#84 Dizzy Miss Lizzie

Written by: Larry Williams
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: John


"Dizzy Miss Lizzie" is the last hurrah. It is the final cover to appear on the standard Beatles studio albums and the last time John was forced to belt out that "Twist And Shout"-type vocal. Initially, the track was not supposed to be on HELP! as it was recorded, like "Bad Boy", specifically for Capitol and the American market. Both "Bad Boy" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" appeared on Beatles VI, along with "You Like Me Too Much" and "Tell Me What You See", prior to their British releases. "You Like Me Too Much" and "Tell Me What You See" were always supposed to be on HELP!, but once it appeared as though the idea of a wholly original LP fell flat thanks to "Act Naturally", "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" was up for inclusion.
"Dizzy Miss Lizzie" was written by Larry Williams, who also wrote "Slow Down" and "Bad Boy". ("Slow Down" was actually the B-Side to "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" in March, 1958.) The Beatles performance of the song is great, no doubt about it, but there's a feeling of 'been-there-done-that' here. This is the fifth Beatles album and all but one ended with a raucous cover. Not only was this effect wearing thin on the boys, but it was probably wearing a little thin on the public. 


The song was included on 1976's Rock 'N' Roll Music as the side three opener, but has never been anywhere else. A version was recorded for the BBC prior to its release on HELP! that is included on Live At The BBC.  


Next: We get to sink our teeth in the first ever Double-A sided single! 
      

#83: Yesterday

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: Paul 


"So for Paul McCartney...Opportunity knocks!"


"Yesterday" is probably one of the most important songs ever recorded. It features just Paul on acoustic guitar and a string quartet arranged by George Martin....and yet it has always felt like one of the most complex Beatles songs. There are the lyrics, which recount the tragic falling out between lovers,  and that beautiful melody that Paul woke up with in his head. The whole story of how the song went from "Scrambled Eggs" to "Yesterday" has been recounted so many times that it's almost pointless to do it here, so I won't. 
The song is the first to feature just Paul, which made it difficult when performing it live. It wasn't done very often, but when it was, Paul had a recording of the strings to back him up. There are two very important live performances. The first is, of course, the very first performance of the song on the Blackpool Night Out show here, where George gives his famous speech.
Then, there is the only electric performance of the song done in Tokyo, 1966. This version proves that the song Paul wrote was much too delicate to be taken lightly. 


In the UK, The Beatles requested that the song not be released as a single. At the time, they almost felt embarrassed by it, since it was so different from anything else they ever did. They actually thought there was a chance of it sinking into obscurity if they not only put it on the second side of HELP!, but if they put it on the tail-end of the record. (Although they did issue it as the lead track of an EP in March, 1966.) We see how well that worked. 

However, in the US, Capitol felt the need to release it as a single and it became the Beatles' third #1 in a row. The single was backed by "Act Naturally", which was also performed on The Ed Sullivan Show prior to the single release. When Capitol realized that the Beatles were performing two songs that they had yet to release in the States, they rushed out the 45 as soon as they could. Both sides of the single wouldn't make an LP appearance until June 1966 on  Yesterday And Today. Of course, the track has been featured on nearly every Beatles compilation since and was finally issued on a 45 in the UK in 1976.           


In the years since its release, it has become one of the Beatles' most popular songs, considering that it is officially the most covered song of all time. Still, there is nothing better than the original. I really can't say this is my favorite song, because it's not and also, it is very un-Beatle-ly. My favorite Beatles songs are the ones where all four of them made significant contributions, like great harmonies from John & Paul, a great guitar solo from George and fantastic percussion from Ringo. "Yesterday" has none of those qualities. It's still a great song, though and anyone who isn't moved by hearing Paul's vocal and those first few bars doesn't have a heart.   

