Helter Skelter (song)
Paul McCartney wrote the song to create a sound as loud and dirty as possible after reading an interview with Pete Townshend. The Who's September 1967 single, I Can See for Miles, had been described by Townshend as the loudest, rawest, dirtiest song the band had ever recorded. McCartney said he then wrote Helter Skelter to have the most raucous vocal and the loudest drums. He was using the symbol of a helter skelter as a ride from the top to the bottom, representing the fall and demise of the Roman Empire. This track served as a direct response to critics who accused him of writing only sentimental ballads and being the soppy one of the band. John Lennon acknowledged in a 1980 interview that the song was completely Paul's work.
The Beatles recorded multiple takes during sessions in July and September 1968. On the 18th of July 1968, they recorded take three of the song, which lasted twenty-seven minutes and eleven seconds but differed greatly from the album version. During the 9th of September session, producer Chris Thomas recalled George Harrison setting fire to an ashtray while running around the studio doing an Arthur Brown impersonation. Ringo Starr later remembered the track as something done in total madness and hysterics where they sometimes had to shake out the jams. Eighteen takes lasting approximately five minutes each were recorded on the 9th of September, with the final version featured on the original LP. At around 3:40 into the eighteenth take, the song fades out and back in again before cymbal crashes and shouting from Starr. He threw his drum sticks across the studio and screamed I got blisters on my fingers. That shout appeared only on the stereo mix, while the mono version ends without it.
Charles Manson told his followers that several White Album songs, particularly Helter Skelter, were part of a coded prophecy predicting inter-racial war. Manson believed racist and non-racist whites would be maneuvered into virtually exterminating each other over the treatment of blacks. Upon the war's conclusion, black militants would kill off surviving whites, allowing Manson and his Family to emerge from an underground city to rule. Manson employed Helter Skelter as the term for this sequence of events. The phrase was found written in blood on the refrigerator door at the LaBianca murders scene in August 1969. Vincent Bugliosi named his best-selling book about the murders Helter Skelter after this interpretation. Lennon dismissed Manson as just an extreme version of listeners who read false messages in Beatles lyrics during his final interview before his murder in December 1980. Police detective Charlie Guenther and co-prosecutor Aaron Stovits later discredited Bugliosi's theory as the motive for the murders.
Barry Miles described Helter Skelter as probably the heaviest rocker on plastic today in his International Times review. NMEs Alan Smith found it low on melody but high on atmosphere and frenetically sexual. Record Mirrors reviewer noted screaming pained vocals and ear splitting buzz guitar alongside general instrumental confusion. Jann Wenner wrote that the Beatles had been unfairly overlooked as hard rock stylists and grouped the song with Birthday and Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey. Geoffrey Cannon of The Guardian praised it as one of McCartney's perfect professional songs packed with exact quotes and characterization. Ian MacDonald dismissed the track as ridiculous with McCartney shrieking weedily against a massively tape-echoed backdrop of out-of-tune thrashing. Rob Sheffield wrote that you can program Sexy Sadie and Long Long Long without having to lift the needle to skip over Helter Skelter. David Quantick described it as neither loud enough to bludgeon the listener into being impressed nor inspired enough to be exciting.
Siouxsie and the Banshees included a cover of Helter Skelter at live shows from mid 1977 before releasing a version produced by Steve Lillywhite on their debut album The Scream. Mötley Crüe included the song on their 1983 album Shout at the Devil, with Nikki Sixx recalling how the Manson murders made the song stand as a real symbol of darkness and evil. U2 recorded the song live at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado on the 8th of November 1987 for their album Rattle and Hum. Bono introduced the track by saying this is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles and they were stealing it back. Aerosmith included a cover recorded in 1975 on their 1991 compilation Pandora's Box which charted at number twenty-one on Album Rock Tracks. Shock rock artists Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson collaborated on a cover released in 2018 to promote their Twins of Evil tour that peaked at number nine on Billboard Hard Rock Digital Songs. Swiss industrial black metal band Samael covered the song on their 2017 album Hegemony with a music video released in 2021.
Since 2004, Paul McCartney has frequently performed Helter Skelter in concert across multiple tours including his 04 Summer Tour and The US Tour in 2005. He played the song on his One on One Tour at Fenway Park on the 17th of July 2016 accompanied by Bob Weir and Rob Gronkowski. McCartney performed the song live at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards on the 8th of February 2006 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. In 2009 he performed it live on top of the Ed Sullivan Theater marquee during his appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. At the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011, the version from his live album Good Evening New York City won Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. This was his first solo Grammy Award since winning for arranging Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey in 1972. On the 13th of July 2019, the final date of his Freshen Up tour, McCartney performed Helter Skelter at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles with Ringo Starr playing drums.
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Common questions
Who wrote the song Helter Skelter and what was his motivation for writing it?
Paul McCartney wrote the song Helter Skelter to create a sound as loud and dirty as possible after reading an interview with Pete Townshend. He intended the track to have the most raucous vocal and the loudest drums while serving as a direct response to critics who accused him of writing only sentimental ballads.
When did The Beatles record the final version of Helter Skelter and how many takes were required?
The Beatles recorded multiple takes during sessions in July and September 1968, with eighteen takes lasting approximately five minutes each recorded on the 9th of September session. The final version featured on the original LP emerged from these sessions where Ringo Starr later remembered the track as something done in total madness and hysterics.
Why did Charles Manson use the title Helter Skelter for his predicted race war prophecy?
Charles Manson told his followers that several White Album songs including Helter Skelter were part of a coded prophecy predicting inter-racial war between racist and non-racist whites. He employed Helter Skelter as the term for this sequence of events which he believed would allow him and his Family to emerge from an underground city to rule after black militants killed off surviving whites.
Which artists covered the song Helter Skelter and when was the Marilyn Manson cover released?
Siouxsie and the Banshees included a cover at live shows from mid 1977 before releasing a version produced by Steve Lillywhite on their debut album The Scream. Shock rock artists Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson collaborated on a cover released in 2018 to promote their Twins of Evil tour that peaked at number nine on Billboard Hard Rock Digital Songs.
When did Paul McCartney perform Helter Skelter live at Dodger Stadium with Ringo Starr playing drums?
On the 13th of July 2019, the final date of his Freshen Up tour, McCartney performed Helter Skelter at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles with Ringo Starr playing drums. This performance marked one of many times since 2004 that Paul McCartney has frequently performed Helter Skelter in concert across multiple tours including his 04 Summer Tour and The US Tour in 2005.