The members of The Band first worked together as The Hawks, the backing band of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 until 1963. Afterwards, Bob Dylan recruited the quintet for his history-making 1965/1966 world tour and they joined him on the informal recordings that became the acclaimed Basement Tapes.
Dubbed "The Band" by their peers, the group left the comfort of their communal home in Saugerties, NY to begin recording as a group unto themselves. The Band recorded two of the most important albums of the late 1960s: their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink (featuring the hit single "The Weight") and 1969's The Band. These critically praised albums helped conceive country rock as something more than a genre, but rather as a celebration of "Americana." As such, throughout their career they would repopularize traditional American musical forms during the psychedelic era. The Band dissolved in 1976; Martin Scorcese's landmark concert film "The Last Waltz" documented their final performance. They reformed in 1983 without founding guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson.
Although always more popular with music journalists and fellow musicians than the general public, The Band has remained an admired and influential group. They have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Their music fused many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll, though the rhythm section often had a bouncy, funky punch reminiscent of Stax or Motown, and Robertson cites Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Singers as major influences. At its best, however, The Band's music was an organic synthesis of many musical genres which became more than the sum of its parts. The group's songwriting was also remarkable as, unlike much earlier rock and roll, and following upon the example set previously by The Byrds, very few of their early compositions were based on conventional blues and doo-wop chord changes.
The Band comprised Robbie Robertson (guitar); Richard Manuel (piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone); Garth Hudson (organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, synthesizer, saxophone); Rick Danko (bass guitar, violin, trombone); and Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar) Excepting Robertson, all were multi-instrumentalists; each person's primary instrument is listed first. There was little instrument-switching when they played live, but when recording, the musicians could offer all manner of subtle aural colors and textures to enhance songs. Hudson in particular was able to coax an impressive range of timbres from his Lowrey electronic organ; on the choruses of "Tears of Rage", for example, it sounds startlingly like a mellotron. Helm's drumming was rarely flashy, but he was often praised for his subtlety and funkiness. Critic Jon Carroll famously declared that Helm was "the only drummer who can make you cry," while prolific session drummer Jim Keltner admits to appropriating several of Helm's techniques.
Singers Manuel, Danko, and Helm each brought a distinctive voice to The Band: Helm's gritty, southern voice had more than a hint of country, Danko sang in a soaring, unfettered tenor, and Manuel alternated between fragile falsetto and a wounded baritone. The singers regularly blended in unorthodox, but uncommonly effective harmonies. Though the singing was more or less evenly shared between the three men, both Danko and Helm have stated that they saw Manuel as the Band's "lead" singer.
Robertson was the unit's chief songwriter (though he sang lead vocals on only three or four songs in The Band's career). This role, and Robertson's resulting claim to the copyright of most of the compositions, would become a point of much antipathy between the group's members, especially between Robertson and Helm.
Producer John Simon is cited as a "sixth member" of The Band for producing and playing on Music from Big Pink, co-producing and playing on The Band, and playing on other songs up through The Band's 1993 reunion album Jericho.
On 10 December 1999 is when Rick Danko died in his sleep at age 56. He had been a long-time drug user. In 1997 he had been found guilty of trying to smuggle heroin into Japan. He told the presiding judge that he had begun using the drug (together with prescription morphine) to fight life-long pain resulting from a 1968 auto accident. No drugs were found in his system at the time of his death. Following the death of Rick Danko, The Band broke up for good.
Levon Helm died on 19 April 2012 from complications of throat cancer.
Helpless
The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dream comfort memory to spare
And in my mind I still need a place to go
All my changes were there
Blue, blue windows behind the stars
Yellow moon on the rise
Big birds flying across the sky
Leave us
Helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless
Babe, can you hear me now?
The chains are locked and tied across the door
Baby, sing with me somehow
Blue, blue windows behind the stars
Yellow moon on the rise
Big birds flying across the sky
Throwing shadows on our eyes
Leave us
Helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless
The song "Helpless" by The Band is a poetic expression of a longing for a place of comfort and familiarity. The opening line, "There is a town in North Ontario," sets the scene for a specific location that holds personal significance for the singer. The use of the phrase "dream comfort memory to spare" suggests that this place represents a source of solace and refuge from the challenges of life.
The singer is seeking to return to this place, as evidenced by the line, "And in my mind I still need a place to go / All my changes were there." The word "changes" suggests that the singer has undergone personal growth and transformation since leaving this place, but still craves the stability and security it represents.
The repeated refrain of "Helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless" underscores the singer's feelings of vulnerability and powerlessness in the face of life's uncertainties. The final lines of the song, "The chains are locked and tied across the door / Baby, sing with me somehow" suggest that the singer is reaching out to a loved one for support and comfort in the midst of this struggle.
Overall, "Helpless" is a beautifully crafted and emotive song that captures the universal human desire for a place to call home.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a town in North Ontario
There is a small town located in Northern Ontario.
Dream comfort memory to spare
It is a tranquil and peaceful place with a lot of good memories.
And in my mind, I still need a place to go
I need a place I can escape to in my mind to find peace and solitude.
All my changes were there
This town was the place where I changed and grew as a person.
Blue, blue windows behind the stars
The night sky is very dark and mysterious, with only a few stars twinkling in the distance.
Yellow moon on the rise
The moon is rising and casting a yellowish light over the town.
Big birds flying across the sky
Large birds are soaring high in the sky, in a serene and peace-inducing scene.
Throwing shadows on our eyes
The shadows cast by these flying birds evoke a fleeting feeling of unease and uncertainty.
Leave us
This is a plea to the creatures of the night to let us find inner peace.
Helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless
This is a mantra that echoes the artist's current state of emotional distress and powerlessness.
Babe, can you hear me now?
This is a question directed at a person who might be able to offer comfort amidst the turmoil.
The chains are locked and tied across the door
The artist is feeling trapped and confined - the chains are a symbol of the emotional chains holding him/her down.
Baby, sing with me somehow
This is another request for comfort, asking someone to join in a song to offer solace in the darkness.
Helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless
Once again, this is a reminder of how powerless and helpless the singer feels.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind