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Did The Beatles Actually Invent Heavy Metal? | Helter Skelter First Time Reaction

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‪@TheBeatles‬
Our First Time Reaction To: The Beatles – Helter Skelter
In this Beatles Helter Skelter first time reaction, we're meeting a completely different side of the Fab Four — raw, chaotic, loud, and unlike anything most people expect when they think of The Beatles.

Released in 1968 on the White Album, Helter Skelter was Paul McCartney's direct response to a magazine interview where Pete Townshend of The Who bragged about recording the "dirtiest, loudest" song ever made. McCartney took that as a challenge — and what came out is widely considered one of the earliest examples of heavy metal ever recorded.

ABOUT THIS VIDEO
We're reacting to The Beatles – Helter Skelter and breaking down:
The shock factor — how a band known for love songs and pop hooks created something this aggressive and unhinged.
The history behind it — why McCartney wrote it, what he was trying to prove, and why it still sounds enormous today.

The recording chaos — the session that produced this track was legendary for a reason, and Ringo's famous outburst at the end says it all.
The legacy — from Charles Manson's disturbing obsession with the song to its influence on hard rock and metal, Helter Skelter has one of the most fascinating and dark afterlives in music history.

If you love rock history, The Beatles deep cuts, and music that genuinely surprises you, this one is a must-watch.
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20 Comments

@ManOntherun-r1k 6 months ago

The Beatles have masterpieces in every genres. That's why they are the GOATs

@Rocky_Magill 6 months ago

Paul McCartney’s range is insane. To think this song and Honey Pie are on the same album. lol

@sammybeck7794 6 months ago

The Beatles were their own genre

@jerrysarno2853 6 months ago

That was Ringo with the blisters.

@beatlebrian4404 6 months ago (edited)

Ringo's comment was because they had played this track non-stop for over 27 minutes!

@garylee3685 6 months ago

The term Helter Skelter means "chaotic" "messy" and such, long before it was carnival slide.

@sammartinezduarte2639 6 months ago (edited)

The greatest thing about The Beatles is that they never stood still, they forever pushed the edges of rock. The diversity of their music is so great. I like many bands/artists, but The Beatles are my #1, and they in fact helped me to appreciate all different genres of music .

@Kimzwolinski-g6j 6 months ago

This song is one of the reasons Paul is my favorite!❤️

@visarr 6 months ago

It's not Beatles meet metal. It's Beatles creating metal.

@kbrewski1 6 months ago

Ringo yelled out the "I've got blisters on my fingers!!" because he was in fact banging the drums so hard, even taping up his fingers.

@jtf2dan 6 months ago

The Beatles constantly evolved..to be at the front of musical invention, and to stay at the top of the charts, and to keep people coming back for more! Those who dont adapt to the changes get left behind. The Beatles led from the front!

@johncrawford2278 2 months ago

The Beatles could write songs for pretty much any mood you have. If you want beautiful love songs, they give you "Something" or "And I Love Her"; if you want introspective songs, they have "In My Life", "Nowhere Man" or "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"; you want to rock out, then there's this song. "Helter Skelter" was their heaviest piece of pure rock and just blew me away when I first heard it. It's one of their best in my opinion.

@mr.macbeevee498 6 months ago

Even with all the chaos and screaming vocals, they still got there signature backing vocals in there. Our reaction to it the first time was "PLAY THAT AGAIN!!!!!!!".

@tristanoleary7595 7 months ago

They kickstarted a lot of genres directly and indirectly

@scottchapin2323 6 months ago

Another example of why The Beatles are the greatest band that ever was or ever will be.

@j.jennings1722 6 months ago

The Beatles had made hard songs before this one, but when this one hit the airwaves I was shocked by how hard this song Rocked. No one had ever heard anything quite like it. Sure, there were hard Rocking songs before this one like, You Really Got Me by The Kinks, which is a Proto-Punk song, or, I Can See For Miles by The Who, which is the song that prompted Paul to say, "I can write a song that's rougher and harder than that one!" So, that's what he did and this song both shocked everyone and pleased almost everyone, because it's great and it's still hard AF.

@josephshafer1134 6 months ago

Paul still does this song on his tours. 83 years old and Paul still rocks it!

@John_Locke_108 6 months ago

Just four years removed from A Hard Day's Night.
It's just insane how quickly they changed their sound. One of the greatest rock songs ever recorded.

@CuriousGeorge1111 6 months ago (edited)

That is Ringo yelling "I've got blisters on my fingers!!!!"
McCartney wrote the song in response to Pete Townsend saying The Who's I Can See For Miles was the hardest rocking song ever.
McCartney: "Hold my joint." The full recording went on much longer.
Paul said the song is a metaphor for the rise and fall of civilizations.
I wasn't into hard rock at the time--makes sense since it didn't exist--so I didn't pay much attention, and viewed it as a novelty. I'm not sure if it ever got any radio play at the time--I never heard any.
So glad to see you reacting to this. All the best!