Across Abbey Road · Scene 06 of 21 · Album 5 of 13

06 1:02–1:09 Era 5Help! 1965

“It doesn’t matter how young or old”

1965 in full colour, and a street too happy to notice the man singing in the road.

All 21 scenes

The Scene

Scene 06 · Help! · 7 seconds · four shots1965 arrives in full colour. Mike crosses a bright London street in the pale military tunic of that summer’s stadium concerts, and the whole street is busy being happy with itself: nobody turns to look at the man singing in the road. On the pavement a little girl in coral spins with her arms out and a very old woman dances beside her, tapping her stick in time, a small transistor radio in her hand. Across the road a man holds up small white flags. And then Mike, alone on the stripes, with the street streaming past him.

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The Story

Help! arrived on 6 August 1965 with the band at the peak of Beatlemania and privately buckling under it. The title song was a real cry for help dressed as a bright, fast pop record, and nobody heard the cry because the tune was too cheerful. Nine days later they played Shea Stadium to more than fifty-five thousand people. This scene is that feeling in one street: the brightest colour in the film so far, a crowd having a wonderful time, and a man in the middle of it whom nobody is looking at. The song’s answer is already on the pavement: the oldest person and the youngest, dancing to the same radio.

Shot by Shot

  1. 1 · 1965 in full colour · 1:02–1:04The street opens up bright and busy, and Mike steps onto the crossing in the pale tunic, playing.
  2. 2 · The girl and the old woman · 1:04–1:06A little girl in coral turns with her arms out; a very old woman rocks beside her, stick tapping, a transistor radio in her hand.
  3. 3 · The signal · 1:06–1:07Mike on the stripes by the red pillar box, and behind him a man holding up small white flags, a signal for nobody in particular.
  4. 4 · Alone on the stripes · 1:07–1:09Mike mid-road, singing, while the street streams past him in both directions and nobody turns.

What to Look For

You can’t miss itThe little girl and the very old woman dancing to one radio. The line says it does not matter how young or old, and there they are.

Look closerThe man across the road with a flag in each hand. On the album’s cover the four of them stand with their arms out in flag signals, and famously the arms do not spell what everyone assumes they spell.

All 21 scenes