‘With a Little Help from my Friends’ is the second song in the album and the first glimpse into the importance and prevalence of continuity in the album and its concept. The ending of the preceding song ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ seamlessly transitions into ‘With a Little Help from my Friends’ using the applause as the segue by using a crossfade effect. George Martin (the producer) had to adjust the tonality in order for the transition to sound seamless into the track. To do this he recorded a few “bridging bars of ascending chords” (Julien, 2008. p49) to change the tonality from the C7 chord to the E key which is the key in which ‘With a Little Help from my Friends’  is played in. The recordings of the ascending chords were synched to the Mellotron as well as applause and cheering which was then played at once in order to get this seamless transition. The applause and chord progression exemplifies the idea that the Beatles are playing members of Sergeant Pepper’s band who are actually performing. 

 

The structure itself uses a standard format: two verses — refrains — bridge — verse three –refrain — bridge — altered bridge (Moore, 1997. p31). Ringo keeps the beat relatively consistent, however alters the groove of the song by increasing the snare and a faint tambourine is noticeable towards the end of the song. In addition, the third verse contains a shift from hi-hat strokes to ride cymbal. As a result, the sound of the drum seems more prolonged and has more of a lingering echo. As mentioned previously, the bass was an important feature of this album and this song is representative of this statement. McCartney perfected the richness of this base by using a long lead to his amplifier which was in the studio as he sat in the control room recording. Furthermore, he played his bass line sequence, E-B-f#-B-E, in different ways.

 

 

This song is delivered by Ringo Starr as he plays his Sergeant Pepper alter ego Billy Shears while McCartney and Lennon are on backup (Womack, 2017. p47-48). Starrs’ voice is very distinctive against the soft sounding of McCartney and Lennon. In context of the song’s lyrics, it seems that the song is about collaboration and Shears’ positive dependence on his friends.  McCartney and Lennon sing “Are you sad because you’re on your own?” Starr responds “No. I get by with a little help from my friends.” This phrase further emphasises the brotherhood of a band and in particular Sergeant Pepper’s Band. Despite their quirkiness and outcast personas, they have each other to depend on.