Help Me, Ronda
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| “Help Me, Ronda” | |||||
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| Song by The Beach Boys | |||||
| Album | The Beach Boys Today! | ||||
| Released | March 8, 1965 | ||||
| Recorded | track: January 8, 1965 vocals: January 19, 1965 |
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| Length | 3:04 | ||||
| Label | Capitol | ||||
| Composer | Brian Wilson/Mike Love | ||||
| Producer | Brian Wilson | ||||
| The Beach Boys Today! track listing | |||||
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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Help Me, Rhonda. (Discuss) |
"Help Me, Ronda" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American pop band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1965 album The Beach Boys Today!. The song is notable for being the first major Beach Boys song in which Alan Jardine sings lead (he had a lead vocal on their earlier Christmas album). The song features production by Brian Wilson. There are two versions of the song, this version and the later version, entitled "Help Me, Rhonda". This version (3:04) is over fifteen seconds longer than the latter version.
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[edit] Recording the song
The original version of the song was recorded over two dates at Western Recording Studios in Hollywood on the 8th January and the 19th January 1965, with Chuck Britz as the engineer and production by Brian Wilson. The instrumental track has Carl Wilson, Bill Pitman, and Glen Campbell on guitars, Billy Strange on ukulele, Ray Pohlman on bass guitar, Leon Russell on piano, Hal Blaine on drums and timbales, Julius Wechter on claves, Billy Lee Riley on harmonica, Steve Douglas and Plas Johnson on tenor saxophone, and Jay Migliori on baritone saxophone. Alan Jardine sang the lead vocal with backing vocals were by Carl, Dennis and Brian Wilson and Mike Love.
[edit] Single version
There are a number of false endings to this version of the song with the volume fading in and out. Brian Wilson re-recorded and improved the arrangement, and released an improved version of the song, renaming it "Help Me, Rhonda", changing Ronda to Rhonda. This re-recorded version has a different arrangement, one word changed in the lyrics, an added guitar part and added piano part, loses the volume changes, the harmonica, and adds in different backing vocals such as the "Bow-wow-wow" part. The re-released song appeared on The Beach Boys 1965 album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!). The re-released version proved to be a good move by Brian Wilson with the improved version hitting #1 on the U.S. charts. The original version of the song appeared on the popular Endless Summer compilation.
[edit] Mondegreens
In Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs, Barry begins the chapter "Songs People Get Wrong" with a discussion on the opening lyric of the song, which he says is:
Well, since she put me down there's been owls pukin' in my bed...
Barry comments, "I hope those lyrics are wrong, because if they're right the singer isn't going to get Ronda to come anywhere near him."
(The actual lyric is:
Well, since she put me down, I've been out doin' in my head.
"Doing in one's head" means here "agonizing" about something.)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- "Help Me, Rhonda" review at All Music Guide
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