Recorded - February 24 + March 4 and 21, 1965.
Released - April 5, 1965
#1 for weeks of May 29 and June 5, 1965.
After four British number ones in a row, we turn back to the shores of Southern California, where a very different wave was rising. In 1965, Brian Wilson had ceased touring with The Beach Boys. On stage, he was first replaced by Glen Campbell, and then in April by Bruce Johnston. Bruce would end up becoming the permanent sixth member although he was initially kept more in the shadows. Brian meanwhile worked exclusively on arranging the music of the group's albums. The first album released in this new method was Today! which broke new ground by featuring one side of upbeat tracks and another side of introspective ballads. One of the songs on that upbeat side was a song called "Help Me Ronda".
No, that's not typo, there are in fact two versions of this song. The first, and lesser known version on the Today! album has a guitar introduction, a weaker chorus backing vocal arrangement, harmonica, and a fade in/fade out ending that's better in theory than in practice. The session, which took place in January of 1965, was also the scene of an infamous confrontation with a drunken Murray Wilson. Since this was captured on tape, it is now widely available on youtube for all to hear. Perhaps it was because of those bad vibes and the fact that "Ronda" didn't turn out like he wanted, that Brian chose to re-make the song as "Help Me Rhonda" during the first session for their next album, Summer Days And Summer Nights. It is this remake that reached #1.
Comparing the two versions, the difference is like night and day. There is a much stronger vocal arrangement with Mike Love doing some prominent "Bow Bow" vocals in the chorus. The middle section of the song which spotlights Carl Wilson on lead guitar, and Brian on multiple pianos is not only infinitely better than the original but happens to be my favorite part of the song. Al Jardine, the only non-brother/cousin of the classic five Beach Boys, is the lead vocalist on both versions, with a fantastic vocal performance on this remake. Even to this very day, he can still sing the song just as strong as he did back in 1965.
There is a major progression in the music arrangement on "Help Me Rhonda". Brian was becoming more and more ambitious, and it took three separate days to piece together this song. By 1966, this will seem like nothing! Prior to the recording of "California Girls" in April of 1965, Brian had taken LSD for the first time, which is what he started writing "California Girls" under. That song remains my favorite from 1965 and it is apparently Brian's favorite song of theirs. Unfortunately, it didn't hit #1.
The Summer Days album was partially one final attempt, (At Mike Love and Capitol Records' insistence), at putting out summer-themed Beach Boys material. This is certainly the case for "Amusement Parks USA" and "Salt Lake City". On the other hand, Brian was writing more mature themes with songs like "Let Him Run Wild", and "Girl Don't Tell Me". Although the latter, sung by Carl Wilson, sounds very influenced by the then-recently released "Ticket To Ride"!
After the Summer Days album, Brian buckled down on writing songs for what would end up being The Beach Boys magnum opus, Pet Sounds, although I'll wait until late 1966 to tell more of that story...
Final Verdict - "Help Me Rhonda" is a fantastic return to the top for The Beach Boys. With a fantastic vocal arrangement and a complex musical track, it remains one of Brian Wilson's finest productions.
Coming Up Next - "Back Into My Arms Again" by The Supremes.
Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rhockda -
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