#82: I've Just Seen A Face

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: Paul 

Paul managed to get a trilogy of his own songs on HELP!, except unlike John's opening saga on Beatles For Sale, not only is it stuck on the tail end of the second side but all three songs are vastly different. "I've Just Seen A Face" is the second song in the set and is Paul's turn at the folk world. Considering that John was the one that seem to have a hold on the folk songs the Beatles were putting out at the time, it's a little surprising. 
The song starts with a slow tempo before moving faster than a speeding bullet, culminating in a track time of barely two minutes. It's a shame that British fans had to hear the song stuck between two songs and thrown onto side two, because it makes for a great opener. As I said in the "It's Only Love," entry, these two songs were used on Capitol's Rubber Soul. "I've Just Seen A Face" was chosen as the opener, which right away gives the record a drastically different feeling than "Drive My Car".
The instrumentation features the Beatles playing all acoustic instruments. John and Paul play acoustic rhythm while George plays the lead. Ringo replaces his drums with a snare and maracas, completing the Country-Western, folksy feel of the song. 
Also like "It's Only Love", the song had an interesting working title: "Aunty Gin's Theme", in honor of Paul's aunt. 
Capitol never released the song on a 45, but since Rubber Soul was getting more attention in the States simply because there were no singles, the track got a lot more notice. So much so, that Paul performed the song as just one of five Beatles songs during the Wings Over America 1976 tour. He again did it for his Unplugged show in 1991 and in the more recent tours. Unfortunately, this still doesn't save the song from obscurity. It's a shame, but when the same man who wrote this also wrote the next song, you can understand why it gets stuck in the 'hidden gem' files.   

#81: Tell Me What You See

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: Paul (& John)


"Tell Me What You See" is another song that gives a really good preview of the sound found on Rubber Soul. Paul gives an understated, tired sounding-vocal which is very similar to John's style on "It's Only Love" and "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party". 
The track features interesting instrumentation, marked by Paul's use of the güiro and Ringo's really cool drum pattern. Lyrics-wise, this isn't one of Paul's strongest, but I do like the point-of-view it takes. The singer is opening his heart to the girl, hoping she will figure it out and return the feelings.  
I think I would call this a hidden gem. I enjoy the song and definitely wish it got some more attention. Maybe Paul could take it out for a dry run at a show sometime? 


The songs on the second side of HELP! are really obscure as it gets, aside from one really important song that we're almost getting to (gee, I wonder which one that is?). "Tell Me What You See" also has never appeared anywhere else. In the US, it was prematurely released on Beatles VI, which will get a more detailed explanation later, as I said before. 

#80: You Like Me Too Much

Written by: George Harrison
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: George


HELP! is the first album to feature two songs written by George. "You Like Me Too Much", though, is a lot like "I Need You". It's just another simple love song without much meaning beyond 'I love you...a lot.' 
The recording features three different pianists, with John on piano during the bulk of the song. For the introduction, Paul and George Martin play piano parts simultaneously. The Steinway piano was played by both of them at the same time and is nowhere else in the song. 
This is definitely a filler track, without a doubt. It never appears anywhere else and, as previously mentioned during the "I Need You" entry, was forgotten by George in his I, Me, Mine autobiography. The song just pales in comparison to the Lennon/McCartney numbers that surround it. 
Thankfully, George's next songs would prove that he was actually in the same league as Lennon/McCartney, it just took him awhile. 


"You Like Me Too Much" (as well as two other songs on HELP!) appeared in the US prematurely on Beatles VI, a completely manufactured record. I'll talk more about the whole procedure for the "Bad Boy" entry, which won't come until after Revolver, since I'm following the UK sequence. I just wanted to let everyone know that I didn't forget! 

