Short answers, pulled from the story.
John Lennon wrote the lyrics to express his stress after the Beatles' quick rise to success. He told Playboy magazine in 1980 that he was subconsciously crying out for help during that period.
Paul McCartney joined the process on the 4th of April 1965 at Lennon's house in Weybridge. McCartney provided the countermelody arrangement to complete the track.
The group recorded Help! in twelve takes on the 13th of April 1965 using four-track equipment. The first nine takes focused entirely on the instrumental backing before vocals were added.
The Beatles filmed the title performance for the movie Help! on the 22nd of April 1965. That same footage without darts or credits served as a clip to promote the single.
Help! reached number one on both UK and US singles charts in late summer 1965. It held the top spot for three weeks in the United States and the United Kingdom.
British girl group Bananarama covered the song with comedians French & Saunders and Kathy Burke under the name Lananeeneenoonoo. Deep Purple, John Farnham, Tina Turner, and The Carpenters also released their own versions of the track.