Beatles - Helter Skelter

[Mike]

Helter Skelter - Songfacts

Helter Skelter is the name for this ride in Englands South Wales.

Recorded July 18th. 1968, Remake September 9th. 1968. The working lyric of the song was briefly "Heather Leather."

McCartney was inspired to write the song after reading a newspaper review of The Who's latest single, probably "I Can See For Miles." The review described the single as the loudest, wildest song ever recorded, with distorted guitars, reverb, and screaming. McCartney took this as a challenge to write something louder and "Helter Skelter" was the result. Some historians of popular music now believe that this song was a key influence on the development of heavy metal.

The song opens abruptly with a loud, repeated, distorted guitar chord. McCartney then screams the introductory lyric and the full band joins in as the refrain is introduced. The tone of the song is aggressive and frightening and the music seems ready to turn into meaningless noise at any moment. The lyrics of the song are a hallucinogenic evocation of using a helter skelter in a children's playground, ironically contrasting the aggression and volume of the music.

During the July 18, 1968 sessions, one version of the song lasting 27 minutes and 11 seconds was recorded, although this version is rather slow and hypnotic, differing greatly from the volume and rawness of the album version. Another recording from the same day was edited down to 4:37 for The Beatles Anthology, Volume III. For the album version, recorded on September 9th., twenty-one takes of approximately five minutes each were recorded, and the last one is featured on the official LP. Ringo played the drums so forcefully that his shout of "I've got blisters on my fingers!" accompanies the musical fadeout.

This is mentioned in Don McCleans - American Pie song "Helter Skelter in a summer swelter" which is a clear reference to the Manson killings.

In December 1968, Charles Manson heard this song, and as well as others from the White Album, and interpreted them as a warning of an approaching race war. He saw the Beatles as the four angels mentioned in the New Testament book of Revelation and believed their songs were telling him and his followers to prepare themselves. Manson referred to this future war as "Helter Skelter". The words "Healter Skelter" (a mispelling of the Beatles song) were also written in blood at the scene of one of the Manson Family murders (The Labianca's).

Because of this connection, Los Angeles assistant District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi, who led the prosecution of Manson and the other killers, named his best-selling book about the murders Helter Skelter. Bugliosi's book was the basis for a film of the same title.

I have personally read the book Helter Skelter twice through and read numerous articles on this subject as well as viewed the film of the same name a few times also.

-Mike

[edna]

I was just reading an article about this... I guess it´s one of the worst chapters in the Beatles history as the song gave a name to all that. I remember reading about the murders in the newspapers and all about the whole history being a kid... This song is somehow the cursed Beatles song, and people around the Beatles didn´t reffer to it with its name for a long time... just as with "Piggies", which is a beautifull song...

[Mike]

I have never thought of it as a cursed song at all, I think it is a great song as are so many of the Beatles songs. I would never let any duranged human beings influence my affection for songs.

Charlie Manson and his so called family who committed those seven murders are a bunch monsters and what they did had as much to do with The Beatles songs as did LSD, or Terry Melcher, or Brian Wilson or Mansons own hatred for people that did not do as he though.

Remember, Manson himself was quoted as saying "Hitler was a tuned-in guy just trying to level the Karma of Jews"

Helter Skelter, Piggies and Blackbird are great songs no matter what people do or say in regards to them.