Help!

This article is about the Beatles album. For the Beatles song, see Help! (song). For the film, see Help! (film). For other uses, see Help (disambiguation).

Help!
The Beatles, standing in a row and wearing blue jackets, with their arms positioned as if to spell out a word in flag semaphore – George, John, Paul and Ringo
Studio album by
the Beatles
Released6 August 1965 (1965-08-06)
Recorded15 February – 17 June 1965
StudioEMI, London
Genre
Length33:44
LabelParlophone
ProducerGeorge Martin
The Beatles chronology
Beatles for Sale
(1964) 		Help!
(1965) 		Rubber Soul
(1965)
The Beatles North American chronology
Beatles VI
(1965) 		Help!
(1965) 		Rubber Soul
(1965)
Singles from Help!
  1. "Ticket to Ride"
    Released: 9 April 1965
  2. "Help!"
    Released: 23 July 1965

Help! is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help!" and "Ticket to Ride", appeared in the film and take up the first side of the vinyl album. The second side includes "Yesterday", the most-covered song ever written.[3] The album was met with favourable critical reviews and topped the Australian, German, British and American charts.

During the recording sessions for the album, the Beatles continued to explore the studio's multitracking capabilities to layer their sound. "Yesterday" features a string quartet, the band's first use of Baroque sensibilities, and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" includes a flute section. The North American release is a true soundtrack album, combining the first seven songs with instrumental music from the film. The omitted tracks are instead spread across the Capitol Records LPs Beatles VI, Rubber Soul and Yesterday and Today.

In the US, Help! marked the start of artistic recognition for the Beatles from mainstream critics, including comparisons to the European art music tradition. It was nominated in the category of Album of the Year at the 1966 Grammys Awards, marking the first time that a rock band had been recognised in this category. In 2000, it was voted 119th in the third edition of Colin Larkin's book All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2020, it was ranked 266th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In September 2013, after the British Phonographic Industry changed its sales award rules, Help! was certified platinum for recorded sales since 1994.[4]

  1. ^ Spignesi, Stephen J.; Lewis, Michael (2004). Here, There, and Everywhere: The 100 Best Beatles Songs. New York, NY NY: Black Dog. ISBN 978-1-57912-369-7. the unabashed more-or-less traditional pop rock of A Hard Day's Night and Help!...
  2. ^ O’Toole, Kit (10 January 2020). "Positively Bob Dylan: The Beatles and the Folk Movement". Chapter 19 - Positively Bob Dylan: The Beatles and the Folk Movement. Cambridge University Press. pp. 196–205. doi:10.1017/9781108296939.021. ISBN 9781108296939. S2CID 214008257.
  3. ^ "Most Recorded Song". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 10 September 2006.
  4. ^ "Beatles albums finally go platinum". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2013.