“Ticket to Ride“, released as a single in April 1965, was felt by Lennon to be “heavy” in its sound compared to the group’s previous output^[9] and daring in its reference to a boy and girl living together. McCartney called the arrangement “quite radical”. During the recording sessions for the album, the band used the studio’s multitracking capabilities to layer their sound. In this, author Mark Prendergast highlights George Harrison‘s use of a volume pedal and incorporation of “more intricate chordal devices to enrich his guitar sound”.^[10]

As a songwriter, Harrison contributed “I Need You” and “You Like Me Too Much“. These were his first compositions to be included on a Beatles album since “Don’t Bother Me” on 1963’s With the Beatles.

The record contained two cover versions and a few tracks more closely related to the group’s previous pop output, but still marked a decisive step forward.^{[citation needed]} The record sleeve-note shows that Lennon and McCartney made more extensive and prominent use of keyboards, previously played unobtrusively by Martin. Four-track overdubbing technology encouraged this. Lennon, for his part, made much greater use of acoustic guitar, forsaking his famous Rickenbacker.

The original LP’s format of featuring songs from the soundtrack on side one and non-soundtrack songs on side two follows the format of A Hard Day’s Night.When “Help!” came out in ’65, I was actually crying out for help. Most people think it’s just a fast rock-‘n’-roll song. I didn’t realize it at the time; I just wrote the song because I was commissioned to write it for the movie … It was my fat Elvis period.

John Lennon^[11]

In later years, Lennon stated that the album’s title track was a sincere cry for help; he regretted changing it from a downbeat, piano-driven ballad to an uptempo pop song, which was done only as a result of commercial pressures.^[12]The Beatles at a press conference during their August 1965 US tour

Help! was the band’s final British album (aside from the late 1966 compilation A Collection of Beatles Oldies) to feature any cover songs until 1970’s Let It Be (which included a performance of the traditional folk song “Maggie Mae“). In 1966, Capitol would release “Act Naturally“, already on the British Help! album, on Yesterday and Today. “Bad Boy” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” (both written by Larry Williams and recorded on 10 May 1965, Williams’ birthday) were both aimed at the American market and originally not intended to appear on Help!, but “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” ultimately did.^[13] Both songs appeared on Beatles VI, released in the US in June 1965. “Bad Boy” was not released in the UK until A Collection of Beatles Oldies, and was that album’s only cover song.^[14]