| "Help, I'm a Rock" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byThe Mothers of Invention | ||||
| from the albumFreak Out! | ||||
| A-side | "How Could I Be Such a Fool" | |||
| Released | 1966 | |||
| Recorded | March 12, 1966 | |||
| Studio | TTG Studios,Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:12 (single version) 8:37 (album version) | |||
| Label | Verve | |||
| Songwriter | Frank Zappa | |||
| Producer | Tom Wilson | |||
| The Mothers of Invention singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Help, I'm a Rock" is a song written by American musicianFrank Zappa. It was recorded by Zappa along with the rock bandthe Mothers of Invention on the group's debutalbumFreak Out!, which was released onVerve Records on June 27, 1966.[3]
The Mothers of Invention enteredTTG Studios to record "Help, I'm a Rock"—among other tracks for theFreak Out! album—after record producerTom Wilson signed the group toMGM Records under the incorrect assumption that they were a traditionalblues ensemble. As a testament to its absurdity, Zappa explained "Help, I'm a Rock" was created spontaneously as "just a thing that spewed out. What was happening was what was in the air that night".[4] For the composition's unusual droning background sounds, the band encompassed screams, duck calls, alien beeps and chatter, tribal chants, and erotic moans that simulated a femaleorgasm.[5] In the liner notes toFreak Out!, Zappa wrote the tongue-in-cheek statement:"'Help, I'm a Rock' is dedicated toElvis Presley. Note the interesting formal structure and the stunningfour-part harmony toward the end". He concludes his comments on the song by jokingly remarking about "the obvious lack of commercial potential. Ho hum".[6]
"Help, I'm a Rock" is a three part suite consisting of: "Okay to Tap Dance", "In MemoriamEdgar Varese" and "It Can't Happen Here". In the first pressing ofFreak Out!, the song was credited simply as "Help, I'm a Rock". However, asFreak Out! reissues andcompilation albums were made available, the third part, "It Can't Happen Here", has been commonly listed as a separate track. In concert, the composition was typically mixed with other band songs, most regularly "Hungry Freaks Daddy".[6] One music critic notes "Long term, the psychedelic workout had plenty of commercial appeal, with Zappa’s bands playing it throughout the master’s career. 'Help, I’m a Rock' became one of the many catch phrases attached to Zappa over his career".[4]
A section of "Help, I'm a Rock" called "Third Movement: It Can't Happen Here" was also featured as theB-side of the DJ-only "How Can I Be Such a Fool?"single. With a running time of nearly nine minutes, "Help, I'm a Rock" remains one of the Mothers of Invention's most lengthy and experimental pieces in their catalogue.[7]
In 1967, psychedelic rock groupthe West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band recorded the song on their second albumPart One.[8]Richie Unterberger described the rendition as a concept that "flung them into freakier pastures", with its style being "emulated convincingly on the group original '1906', an apt soundtrack to a bummeracid trip with its constant spoken refrain, 'I don't feel well'".[8]
