View source for Help Me (Kris Kristofferson song)

{{Short description|Song by Larry Gatlin}}
{{Infobox song
| name        = Help Me
| cover       =
| alt         =
| type        = single
| artist      = [[Elvis Presley]]
| album       = [[Promised Land (Elvis Presley album)|Promised Land]]
| A-side      = {{ubl|"[[If You Talk in Your Sleep]]"|"Help Me"}}
| released    = 1974
| recorded    = December 1973
| studio      = [[Stax Records|Stax]], Memphis, Tennessee
| venue       =
| genre       = [[Country music|Country]], [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[Christian country music|Christian country]]
| length      = {{Duration|m=2|s=28}}
| label       =
| writer      = {{hlist|[[Larry Gatlin]]}}
| producer    = [[Felton Jarvis]]
| prev_title  = [[Take Good Care of Her]]
| prev_title2 = [[I've Got a Thing About You Baby#Elvis Presley version|I've Got a Thing About You, Baby]]
| prev_year   = 1974
| title       = [[If You Talk in Your Sleep]]
| title2      = Help Me
| next_title  = [[It's Midnight (song)|It's Midnight]]
| next_title2 = [[Promised Land (Chuck Berry song)#Elvis Presley version|Promised Land]]
| next_year   = 1974
}}
"'''Help Me'''" is a song written by [[Larry Gatlin]]. A [[Christian country music|country gospel]] song, the lyrics tell the story of a world-weary and tired man pleading for guidance and reassurance from [[God]]. Gatlin performed the song at the funerals of both [[June Carter]] and [[Johnny Cash]] and dedicates the song to them during every performance.
The song became most famous in a version by [[Elvis Presley]]. In 1974, Presley released the song as part of a [[A-side and B-side|double A-sided]] single with "[[If You Talk in Your Sleep]]."<ref name="Osborne2007">{{cite book|author=Jerry Osborne|title=Presleyana VI - the Elvis Presley Record, CD, and Memorabilia Price Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CE6JPQyNKawC&q=%22Help+Me%22+%22in+Your+Sleep%22++Elvis+Presley&pg=PA51|date=1 July 2007|publisher=Jerry Osborne Enterprises|isbn=978-0-932117-49-6|pages=51–}}</ref> "Help Me" became the side promoted to country radio, and the song reached No. 6 on the [[Billboard Hot Country Songs|''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles]] chart on the week of August 10, 1974.<ref name="Billboard 10 August 1974">{{cite book|author=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QgkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22HELP+ME%22&pg=PA58|date=10 August 1974|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=58–|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> ("If You Talk in Your Sleep" reached No. 17 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], also during the summer of 1974.)
Previously, "Help Me" was recorded by:
* [[Kris Kristofferson]] in 1972, the first recording of the song, on his album ''[[Jesus Was a Capricorn]]'' and subsequently released as the B-side to the single "[[Why Me (Kris Kristofferson song)|Why Me]]".
* [[Ray Price (musician)|Ray Price]], on his 1973 album ''She's Got to Be a Saint''.
* [[Connie Smith]], on her 1973 album ''[[God Is Abundant]]''.
* [[Johnny Cash]], on his 1973 album ''[[The Gospel Road]]''.
* [[London Parris|London Parris and the Apostles]], on the 1973 album ''Why Me?''.
== Johnny Cash versions ==
{{Infobox song
| name        = Help Me
| cover       =
| alt         =
| type        = song
| artist      = [[Johnny Cash]]
| album       = [[American V: A Hundred Highways]]
| A-side      =
| released    = 2006
| recorded    =
| studio      =
| venue       =
| genre       =
| length      =
| label       = [[American Recordings (US)|American]]
| writer      = {{hlist|[[Larry Gatlin]]}}
| producer    = [[Rick Rubin]]
| prev_title  =
| prev_title2 =
| prev_year   =
| title       =
| title2      =
| next_title  =
| next_title2 =
| next_year   =
| misc        = {{External music video|{{YouTube|I_41SQSLxxw|"Help Me"}}|type=song}}
}}
[[Johnny Cash]] covered the song on his 1973 album ''[[The Gospel Road]]'', which was the soundtrack to the film of the same title, and on the posthumous 2006 album ''[[American V: A Hundred Highways]]''. The latter version had a [[music video]] shot for it. On ''The Gospel Road'', the song's title is abbreviated to "Help" and is performed in several parts on the album and film.
== Charts ==
=== Elvis Presley version ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|-
! Chart (1974)
! Peak<br />position
|-
| US [[Billboard Hot Country Songs|''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles]]<ref name="Billboard 10 August 1974" /><ref name="Elvis Presley - Awards - AllMusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-presley-mn0000180228/awards |title=Elvis Presley - Awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305213019/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-presley-mn0000180228/awards |archive-date=2016-03-05 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=2017-01-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<!-- [http://www.billboard.com/charts/country-songs/1974-08-10]: #6 is missing -->
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|}
: '''*''' <small>As "Help Me" / "If You Talk in Your Sleep"</small>
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.discogs.com/master/view/368131 Kris Kristofferson – Why Me / Help Me] at Discogs
* [https://www.discogs.com/master/view/255887 Elvis Presley – If You Talk In Your Sleep / Help Me] at Discogs
{{Elvis Presley singles}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:1972 songs]]
[[Category:1973 singles]]
[[Category:1974 singles]]
[[Category:Kris Kristofferson songs]]
[[Category:Connie Smith songs]]
[[Category:Johnny Cash songs]]
[[Category:Elvis Presley songs]]
[[Category:RCA Records singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Larry Gatlin]]