# Help!
**Help!** is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their second feature film of the same name, released on 6 August 1965 by [Parlophone](https://www.edgepedia.org/parlophone) in the United Kingdom as PMC 1255 (mono) and PCS 3071 (stereo)[1](https://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/08/06/uk-lp-help/). It appeared eight months after *[Beatles for Sale](https://www.edgepedia.org/beatles-for-sale)* and pairs the songs from the film on side one with other new recordings, including two covers, on side two[2](https://www.thebeatles.com/help-0). The album contains several of the band's most enduring songs, including the title track, "Ticket to Ride", "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", and "Yesterday"[3](https://www.beatlesbible.com/albums/help/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 6 August 1965, Parlophone PMC 1255 (mono) / PCS 3071 (stereo); the Beatles' fifth UK album[1](https://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/08/06/uk-lp-help/) |
| Purpose | Soundtrack to the Beatles' second feature film, with seven film songs on side one and seven other recordings on side two[2](https://www.thebeatles.com/help-0) |
| Working title | "Eight Arms To Hold You", announced to the press in mid-March 1965; the final title was chosen after John Lennon presented his song "Help!"[4](https://www.thebeatles.com/help-2) • [5](https://aboutthebeatles.com/help-lp) |
| Title track single | Released in the US on 19 July 1965 and in the UK on 23 July 1965, two weeks ahead of the album[6](https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/help/) |
| Cover artwork | The Beatles pose in semaphore signals that spell NUJV rather than HELP[7](https://dmbeatles.com/disk.php?covers=5) |
| US edition | Capitol version released 13 August 1965 with seven Beatles songs and Ken Thorne's film instrumentals[8](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/album/help-stereo-2/) • [9](https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/first-pictures-the-beatles-the-us-albums-box-set-help/) |
| Later mixes | The 1987 CD used a 1986 remix by George Martin; the 2009 remaster reused that remix, while the original 1965 mix survived on the mono release[5](https://aboutthebeatles.com/help-lp) |
## Title and background
The film and its soundtrack were announced to the press in mid-March 1965 under the working title "Eight Arms To Hold You"[4](https://www.thebeatles.com/help-2). The title was settled only after Lennon presented his song "Help!"[5](https://aboutthebeatles.com/help-lp). As with "A Hard Day's Night" before it, once the title was agreed, Lennon rose to the challenge of composing the song[10](https://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/04/13/recording-help/).
Lennon later described the song as more personal than it appeared. "I didn't realise it at the time – I just wrote the song because I was commissioned to write it for the movie – but later I knew, really I was crying out for help," he said in *The Beatles Anthology*, adding that he got very emotional singing the lyrics[11](https://www.thebeatles.com/4th-april-1965-sunday-john-and-paul-compose-help). He also said he did not like the finished recording much, feeling "we did it too fast trying to be commercial"[6](https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/help/).
## Recording
Sessions for the album ran at EMI Studios ([Abbey Road](https://www.edgepedia.org/abbey-road)) between February and June 1965[12](https://www.classicrockreview.com/2015/08/1965-beatles-help/). The title track was recorded on the evening of Tuesday 13 April 1965, in a session from 7 to 11.15 pm in Studio Two[10](https://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/04/13/recording-help/). On the final take, [Ringo Starr](https://www.edgepedia.org/ringo-starr) overdubbed a tambourine and [George Harrison](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-harrison) added the descending, Chet Atkins-style guitar notes that close each chorus[6](https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/help/).
The album also marks a step in the band's studio method: it was on this album that the Beatles first committed in a big way to recording backing tracks first and laying down vocals and other finishing touches as successive overdubs[13](https://awpnoteson.info/notes/h.html).
Several songs recorded during the period did not reach the film or the album, including "If You've Got Trouble", "That Means a Lot", "Yes It Is", and an early version of "Wait", which was re-recorded for *Rubber Soul* later in the year[12](https://www.classicrockreview.com/2015/08/1965-beatles-help/).
## The songs
Lennon's key contributions included "Ticket to Ride", which became the Beatles' first single of 1965, and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", a mostly acoustic recording with introspective lyrics inspired by [Bob Dylan](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-dylan)[3](https://www.beatlesbible.com/albums/help/). Lennon credited Dylan's example with changing his approach: hearing his work gave him "a sort of professional songwriter's attitude to writing pop songs"[3](https://www.beatlesbible.com/albums/help/).
