| "With a Little Help from My Friends" (McCartney) [2:43] |
| The Beatles. Ringo Starr (lead vocals and drums), Paul McCartney (bass, supporting vocals, and piano), John Lennon (supporting vocals), George Harrison (guitar? and supporting vocals), George Martin (organ) |
| Begun 29 March 1967. |
| Produced by George Martin. Recorded by Geoff Emerick and Richard Lush. |
| The Beatles. 1967. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [2]. London: EMI Records Ltd. [Apple CDP 7 46442 2] |
| The Beatles always tried to have one song for Ringo to sing on every album and "With a Little Help from My Friends" is perhaps the best song that McCartney and Lennon ever created for him. In the persona of "Billy Shears," he weaves a lovable sad sack and his sliding vocal contrasts with the tight two- and three-part harmonies of Paul, John, and George. The straightforward instrumentation — piano, bass, guitar, drums, and tambourine — and the shuffling rhythm are disarmingly simple. The short stabbing guitar and piano chords, steady rhythm track, and McCartney's characteristic counterpoint bass line keep the recording moving. |
| The song's harmonic structure betrays its rhythm and blues roots with shifts between E (the song's nominal key center) and A (the key area of the chorus). |
| Section | Time | Meas. | Description | Text | |
| intro | 0:00 | 2 | Chorus with George Martin on Hammond organ | a | |
| bridge | 2 | guitar | |||
| verse | 0:09 | 8 | Solo vocal (Starr) with ensemble. | b | |
| refrain | 0:26 | 8 | As above with 3-part (4-voice) harmony at line's end. | c | |
| verse | 0:43 | 8 | As above with chorus responding to singer's questions. | d | |
| refrain | 1:01 | 8 | Harmony on second half of each line. | c | |
| chorus | 1:13 | 8 | 2-part chorus questions; singer responds. | e | |
| verse | 1:31 | 8 | 2-part chorus questions; singer responds. | f | |
| refrain | 1:47 | 8 | 3-part harmony. | c | |
| chorus | 1:59 | 8 | as in chorus above | f | |
| refrain | 2:17 | 8 | as in refrains above | c | |
| coda | 2:31 | 5 | extension of refrain | ||
| ends | 2:43 |
| Text | |
| Billy Shears! | a |
| What would you think if I sang out of tune,
would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ear and I'll sing you a song and I'll try not to sing out of key. |
b |
| I
get by with a little help from my friends. I get high with a little help
from my friends. Gonna try with a little help from my friends. |
c |
| I
get by with a little help from my friends. Yes I get by with a little
help from my friends. With a little help from my friends. |
c' |
| What
do I do when my love is away? (Does it worry you to be alone?) How do I feel by the end of the day? (Are you sad because you're on your own?) No, |
d |
| Do you need anybody? I [just] need somebody to love. Could it be anybody? I want somebody to love. | e |
| Would
you believe in a love at first sight? Yes I'm certain that it happens
all the time. What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you but I know it's mine. |
f |
| Go to | ||
| Beatles in the Studio | Outline | Sgt. Pepper's |