Songs > With A Little Help From My Friends

With A Little Help From My Friends

(Lennon/McCartney)

Song background
In order to create an album with influences from all different kinds of music, John and Paul sat down to write a children's song for Ringo to sing, much like 'Yellow Submarine'. They both fiddled with guitars and pianos during the process, often breaking into renditions of 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'Tequilla'. All the while, Hunter Davies looked on to see what it was like when the Beatles wrote a song (he was writing the band's official biography at the time). The original title was 'Badfinger Boogie', which later inspired the name for a band signed to the Beatles' Apple Records label, who became Badfinger.

Recording dates ...

Release dates

• June 1, 1967 (UK & US) (on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)
  
• April 2, 1973 (US) (on 1967-70)
  
• April 19, 1973 (UK) (on 1967-70)
  
• March 1, 1978 (US) ("Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band/With A Little Help From My Friends/A Day In The Life" single)
  
• September 17, 1999 (UK & US) (on Yellow Submarine Songtrack)

Recording notes ...

Chart performance ...

Quotes

• "This is Paul, with a little help from me. "What do you see when you turn out the light/I can't tell you, but I know it's mine ..." is mine" - John Lennon, Playboy, 1980

Awards ...

Anomolies ...

Other notes ...

Notable covers

• Joe Cocker (from With A Little Help From My Friends)