The Beatles: Help! (1965) Songs Ranked

Rating: 8/10

By 1965, The Beatles had proven that they were more than your average boy band. Beatlemania was still going strong at the time of Help!‘s release, and you can really see how all the attention was affecting them in some of the songs. While this isn’t one of their most critically acclaimed albums in total, it does hold some of their most acclaimed songs, and I feel like you just can’t say that this a mediocre album. Some of the songs are pure filler, but the highlights are too fantastic to brush off.

In this post I’ll be ranking all of the songs on The Beatles’ fifth studio album, Help!, from worst to best. I hope you enjoy my review, and feel free to let me know your opinions on the album.

14. Act Naturally (Track 8)

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but… this is probably the worst Beatles song I’ve ever heard. Granted, I haven’t listened to all of their albums, but like… wow. I’m telling you, Ringo always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to the songs he gets to sing. Like, he has a nice voice, but the songs he works with just don’t do it justice. This song is a cover, so maybe I just don’t really like this version of it, and I’m not trying to bash anyone, but yeah. Not my cup of tea.

13. You Like Me Too Much (Track 10)

This song is pretty bland. It doesn’t really stick out too much, and sounds like it would be on their debut (something that I think applies to a lot of the weaker songs on this album).

12. Tell Me What You See (Track 11)

Again, a pretty bland song. I like it more than You Like Me Too Much (hence why it is ranked higher), but I have no desire to listen to it outside of the album.

11. Another Girl (Track 5)

For a filler track (yes, I’m declaring it a filler track. Sue me) I’d say this is pretty good. Not great, but decent. The guitar work is pretty nice, and the vocals aren’t bad. It’s just not one of my favorites.

10. Dizzy Miss Lizzy (Track 14)

A lot of people don’t like this song, and I guess I can see why it wouldn’t be everyone’s favorite, but I happen to like it. It gives me Twist and Shout vibes (though not as good as Twist and Shout, of course) and I think it would be very fun to dance to. To be honest, I think any song that comes right after Yesterday is going to seem average. Also, Ringo’s great on the drums, as usual.

9. I’ve Just Seen A Face (Track 12)

This is a sweet, fast-paced song about love at first sight. While not a masterpiece, it is a nice song, and I wouldn’t mind listening to it outside of the album. The vocals are very pleasant, and this is definitely one of the strongest tracks on the B-Side (though not the strongest, ’cause we all know what that is).

8. The Night Before (Track 2)

This is a classic upbeat Beatles song, and I wish I could rank it higher, as it’s definitely one of the stronger tracks on the album. However, it’s not as strong as the songs I’m going to list later on, so I must place it here.

7. It’s Only Love (Track 9)

I read this on a YouTube comment, and I have no knowledge of whether or not it’s true so don’t quote me on this, but apparently John hated this song, which makes me sad. Sure, it’s a bit of a filler-track, but as far as filler-tracks go, it’s pretty awesome. The lyrics are quite sweet, the guitar-work is great, and John’s vocals are as lovely as ever. “Is it right that you and I should fight every night? Just the sight of you makes nighttime bright, very bright. Haven’t I the right to make it up girl? It’s only love and that is all, why should I feel the way I do? It’s only love and that is all, but it’s so hard loving you.”

6. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Track 3)

This song marks the point on this list where all the songs from here on out are my favorites. I love this song, man. I was originally going to have it much higher, and it physically pains me that I have it in the number 6 spot. The message of the song is one that I find strangely relatable, and because of that, this song strikes a chord for me. John’s vocals really shine, and the guitar just goes so well with the tone of the song. Overall, a superb song, and a definite highlight of the album.

5. I Need You (Track 4)

I’ve said before that I absolutely adore George Harrison’s voice, and this song is a great an example of why. He makes this song sound so dreamy and heavenly, especially at the “please come on back to me” and “I didn’t realize” parts. The harmonies just add to that dreamy quality, and the steady guitar and drumming in the background really adds to the track. I was gonna have this in the number 6 spot with You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away in the number 5 spot, but at the last minute I’ve decided to swap that order. Just know that this song and that song are basically right next to each other, but because I’ve listened to YGTHYLA a million times, I’m putting this one higher because it feels fresher to me.

4. Help! (Track 1)

“When I was younger, so much younger than today, I never needed anybody’s help in any way. But now these days are gone and I’m not so self-assured. Now I find, I’ve changed my mind, I’ve opened up the doors.” The opening and titular track of the album is what I was referring to in my introduction when I said that you can see how worldwide fame was affecting the band members. This song has the sense of urgency and panic that the lyrics describe, and I love it so much. I would rank this higher, but honestly, these top 6 tracks are all neck-and-neck, so they’re basically all number ones for me. The harmonies in this song are extremely masterful, and this song definitely deserves the acclaim it’s earned, as well as it’s enduring popularity and fan-favorite status. “And now my life has changed in oh so many ways. My independence seems to vanish in the haze. But every now and then I feel so insecure. I know that I just I need you like I’ve never done before.”

3. Ticket To Ride (Track 7)

The guitar work in this song is some of the most beautiful guitar work I’ve ever heard. John’s vocals only add more brilliance to this song, and the harmonies are perfect as usual. The best parts of this song are the vocals and the guitar (the drums too), so I don’t know what else I can say. I think the fact that I have this ranked higher than Help! should speak to the quality of this song, so just go listen to it if you haven’t already. This is one of the most popular songs from the album, and pretty underrated in the grand scope of The Beatles’ discography, and it has a fade-out ending. What else could you need?

2. You’re Going To Lose That Girl (Track 6)

This is one of the lighter songs from the record, and some could call it filler, but I refuse to do so. The absolute joy that I get from listening to this song has made it one of my favorite Beatles songs of all time. Not to exaggerate, but the guitar solo at 1:08 gives me life. All in all, this song is so incredibly catchy and infectious that the first time I heard it (which was before I listened to the album in full) I listened to it, like, 20 times in a row. John’s voice is wonderful here, and I can’t sing the praises of this song enough, so as I said for Ticket To Ride, just listen to it if you haven’t already.

1. Yesterday (Track 13)

Aaaaaaand approximately no one is surprised by the number one choice. What can I say? This song is just absolute perfection the whole way through, without a bad moment. Some people say that this song is overrated, and I think that, to an extent, that is true. This song gets no shortage of praise, but to be honest, I think it’s justified. This song is melancholy without being depressing, and it manages to have an uplifting feeling to it despite the sad subject matter. All the lyrics are beautiful, made even more gorgeous by Paul’s spectacular voice. I’ve always said that I love when songs are short, because even though I wish they went on longer, the briefness makes it so that the song is all wine and no water (does that make any sense? I feel like it didn’t so I’ll rephrase. When a song is short, it makes it so that there’s no part that drags. It’s like the whole song is a highlight reel). Yesterday is a perfect example of that. It’s barely over two minutes, and it’s two short minutes of perfection. “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they’re here to stay, oh I believe in yesterday. Suddenly, I’m not half the man I used to be. There’s a shadow hanging over me. Oh yesterday came suddenly. Why she had to go, I don’t know, she wouldn’t say. I said something wrong now I long for yesterday. Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play. Now I need a place to hide away, oh I believe in yesterday. Why she had to go, I don’t know, she wouldn’t say. I said something wrong now I long for yesterday. Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play. Now I need a place to hide away, oh I believe in yesterday.” Yeah, I just quoted the entire song. Utter perfection.