#79: It's Only Love

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: John


It's amazing how great songs like "It's Only Love" got trashed by John (and even Paul, who is quoted as calling it filler), but we appreciate them. In fact, I think it's one of his best love songs. It talks about love as something that happens to everybody and can be shrugged off. Most songs around this period glorify love, but The Beatles were already moving beyond that idea. John tells us that love is just a simple explanation as to why these things happen when a girl comes by. It's something that I'm sure we all can relate to. 
The song proves right off the bat, too, that the best originals on the album are not the ones featured in the movie. Instrumentally, the song features a nifty, jangly guitar by George. I also love John's vocal. He gives that same tired vocal sound to the song that he gave "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party". 
The song got some unwanted attention in the US because Capitol used it as the opener to side two of Rubber Soul. The song has a very folksy sound and was recorded late in the HELP! sessions. By dropping all the 'tough' rock songs from Rubber Soul and adding "It's Only Love" and "I've Just Seen A Face", Capitol gave Rubber Soul a whole new sound. If you don't have the Capitol Albums, Vol. 2 box set, create a playlist using Capitol's Rubber Soul track-list and give it a listen. Then, come back to me, because it will give you a whole new appreciation for those two HELP! songs. 
Of course, the song was on Love Songs in 1977, but never issued as a single or anywhere else. Fun note: When John first came up with the melody, he called the song "That's A Nice Hat", just one of the many whimsical work-in-progress titles the Beatles used.     

#78: Act Naturally

Written by: Johnny Russel & Voni Morrison
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: Ringo


The Beatles were always good for a laugh, but they usually kept their humor off their records...until this one. 

Ringo was originally given the worst song John & Paul ever wrote, "If You've Got Trouble" (summed up by Ringo yelling "Oh, rock on...anyBODY!" during the solo) for HELP! Thankfully that song was quickly dropped because it just sucked. Instead, Ringo got to flex his rockabilly muscles again with a cover of Buck Owen's "Act Naturally" (done here on TV in 1965). 
The funniest thing about the song is the cruel irony. Ringo was thrown into the spot-light, thanks to his solo sequence in A Hard Day's Night and it was assumed that he would make a great actor. This is why Richard Lester made the story of HELP! revolve around him. (If you watch the Anthology, though, Ringo reveals that that wasn't acting in A Hard Day's Night - it was a drunk's walk-through of London.) Of course, Ringo isn't that great an actor (and as HELP! shows, none of them were - they were only good at playing themselves, which they obviously weren't in that film), so to have him sing a song about a misplaced 'actor' is a great idea.  
It also opened the non-film side of HELP! The British LP followed the same sequence as A Hard Day's Night. While "Act Naturally" may seem to signal that the second side of HELP! might all be filler, this is quickly proved incorrect by the next song. 


The Beatles obviously were hoping that "Act Naturally" would become an obscure joke, but Capitol in the US made sure that wasn't about to happen. Capitol, again capitalizing on the US's love for Ringo, released it as the B-Side to a much more important song. Thus, The Beatles performed it on the 1965 US tour and Ringo performs it to this day. In 1989, while Ringo was attempting a comeback from alcoholism, he recorded the song again with Buck Owens for Capitol. That was actually a success, reaching #27 on the Billboard country charts.    

#77: You're Going To Lose That Girl

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: John


I've always thought "You're Going To Lose That Girl" was sort of a re-write of "I Should Have Known Better", except from a third-person view. John is telling the listener that, if you don't treat her right, she's going to walk away. Aside from Ringo playing bongos and Paul at the piano, I really don't see this as a unique song as it is similar to a lot of other John songs from the period. 
This is the last song from the film on the album, before the previously-released "Ticket To Ride". In the film, the Beatles 'perform' it in the studio, during the clever (and easily the best part) montage of attempts to get the ring off Ringo's finger. The 'session' abruptly comes to an end as Ringo falls through the floor. The best part of this sequence is the cool feature of showing Paul playing piano and bass at the same time. When the camera switches from showing George & Paul singing behind John to the piano player, Paul magically appears there! That's called great editing.


"You're Going To Lose That Girl" is a relatively obscure track that appeared on Love Songs. Capitol had the audacity to attempt to release the song as the B-Side to a 45 featuring "Girl" to promote Love Songs. All of Capitol's "themed" compilations were proceeded by a single, no matter how useless it was to release one. ("Helter Skelter" b/w "Got To Get You Into My Life" was for Rock And Roll Music in 1976 and "The Beatles Movie Medley" b/w "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" was for Reel Music.) However, this single, which was meant to promote Love Songs was cancelled.  