**"Yesterday"** began with [Paul McCartney](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-mccartney) singing and playing acoustic guitar alone; he and producer [George Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-martin) then decided to add a string quartet[14](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/album/help/). Martin recalled McCartney first playing the song to him under the working title "Scrambled Egg", before the lyric was finished[2](https://www.thebeatles.com/help-0). The song went on to become one of the most covered songs in popular music[15](https://www.beatleswiki.com/wiki/index.php/Help%21_%28album%29).
George Harrison contributed one song to each side of the album[2](https://www.thebeatles.com/help-0). The soundtrack also included the earlier single "Ticket to Ride" alongside five new songs: "The Night Before", "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", "I Need You", "Another Girl", and "You're Going to Lose That Girl"[16](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf).
## The film
*Help!*, released on 29 July 1965, is a comedy adventure directed by [Richard Lester](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-lester) in which the band attempts to escape an evil cult after one of Ringo Starr's rings, with locations including the Bahamas and the Austrian mountains[17](https://www.thebeatles.com/help). The cast included [Leo McKern](https://www.edgepedia.org/leo-mckern), Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, and [Roy Kinnear](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-kinnear), and the film has been regarded as a parody of contemporary Bond films[17](https://www.thebeatles.com/help). It has also been credited as a forerunner to rock musicals and pop videos[17](https://www.thebeatles.com/help).
Contemporary reception was mixed. TIME's critic found the acting questionable but admired the "highly professional, carefully calculated camera work and cutting" that had replaced the spontaneity of *A Hard Day's Night*[18](https://time.com/3965234/beatles-help-movie-review/).
## Release and chart performance
The album entered the UK Official Albums Chart with a first chart date of 14 August 1965[19](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/the-beatles-help-0/). In the United States, the song "Help!" reached number one; on 4 September 1965 it became the Beatles' ninth American chart-topper in roughly a year and a half, a figure without precedent in the industry at that point[20](https://los40.com/2025/09/04/sesenta-anos-de-un-grito-disfrazado-de-exito-cuando-help-de-the-beatles-llego-al-n1-en-ee-uu/). The album was nominated for the 1965 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Original Score, Motion Picture or TV Show[5](https://aboutthebeatles.com/help-lp). In Australia it was released on 30 September 1965, the last in a sequence of three albums mastered locally from British-supplied tapes[21](https://www.beatlesaustralia.com/lp-help.html).
## The US edition
The American Help! was released by Capitol on 13 August 1965[8](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/album/help-stereo-2/). It was a gatefold LP containing roughly half the songs of the UK album, with the seven Beatles tracks sitting alongside instrumental music from the film[9](https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/first-pictures-the-beatles-the-us-albums-box-set-help/). On the US soundtrack, the title track was preceded by a spy-theme spoof by composer Ken Thorne, often referred to as "The James Bond Theme" although it is not the Bond theme itself[22](https://aboutthebeatles.com/help-original-motion-picture-soundtrack). The album was reissued on CD in 2006 in *The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2* and again in 2014 in *The U.S. Albums* box set[22](https://aboutthebeatles.com/help-original-motion-picture-soundtrack).
## Mixes and reissues
The album's mixes have a layered history. The 1987 CD release was remixed in 1986 by George Martin, who called the original mixes "very woolly, and not at all what I thought should be a good issue"[5](https://aboutthebeatles.com/help-lp). The 2009 remaster also used the 1986 remix, while the original 1965 mix was issued on the mono version of Help. The mono and stereo versions of the title track differ noticeably: the mono uses a CTS mix with the originally recorded introduction, while the stereo has re-recorded vocals from a June 1965 session[23](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/help/).
In 2026, Warner Music announced a 6 November reissue of three George Martin orchestral albums, including his 1965 instrumental album *Help!* of Beatles covers, remastered at Abbey Road under the supervision of Martin's son Giles to mark what would have been George Martin's 100th birthday[24](https://www.roughtrade.com/en-us/product/george-martin-and-his-orchestra/help-5).
