The Beatles vs. Joe Cocker | Head 2 Head 🗣️

On the 37^th edition of Head 2 Head, The Beatles and Joe Cocker contend for the best rendition of “With a Little Help From my Friends.” 

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elcome to Head 2 Head 🗣️! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  On the 37^th edition of head-to-head, legendary musicians 🎙 The Beatles and 🎙 Joe Cocker contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “With a Little Help From my Friends”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

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1. The Beatles, “With a Little Help From my Friends”

💿 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club • 🏷 Apple Corps Ltd • 📅 1967

Can 🎙 The Beatles do any wrong? NOOO, The Beatles can do no wrong!!! During their run, the British pop/rock collective was UNTOUCHABLE.  Check out the albums in their discography – the majority are critically acclaimed, once in a lifetime classics.   That’s certainly the case with 💿 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club, released in 1967.  One of the gems from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club is 🎵 “With a Little Help From my Friends.” I mean, “What would you think if I sang out of tune? / Would you stand up and walk out on me?”

The Fab Four keep things short and sweet on “With a Little Help From my Friends.”  The record clocks in under three minutes – two-and-three-quarter-minutes to be precise! That’s more than enough for a potent, surefire classic! The sound is 1960s to the core, embodying the sunny, psychedelic, Brit-pop sound.  Harmonically, as with many Beatles songs, the progression is simple yet incredibly effective. Vocally, the boys deliver easygoing vocals that today we might describe as, dare I say, a “vibe.”  The lead vocalist may surprise – drummer 🎙 Ringo Starr! Worth noting, it’s awesome when all voices join at various points.  Of course, the centerpiece of this masterpiece is the chorus:

“No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends.”

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2. Joe Cocker, “With a Little Help From my Friends”

💿 With a Little Help From my Friends • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 1969

🎙 The Beatles delivered a classic with 🎵 “With a Little Help From my Friends” in 1967 (💿 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club).  Two years later, in 1969, another British musician, 🎙 Joe Cocker, 🎵 “With a Little Help From my Friends” delivered a more soulful rendition.  Honestly, Cocker totally transforms the song, making it a complete 180 from the original. The Cocker version also adds more than two minutes to the duration, clocking in at over five minutes! Folks, it’s a glorious five-plus minutes!

It can’ be emphasized enough the degree to which Cocker distinguishes his rendition from the original.  Ringo Starr’s lead vocals are a treat, but Joe kicks things up a notch – maybe two or three! Besides his robust, expressive lead, Cocker literally gets “a little help from his friends” via backing vocals.   Those awesome backup singers contribute to and solidify the soulful tilt of this version.  Where The Beatles are more psych-rock/pop, Joe is more rock-soul, sharing his signature “squall” at one point.  The extended duration only plays to his strengths, allowing him to expand the scope of this late 60s, which gained new life as the theme song to 📺 The Wonder Years.  The Beatles set the tone, but Mr. Cocker took “With a Little Help From my Friends” somewhere different.

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The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

The Beatles or Joe Cocker?  To quote myself, “The Beatles set the tone, but [Joe] Cocker took ‘With a Little Help From my Friends’ somewhere different.” Ultimately, Cocker’s transformative cover gets the edge.  Man, it’s hard not to give the ‘W’ to Ringo and company!

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The Beatles vs. Joe Cocker: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 37 [📷: Apple Corps Ltd, Brent Faulkner, GenderArts from Pixabay, The Musical Hype, UMG Recordings, Inc., Valentin Tikhonov from Pixabay]

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