Mike Love was commonly referred to as the lead singer of The Beach Boys. However, many songs featured other members taking on that role. Mike Love led the way on the early big hits, including “Little Deuce Coupe,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “I Get Around,” and “California Girls.” As the group became more successful, Brian Wilson began steering songs to the band member who had the best vocal fit. Brian’s brother Carl sang lead on quite a few, including “God Only Knows,” “Surf’s Up,” and “Darlin.” Guitarist Al Jardine took the lead vocal duties on “I Know There’s an Answer,” “Vegetables,” and one of their biggest hits, originally slated to be sung by Brian. Let’s look at the story behind “Help Me, Rhonda” by The Beach Boys.
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Well, since she put me down, I’ve been out doin’ in my head
I come in late at night, and in the mornin’, I just lay in bed
It Started with a Bass Line
In his 2016 memoir, I Am Brian Wilson, the Beach Boy recalled how the bass line was the first thing that came to the songwriter. It was shortly after the incident on a flight to Houston where Wilson had a nervous breakdown, leading to his decision to stop touring with the group. This is when he when began working on “Help Me, Rhonda.” Wilson took the bass line and continued working on it on the piano.
In 2011, Wilson told Goldmine magazine, “We did two versions of ‘Help Me, Rhonda.’ We did one with the ukulele, and we did one with guitars. We chose to use the guitar version. I heard myself singing lead on it originally, and then I turned it over to Al. I produced The Beach Boys, so I decided who would sing lead. I just had a sixth sense about who should sing what songs. Some of the songs I wrote specifically for Mike, Al, and Carl to sing.”
Well, Rhonda, you look so fine (look so fine)
And I know it wouldn’t take much time
For you to help me, Rhonda
Help me get her out of my heart
The Beach Boys Today!
The song was first released in March 1965 as an album cut titled “Help Me, Ronda.” Wilson felt the song could be a hit, but not how it appeared on The Beach Boys Today! He wrote, “The whole year after the flight to Houston, I kept thinking about what kinds of songs I should be making and whether there were any limits to how a pop song could sound. I couldn’t really think of any. I knew I had to explore that sound more. I had to go further in that direction, bring more orchestration and different kinds of arrangements into our music.”
Help me Rhonda
Help, help me Rhonda
Help me Rhonda
Help, help me Rhonda
Help me Rhonda
Help, help me Rhonda
Help me Rhonda
Help, help me Rhonda
Help me Rhonda
Help, help me Rhonda
Help me Rhonda
Help, help me Rhonda
Help me, Rhonda yeah
Get her out of my heart
The Rip Chords
Another band was having the same thoughts about the song. Producer Terry Melcher was all set to release the song on Columbia Records. When Brian Wilson heard about it, he asked Melcher to kill the single. When The Beach Boys went back into the studio to recut the song, they had a couple of visitors. The Wilson boys’ parents, Murry and Audree, stopped by the session. The father, who had been fired as the band’s manager a year earlier, couldn’t resist sharing his advice. The tape was rolling as tension rose.
Wilson wrote, “It was probably embarrassing for him to see how we were doing without him. He talked constantly while we were recording. He tried to convince me that we still needed him to guide us. ‘The Beach Boys are going downhill,’ he said. ‘You have to sing harder,’ he said, ‘like you care. I’m a genius, too, Brian,’ he said. Brains and genius. The tape of the session still exists. You can hear it all. When I hear how I answered him, it’s a little amazing to me. I wasn’t happy. I had to take off my headphones and talk to him. ‘We would like to perform in an atmosphere of calmness, Dad,’ I said. I said something else also, over and over again: ‘Times are changing.’ It was never easy to have him around, but it wasn’t easy to be without him either.”
She was gonna be my wife
And I was gonna be her man
(Oh, Rhonda)
But she let another guy come between us
And it shattered our plans
(Oh, Rhonda)
Jardine Takes a Big Leap Forward
“I did have a hard time with [the song],” Jardine recalled. “I don’t really know. Some kind of meter thing in there. I never really tackled a lead much before. I was always interested in the backgrounds. Carl [Wilson] and I were always on the harmonies, but to take a lead was a big leap forward. And this was not an easy lead, to be honest with you. It was pretty different. I was happy that Brian asked me to sing the lead. Brian had this idea of how he wanted it, and I had an idea of how I heard it, and that’s basically what you get.”
Well, Rhonda, you caught my eye (caught my eye)
And I can give you lotsa reasons why
You gotta help me, Rhonda
Help me get her out of my heart
“My Fingers Were Almost Bleeding”
Session bassist Carol Kaye was pushed to the limit, “That’s the song I got pissed off at Brian about. In those days, I had my strings way high and really played hard. I worked hard. He did take after take, and then the last take he did of that, he had us doing it for about eight minutes while he held the phone up to the speakers. I guess he wanted the rest of the Beach Boys to hear the track. And there we were. My fingers were almost bleeding.”
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Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
