Didn’t I just write a Throwback Thursday a couple of days ago?! Talk about time compression due to aging…
On this day in 1965 the following single was #1 on the US Billboard Top 40/Hot 100 chart (picture from eCRATER, an online record sale site):
Of course, the song was written in conjunction with the movie of the same name, which was released the same year. The film premiered in New York, its US premiere, in late August about a month after its British premiere. Does anyone really care about the “plot” of the movie? Me, neither.
“Help!” was the Beatles’ 9th song to reach the top of the charts in the US. Their first Number One tune, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” topped the charts in February-March of 1964. Those nine songs were Number One for a collective 25 weeks, or about 30 percent of the time between “I Want to Hold Your Hand” ascending to the top spot and the last week “Help!” was Number One. One group held the Number One position on the US charts for 30 percent of a period of more than a year and a half. Eventually, the Beatles would have 20 songs reach the top of the Billboard charts.
Lest you think I am a big Beatles fan, I am not. For my demographic, I am almost certainly in the bottom five or ten percent in Beatles’ fandom. However, I fully appreciate their impact on music. I also don’t dislike their music, but I don’t own any nor do I stream any. If a Beatles’ song is played while I/we are listening to the Sirius/XM Sixties Channel I/we don’t change the channel, though.
Are any Beatles fans reading this post?
#ThrowbackThursday
#Help!
#TheBeatles
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Disaffected Musings 
The four lads from Liverpool are running from a crazy cult. A girl gives Ringo a Ring which they want back or something like that. It’s been about 30 years. I liked A Hard Days Night better. But I have loved the Beatles since I got a copy of Magical Mystery Tour in 1972 in second grade Also on this Date in 1965, Mrs K was preparing for little Frank’s arrival the next day. Yes he has a 9/11 birthday.
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Thanks for the plot summary. I suspect your affinity for The Beatles is far more typical of our demographic than mine.
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I was a big Beatles fan back in the day, not a fan of the Rolling Stones. When it comes to musical longevity, I obviously bet on the wrong horse. Stones music, however, has grown on me and many of those songs I didn’t like back then are some of my favorites today.
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Thanks, sir.
The fact that the Beatles ceased to be and the Stones are still playing doesn’t mean the latter are a more influential group.
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You are correct about that. The talent of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting team will ensure their names will survive for musical historians to marvel over for centuries.
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My musical tastes are very eclectic, ranging from rock-n-roll, to classical, to gospel, to bluegrass, to country, to western, to bagpipes, to celtic, to…..and the list rolls on.
That said, The Beatles were very influential, however it is fun to see who were their influences. My own 1960’s favorites are more Beach Boys, and surf music instrumentals, especially The Ventures. My favorites of the Rolling Stones are a limited list.
I saw both of the Beatles movies and I don’t believe I have watched them ever again. I have other 1960’s movies which are my favorites, with “The Magnificent Seven” about at the top. If that is your favorite then you need to see the Japanese movie “Seven Samurai” which was the basis for the Western.
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I also like the Ventures and one of the few Pandora channels I have set up is a Ventures channel. I do not like the Rolling Stones as I think Jagger can’t sing and their music is simplistic. I am entitled to my musical opinion. I can find F-Sharp above Middle C on a piano, know what an agogic accent is and can play an arpeggio on a keyboard and a guitar.
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