Help Me (Joni Mitchell song)
| "Help Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Joni Mitchell | ||||
| from the album Court and Spark | ||||
| B-side | "Just Like This Train" | |||
| Released | March 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Genre | Jazz pop[1] | |||
| Length | 3:22 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Songwriter | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Producer | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Joni Mitchell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official Audio | ||||
| "Help Me" on YouTube | ||||
"Help Me" is a love song written, produced, and performed by Joni Mitchell and released on her 1974 album Court and Spark. The song was recorded with jazz band Tom Scott's L.A. Express as the backing band.[2]
"Help Me" was Mitchell's biggest hit single, her only Top 10 hit. It peaked at No. 7 in June 1974 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it hit #1 on the easy listening chart.[3] The song would later be referenced in "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" by Prince, who was a huge fan of Joni Mitchell's work.
Critical reception
Billboard commented on Mitchell's voice punctuating words in similar way to the "sharp breaks" played by the drummer.[4] Cashbox believed that the song would appeal to existing fans of her work and also attract a new audience "due to the strong vocal performance and fine musical backing."[5] Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song No. 464 on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.[6]
Personnel
Source:[7]
- Joni Mitchell – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano; producer
- Tom Scott – woodwinds, reeds
- Joe Sample – electric piano
- Larry Carlton – electric guitar
- Max Bennett – bass guitar
- John Guerin – drums, percussion
- Henry Lewy and Ellis Sorkin – engineers
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
See also
References
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). "Joni Mitchell". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. p. 547. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Archived from the original on July 31, 2011.
- ^ "Help Me by Joni Mitchell Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 172.
- ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. March 2, 1974. p. 54. Retrieved July 22, 2020 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Cashbox. February 23, 1974. p. 34. Retrieved November 23, 2025 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Joni Mitchell, "Help Me"". Rolling Stone. February 16, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
- ^ "Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "RPM Top Singles - Volume 21, No. 16". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ^ "RPM Adult Contemporary - Volume 21, No. 13". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 6/15/74". Tropicalglen.com. 1974-06-15. Archived from the original on 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
- ^ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (PDF) (in French). BAnQ. 1974-04-27. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
- ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1974". Tropicalglen.com. 1974-12-28. Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