Next up: Side Two, the songs not in the film, of HELP!

#76: Another Girl

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: Paul


A Hard Day's Night is better than HELP! in every way...including the songs. "Another Girl" is yet another example of that proves this. Really, aside from "Help!", "Ticket To Ride" and "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", all of these songs have fallen into obscurity (at least as obscure as a Beatles song can be) and aside from "The Night Before", I wouldn't exactly call these 'hidden gems'. 
"Another Girl" is another Paul song where the relationship is strained, so he runs off with another girl. Paul plays lead guitar...again, providing a jangly guitar solo that George gets stuck miming to in the movie. The song is done on the beach in the Bahamas, done while the Beatles switch instruments (except, Paul gets to play a girl). 
It's a fun song, but with so many better songs recorded during the HELP! sessions, I wish they reconsidered using this in the movie. "Another Girl" never got issued anywhere else and was never performed live.     

#75: I Need You

Written by: George Harrison
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: George


"'I Need You' by George Harrison!!"


"I Need You" is the first song written by George to appear on an album since "Don't Bother Me" back on with the beatles. It hardly helps to prove that George was actually as good a songwriter as John and Paul. In fact, George 'forgot' to include both of the songs he wrote for HELP! in his autobiography, I, Me, Mine. A few others were left out, but these were the only ones written and released during the Beatles years that he dropped. 
Since George got a vocal shot in A Hard Day's Night, it's only right that he does get one in HELP! and like the last film, he gets the worst song. "I Need You" feels like a routine love song that he wrote just to prove that "Don't Bother Me" wasn't all that he could do. Still, the only thing interesting about the song is the use of the volume pedal that George used to give "Yes It Is" a unique sound. George does a pretty good vocal, but that's about it. 
The really funny thing about "I Need You" is during the HELP! credits. On the card that says "Songs written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney", we hear George yell "'I Need You' by George Harrison!!" This could be a jab at the fact that in A Hard Day's Night, the card also said the same thing, even though "Don't Bother Me" was partially used during the dancing sequence. Either that, or the boys and Richard Lester probably thought it was funny. During the film itself, the song is played during the same sequence as "The Night Before".


"I Need You" has only ever appeared on HELP! making it one of the more obscure Beatles songs. Considering it's not one of their best (and that George himself neglected it), I suppose it's for the best. 

#74: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: John


John's affection for Dylan is in full swing here. This is easily the best song that was featured in the film.
The love affair in the song is very Dylan-esque, where the girl is the one leaving the guy with an insult. "How could she say to me, 'love will find a way'?" Then, the guy can only offer himself advice which is that he can't be so open with his love. Gather 'round all you clowns, let me hear you say-ay-ay: Hey! You've got to hide your love away! The song is very much like "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)". In fact listen to the first lines of the two songs and you'll see they're strikingly similar. 
The song is also the first song since the original version of "Love Me Do" to feature a musician outside of the Beatles. Film composer John Scott, who at the time was under an EMI contract to work with their top artists, played the flute part at the end of the song. 


On Beach Boys' Party!, The Beach Boys covered it, along with "I Should Have Known Better" and "Tell Me Why". That album's point was to get something out for the Christmas of 1965 while Brian Wilson was working on Pet Sounds. So, they just took a couple of days to make the first ever "Unplugged" album, recording their favorite songs of the day. Dennis Wilson, the 'wild' Wilson, sang the song beautifully on the album, but the silly party overdubs get in the way! 


"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" was included on 1963-1966, but since it was never issued as a single, never appeared anywhere else. It did make it's way to that terrible Love Songs set in 1977.     

