"H.E.L.P. Is On the Way" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys that was recorded during the making of their 1971 album Surf's Up.[3] It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love about H.E.L.P., a Los Angeles restaurant that the band had frequented. The song also references Wilson's health food shop, the Radiant Radish.[4]
| "H.E.L.P. Is On the Way" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Beach Boys | |
| from the album Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys | |
| Released | July 29, 1993 |
| Recorded | August 17, 1970 |
| Studio | Beach Boys, Bel Air |
| Genre | Pop[1] |
| Length | 2:30 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Songwriter(s) | Brian Wilson, Mike Love[2] |
| Licensed audio | |
| "H.E.L.P. Is On the Way" on YouTube | |
Recording and release
edit"H.E.L.P. Is On the Way" was recorded at the Beach Boys' private studio on August 17, 1970 and was briefly projected for release on the album that became Surf's Up (1971).[3] It was later considered for inclusion on the 1977 album Adult/Child, which was kept unreleased. The track was ultimately released on the 1993 box set Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys.[5]
An alternate version with rewritten lyrics, titled "Santa's On His Way", was recorded for the band's aborted 1977 album, Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys.[5] This version, along with the album, remains unreleased.
Critical reception
editIn his review of Good Vibrations, J.S. Considine of The Baltimore Sun wrote that the lyrical content of "H.E.L.P. Is On the Way" too closely reflected Wilson's decline in the early 1970s. "Who could possibly hear the previously unreleased 'H.E.L.P. Is on the Way' and not wince at the way he describes his self-image and eating problems?"[6] Ethnomusicologist David Toop wrote in 1982 that it may be "the only pop song in history to mention enemas".[1]
Personnel
editCredits from Craig Slowinski[2]
The Beach Boys
- Al Jardine - backing vocals, banjo
- Bruce Johnston - backing vocals
- Mike Love - lead and backing vocals
- Brian Wilson - backing vocals, Hammond organ, bass guitar, bass drum, tambourine, handclaps
- Carl Wilson - backing vocals, electric guitar
Additional musician
- Daryl Dragon - tack piano
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Toop, David (1982). "Surfin' Death Valley USA: The Beach Boys and Heavy Friends". In Hoskyns, Barney (ed.). The Sound and the Fury: 40 Years of Classic Rock Journalism: A Rock's Backpages Reader. Bloomsbury USA (published 2003). p. 402. ISBN 978-1-58234-282-5.
- ^ a b Slowinski, Craig (Summer 2021). Beard, David (ed.). "Surf's Up: 50th Anniversary Edition". Endless Summer Quarterly Magazine. Vol. 34, no. 134. Charlotte, North Carolina.
- ^ a b Doe, Andrew G. "GIGS70". Bellagio 10452. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ Richmond, Akasha (2006). Hollywood Dish: More Than 150 Delicious, Healthy Recipes from Hollywood's Chef to the Stars. Penguin. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-4406-2814-6.
- ^ a b Badman, Keith (2004). The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio. Backbeat Books. p. 277–278, 371. ISBN 978-0-87930-818-6.
- ^ Considine, J.S. (June 27, 1993). "Brian Wilson: the vibe-meister for 30 years of Beach Boy music". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 30, 2022.