The Beatles' "Helter Skelter"
3/26/20261 hr 3 min
A flaming ashtray. A saxophone mouthpiece. Blistered fingers. How did one of the Beatles’ most chaotic recording sessions lead to a raucous masterpiece that paved the way for metal? On the first part of this Beatles Two-Parter, Diallo Riddle and LUXXURY dive into the tumultuous creation of “Helter Skelter,” tracking its origins as a 30-minute mellowed out blues-rocker to the review that inspired Paul McCartney to crank the track up to an eleven. Plus, LUXXURY tries to convince Diallo to listen to Wings.
Songs Discussed:
“Helter Skelter” - The Beatles
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 1· Soundbite0:00
Well, you may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer. Da, da, da, da, da, da, da. Now, Helter Skelter.
Diallo Riddle· Host0:07
It sounds like he's got a, a grin on his face while he's singing that.
LUXXURY· Host0:10
He's at the top of anyth- everything, the peak energy, the peak, the notes- Hey, he's- ... everything- He's coming off- ... he's at the top ...
Diallo Riddle· Host0:14
he's miles above you- [laughs] ... 'cause he's so high. [record scratching] At Luxury today, we're diving into a group that changed the landscape of rock music forever, a group that despite lasting not even a decade, still drives the conversation of what a recording career can and should look like, so much so that they are getting four movies [laughs] [laughs] In 2028 alone.
LUXXURY· Host0:34
That's right, Diallo, and we could not contain our excitement to talk about not just what the group means to popular music as a whole, but also what they mean to us.
Diallo Riddle· Host0:42
Right.
LUXXURY· Host0:42
So today's episode is just part one of a two-part episode where we break down two of our personal favorites from this band's expansive and extensive discography.
Diallo Riddle· Host0:51
It was not an easy decision to make- No ... which two songs.
LUXXURY· Host0:53
[laughs] No, difficult choices.
Diallo Riddle· Host0:54
Today we're covering a song spearheaded by the group's soppiest member- [laughs] ... deter- [laughs] determined to shed that image and create a screaming record accompanied by the most raucous vocal- [laughs] ... and loudest drums the group had ever recorded.
LUXXURY· Host1:08
And those are all air quotes because they're- Yeah, because- ... literal McCartney quotes ...
Diallo Riddle· Host1:11
they're from his mouth.
LUXXURY· Host1:12
A song so heavy it left blisters on the drummer's fingers.
Diallo Riddle· Host1:15
Famous.
LUXXURY· Host1:16
[laughs] And might have even invented the genre of heavy metal.
Diallo Riddle· Host1:19
So we'll tell you, tell you, tell you the answer. Woo! We're talking one song, and that song is Helter Skelter by The Beatles.
Speaker 1· Soundbite1:26
Helter Skelter.