## Assessment
Commentators have often treated Help! as a hinge between the Beatles' early pop era and their later studio work. The album revealed "a marked progression in the Beatles' fortitude as songwriters" and served as a bridge from the earlier, more chart-focused version of the band to the group that would make *Rubber Soul* and *[Revolver](https://www.edgepedia.org/revolver-beatles-album)*[25](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/its-one-of-the-earliest-heavy-metal-records-made-pauls-contribution-was-the-way-ringo-played-the-drums-did-the-beatles-really-pioneer-hard-rock-as-early-as-1965-john-lennon-certainly-thought-so). Its title track is now understood as Lennon's anguished admission of depression beneath a fast rock 'n' roll surface[25](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/its-one-of-the-earliest-heavy-metal-records-made-pauls-contribution-was-the-way-ringo-played-the-drums-did-the-beatles-really-pioneer-hard-rock-as-early-as-1965-john-lennon-certainly-thought-so), and the album retains some of the weariness of *Beatles for Sale* while pointing toward the more personal songwriting that followed[26](https://www.dmbeatles.com/disk.php?disk=5).
## References
1. [6 August 1965: UK album release: Help!, The Beatles Bible](https://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/08/06/uk-lp-help/)
2. [Help! | The Beatles, thebeatles.com](https://www.thebeatles.com/help-0)
3. [Help! (album) – facts, recording info and more!, The Beatles Bible](https://www.beatlesbible.com/albums/help/)
4. [Help! | The Beatles (song page), thebeatles.com](https://www.thebeatles.com/help-2)
5. [Help! (1965) – About The Beatles](https://aboutthebeatles.com/help-lp)
6. [Help! (song) – facts, recording info and more!, The Beatles Bible](https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/help/)
7. [Help! – discography covers, dmbeatles.com](https://dmbeatles.com/disk.php?covers=5)
8. [Help! (US – Stereo) • Official album by The Beatles, The Paul McCartney Project](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/album/help-stereo-2/)
9. [FIRST PICTURES / The Beatles / The US Albums box set: Help!, SuperDeluxeEdition](https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/first-pictures-the-beatles-the-us-albums-box-set-help/)
10. [13 April 1965: Recording: Help!, The Beatles Bible](https://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/04/13/recording-help/)
11. [4th April, 1965 – John and Paul compose 'Help!', thebeatles.com](https://www.thebeatles.com/4th-april-1965-sunday-john-and-paul-compose-help)
12. [Help! by The Beatles – Classic Rock Review](https://www.classicrockreview.com/2015/08/1965-beatles-help/)
13. [Notes on… series, entry for "Help!", awpnoteson.info](https://awpnoteson.info/notes/h.html)
14. [Help! (UK – Mono) • LP by The Beatles, The Paul McCartney Project](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/album/help/)
15. [Help! (album), Beatles Wiki](https://www.beatleswiki.com/wiki/index.php/Help%21_%28album%29)
16. [Help! — THE BEATLES, Billboard Book of Number One Hits (1988), via WorldRadioHistory](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf)
17. [Help! (film) | The Beatles, thebeatles.com](https://www.thebeatles.com/help)
18. [What TIME Got Really Wrong About the Beatles Movie Help!, TIME](https://time.com/3965234/beatles-help-movie-review/)
19. [HELP! – THE BEATLES, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/the-beatles-help-0/)
20. [Sesenta años de un grito disfrazado de éxito: cuando 'Help!' de The Beatles llegó al Nº1 en EE UU, Los40](https://los40.com/2025/09/04/sesenta-anos-de-un-grito-disfrazado-de-exito-cuando-help-de-the-beatles-llego-al-n1-en-ee-uu/)
21. [Help! – Australian LP, beatlesaustralia.com](https://www.beatlesaustralia.com/lp-help.html)
22. [Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (United States, 1965), About The Beatles](https://aboutthebeatles.com/help-original-motion-picture-soundtrack)
23. [Help! (song), The Paul McCartney Project](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/help/)
24. [George Martin and His Orchestra – Help!, Rough Trade](https://www.roughtrade.com/en-us/product/george-martin-and-his-orchestra/help-5)
25. [Did the Beatles really pioneer hard rock as early as 1965?, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/its-one-of-the-earliest-heavy-metal-records-made-pauls-contribution-was-the-way-ringo-played-the-drums-did-the-beatles-really-pioneer-hard-rock-as-early-as-1965-john-lennon-certainly-thought-so)
26. [Help! – The Beatles, dmbeatles.com](https://www.dmbeatles.com/disk.php?disk=5)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Indie and alternative albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license