandwith this song. After he is done singing, Starr tells the audience "Peace and Love...Peace and Love is the only way" and good night, then walks off the stage. Since 2008, the band segued right into "Give Peace a Chance", during which Starr comes back onstage, then walks off again.
Starr performed the song with George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Elton John at the 1987 Prince's Trust Concert at Wembley Arena, London. McCartney and Starr performed this song for the first time together at the David Lynch Foundation Benefit Concert in the Radio City Music Hall, New York on 4 April 2009.
The cult PBS film The Lathe of Heaven (from 1980) uses the original recording of the song. The main character (George Orr), who can manipulate reality with his dreams, comes upon a 45 of the song at a novelty shop run by an alien. The alien hands George the 45 saying "Help is available." The song plays in the soundtrack and morphs into a synthesizer version. The film was out of circulation for over 20 years. When it was finally re-aired on PBS and released on DVD in 2001, many fans were upset that the original Beatles recording was replaced by a singer with an acoustic guitar. This was due to changes in publishing rights that have occurred since 1980 involving the dissolution of The Beatles' original Northern Songs and the acquisition by Sony/ATV (party owned by the Jackson family).
Starr performed the song with George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Elton John at the 1987 Prince's Trust Concert at Wembley Arena, London. McCartney and Starr performed this song for the first time together at the David Lynch Foundation Benefit Concert in the Radio City Music Hall, New York on 4 April 2009.
The cult PBS film The Lathe of Heaven (from 1980) uses the original recording of the song. The main character (George Orr), who can manipulate reality with his dreams, comes upon a 45 of the song at a novelty shop run by an alien. The alien hands George the 45 saying "Help is available." The song plays in the soundtrack and morphs into a synthesizer version. The film was out of circulation for over 20 years. When it was finally re-aired on PBS and released on DVD in 2001, many fans were upset that the original Beatles recording was replaced by a singer with an acoustic guitar. This was due to changes in publishing rights that have occurred since 1980 involving the dissolution of The Beatles' original Northern Songs and the acquisition by Sony/ATV (party owned by the Jackson family).
Trivia –
Though the Beatles have always remained noncommittal on the song's phrase "get high," they were certainly aware of the term's double meaning. US Vice-President Spiro Agnew, a notorious rock-hater, contended that the band meant "high" in the illegal sense, and further maintained that the "friends" in the song were not flesh-and-blood humans, but rather various drugs.
The band The Iveys, a Beatles discovery who had already released a single for Apple Records, changed their name to Badfinger after hearing of this song's original title.
Some "Paul Is Dead" enthusiasts insist that "Billy Shears" is actually pronounced "Billy's here," a reference to the "fake Paul," William Campbell, taking over for the "dead Paul." This is unlikely, since Ringo is Billy. And for many, many other reasons.
This Day in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) February 8 –
1958 – Evening: Performance of the Quarry Men at the Wilson Hall, Garston. Paul introduces George to John.
Paul, John and George in 1958
1962 – Brian Epstein goes to HMV's store, 363 Oxford Street, London, to have acetates cut from tapes of some songs of the Decca audition, and chat with Bob Boast, disc-cutter Jim Foy, and Sid Colman, who contacts him with George Martin.
1963 – Concert at the ABC, Carlisle (Helen Shapiro tour).
–The Beatles are ejected from a ballroom for wearing leather jackets.
1964 – With The Beatles number 1, 10th week (UK Record Retailer chart).
1964 – With The Beatles number 1, 10th week (UK Record Retailer chart).
– I Want To Hold Your Hand' number 1, 2nd week; 4th week in the Top 100 (Billboard).
– "She Loves You", 3rd week in the Top 100 (Billboard).
– "Please Please Me", 2nd week in the Top 100 (Billboard).
– "I Saw Her Standing There", 1st week in the Top 100 (Billboard).
– Rehearsal for the Ed Sullivan Show performance, at the CBS Studios, New York.
– Photographic session in the Central Park, New York. George, sick with fever, stays in bed.
– Start of British tour of Gerry and the Pacemakers, presented by Arthur Howes and Brian.
1965 – It is announced that the next Beatles film will be Richard Condon's A Talent For Loving, produced for Pickfair Films.
– "She Loves You", 3rd week in the Top 100 (Billboard).
– "Please Please Me", 2nd week in the Top 100 (Billboard).
– "I Saw Her Standing There", 1st week in the Top 100 (Billboard).
– Rehearsal for the Ed Sullivan Show performance, at the CBS Studios, New York.
– Photographic session in the Central Park, New York. George, sick with fever, stays in bed.
– Start of British tour of Gerry and the Pacemakers, presented by Arthur Howes and Brian.
1965 – It is announced that the next Beatles film will be Richard Condon's A Talent For Loving, produced for Pickfair Films.
1967 – Studio 2. 7.00pm-2.15am. Recording: "Good Morning Good Morning" (takes 1-8). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush.
Recording of rythm track for "Good Morning Good Morning".1968 – Studio 2. 2.30-9.00pm. Recording: "The Inner Light" (overdub onto take 6). Mono mixing: "The Inner Light" (remixes 2-4, from take 6). Recording: "Across The Universe"(overdub onto take 8) . Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick/Ken Scott; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush.
– Studio 2 (control room only). 10.00pm-12.15am. Mono mixing: "Across The Universe" (remixes 1, 2, from take 8). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Ken Scott; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush.
– Recording of backing vocals for "The Inner Light".
– It is decided to keep "Across The Universe" for a World Wildlife Found album, and give "The Inner Light' the B-side of the next single.
1969 – Yellow Submarine LP, 4th week in the Top 30 (Billboard).
– Recording of backing vocals for "The Inner Light".
– It is decided to keep "Across The Universe" for a World Wildlife Found album, and give "The Inner Light' the B-side of the next single.
1969 – Yellow Submarine LP, 4th week in the Top 30 (Billboard).
'Unfinished Music No. 1.
1972 – Unannounced Paul's concert at the Nottingham University.
1972 – Unannounced Paul's concert at the Nottingham University.
1990 – Paul's concert in Worcester (Get Back Tour).
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