Song of the Day 3/16: The Beatles, “Help!”

When he was younger, though not all that much younger than today, Donald Trump was adamant about not needing the help of any of America’s allies – you know, the ones the country has actual treaties with. Now those days are gone and he’s not so self-assured. Of course, Trump’s fragile ego won’t let him ask for help – he’s demanding it, which doesn’t increase the chances that he’ll get any.

John Lennon only wrote “Help!” because producers decided “Eight Arms to Hold You” wouldn’t do as the title for the second Beatles movie. He wrote the song to fit the title, but in his interview with Playboy shortly before his murder he conceded, “The whole Beatles thing was just beyond comprehension. I was subconsciously crying out for help.” He told Rolling Stone that “Help!” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” were the two most honest songs he had written as a Beatle.

This performance concluded the band’s Aug. 1, 1965, concert in Blackpool, an English resort town on the Irish Sea. The live broadcast was their only appearance on British TV to promote the album they released to coincide with the movie.