Help!
Single by The Beatles • 23 July 1965 • Parlophone R 5305
Folk-Rock & Maturity (1965) — Acoustic warmth and Dylan's long shadow.
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About this release
Help! is a single on Parlophone (catalogue R 5305), released 23 July 1965. Title track of the film and LP; UK No.1.
Recorded during the band's Folk-Rock & Maturity (1965) period, produced by George Martin with Norman Smith engineering. The tracks were committed to tape at EMI Studios, Abbey Road on Studer J37 four-track via the REDD.51.
Release context
Help! is a Beatles single issued in the United Kingdom on 23 July 1965 by Parlophone under catalogue number R 5305. It sits in the band's Folk-Rock & Maturity (1965) period. The release followed the parent LP Beatles for Sale by roughly 8 months.
Sessions were produced by George Martin with Norman Smith engineering, working at EMI Studios, Abbey Road. The signal chain ran through the Studer J37 four-track • REDD.51, with vocals captured on Neumann U47, U48. This combination of room, tape format and outboard chain is the same one heard across the band's other releases from the era — meaning the release shares its sonic identity with its parent LP rather than departing from it.
The release features Help!.
Documented alternate masters and remaster passes can be found via the linked entries above; the editorial position throughout Beatles Answers is that the original UK mono master is the canonical point of reference for any single from this era, with the 2009 and 50th-anniversary stereo remasters treated as documented variations rather than replacements. Catalogue numbers, label copy and matrix data are taken from EMI/Parlophone primary documentation and cross-checked against Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (1988).
Track-by-track context
Each track on this single carries its own session history on the dedicated entry. The summary below pulls the most distinctive editorial detail from each:
- Help! — Recorded in Abbey Road, Room 65 (not the usual Studio Two), the piece captured 12 takes during the afternoon session. Multiple mono remixes (remixes 1–3) were generated for film approval by United Artists, with the final mono mix deemed 'best' for cinema use.
What's distinctive
2 tracks; average length 2:21. Lennon dominates the lead vocals (2/2). Lead writing credit: Lennon–McCartney (2 of 2). Estimated total takes across the release: 50.Tracklist
Side A
Side B
Pattern analysis
Era technical context
| Microphones | Neumann U47, U48; AKG C12 (vocals); Coles 4038 |
|---|---|
| Outboard | EMI RS124 'Altec', EMT 140 plate, ADT begins (Townsend, mid-1966) |
| Guitars | Rickenbacker 360-12 (Harrison), Epiphone Casino (introduced — Lennon, McCartney, Harrison), Framus Hootenanny 12-string (Lennon) |
| Amplifiers | Vox AC30, Vox AC50/AC100 |
References & external databases
Charts & certifications
- UK Singles Chart peak: #1 (Wikipedia, citing the relevant chart publication)
- BPI certification: Platinum (British Phonographic Industry)
- RIAA certification: Platinum (Recording Industry Association of America)
Chart positions and certifications sourced from the relevant Wikipedia article infoboxes and citation footnotes.