#73: The Night Before

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: Paul


Man, I love this song...I just have to say that.
Anyway, HELP! is a movie made for the sole purpose of giving the Beatles a great vacation. For "The Night Before", The Beatles got to perform the song in the middle of a giant field, because, for some reason, this giant, open field is the safest place to be when you're being chased by Indian extremists. Of course, things don't go as planned and eventually everything explodes. 
"The Night Before" is by Paul and, like "Ticket To Ride", he plays lead guitar and gets the solo. While it's little things like this that bring into question George's guitar playing, the truth is that Paul probably just wanted to play guitar on his song. Also, John is playing the piano, meaning that somebody has to play rhythm and with overdubbing available, there was no reason why Paul couldn't just overdub his bass parts. 
The song, which continues Paul's string of interesting relationship songs, is about a guy who said goodbye to his girlfriend last night, but she decided today that she wants to come back. So, the guy wants her to treat him like the night before she said goodbye. 

#71: Help!

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: July 23, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: John


Two weeks before the album came out, "Help!" was issued on 45 in the UK and the US. For some reason it was released a few days ahead in the US. Just six days later, the film HELP! opened worldwide. 
The song is John's true cry for help and easily one of his most personal songs. It's the kind of emotional power that lead to his work throughout the rest of the Beatles' career. John always said that he wished the Beatles were able to record it at a slower tempo so people could understand how personal the lyrics actually were. However, this is still 1965, when Beatles songs, especially those with a John lead vocal, are expected to be powerful rockers. 
It's a fantastic song with some great vocals. "Help!" also features the unique idea of having the backing vocals sing the line before the lead. That's another one of those Beatle innovations that we take for granted today, but it was (and still is) a very unique thing. 


In the US, the HELP! album was released as a soundtrack, despite the fact that Capitol was going to issue it instead of United Artists. Capitol used Ken Thorne's whimsical score between the songs, which makes it more of a soundtrack than UA's A Hard Day's Night, which had newly-recorded George Martin pieces that weren't actually in the film. When you dropped the needle on Capitol's HELP!, the first thing you heard was not The Beatles crying "HELP!!! I need somebody!", but instead you got Thorne's hilarious James Bond-esque intro. This is the way Americans heard it. Even on the US version of 1963-1966 (The "Red" Album), where it opened Side Three, the intro was present. When the compilation was issued on CD, however, it was dropped, not to be heard again until the soundtrack was included in The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2. 

#69: Ticket To Ride

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: April 9, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: John & Paul


"Ticket To Ride" is just a brilliant song, mostly by John, and starts the Beatles' middle period. HELP!, Rubber Soul and Revolver, along with the single sides issued during that period all have a distinct and similar feel that is nowhere else in the Beatles' catalog. The fact is that these songs are more serious and personal than any of the songs before or after. 
"Ticket To Ride" was released nearly five months before its LP appearance, giving listeners a great preview of what the Beatles were going to sound like until 1966. It was also their first single to go over three minutes. Can you imagine that? A single going over three minutes! In 1965, that was amazing. These are the days before "Good Vibrations", before FM radio and...definitely before "Hey Jude". 
I think the song itself is also the Beatles' first 'heavy' song. Paul lays the foundation for his out-of-this-world bass playing that defines the latter half of his Beatle career. Ringo's drumming is brilliant and John & Paul's harmony is great. George plays his 12-string on the song, but he really gets stuck taking a back seat. Paul actually plays lead guitar for the first time on the song and he's great. 
The song is an interesting love song where the singer is happy to get the girl out of his life and she's perfectly fine with it, too. It's not exactly the most positive subject for a single, but with the Beatles, always expect the unexpected.
Of course, the song was a #1 single on both sides of the Atlantic. When Capitol was assembling Beatles VI, they were actually interested in including the song, but since they knew it was going to be in HELP! it could only be released on the soundtrack for that film. Another bizarre note is that on the US 45, Capitol jumped the gun and printed on it that it was "taken from the film 'Eight Arms To Hold You'". This was just a working title for HELP! and this text was never taken off the 45, even on later pressings. In fact, I have a 1980's re-issue (the last time it was issued, I think) that has this under the song title!