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Help!: A Day in the Life

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Help: A Day in the Life
Compilation album by
various artists
Released9 September 2005 (2005-09-09)
Recorded8–9 September 2005
Length87:12
LabelIndependiente
ProducerWar Child
War Child charity albums chronology
Hope
(2003) 		Help: A Day in the Life
(2005) 		War Child Presents Heroes
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Pitchfork Media(5.5/10)[2]

Help: A Day in the Life is a 2005 compilation album of music by contemporary artists from the United Kingdom and Canada. It was produced by the UK charity War Child to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their previous release, The Help Album, and to raise money to fund the charity's efforts in war-torn countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name is a conglomeration of the titles of two Beatles songs, "Help!" (featured on the Help! album and film) and "A Day in the Life" (from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). On Wednesday 14 September 2005, five days after its release, it broke the record for the fastest-selling download album ever.[3]

Whereas The Help Album had broken records in 1995 by being released only five days after it was recorded, Help!: A Day in the Life was recorded and made available for purchase via the War Child Music website within approximately thirty hours. Recording began at 12pm BST on Thursday 8 September and was made available for purchase at around 6pm on Friday 9 September.

Notable contributions to the album include tracks by Radiohead and Manic Street Preachers, both of whom had contributed tracks to the original 1995 album; a cover of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by War Child patrons Keane; a song from Gorillaz called "Hong Kong" which was played live various times by the band; a last-minute contribution from Coldplay; and a song by Emmanuel Jal, who was involved in the Sudan conflict as a child.

War Child Canada released a Canadian version of Help!: A Day in the Life in 2006. Contributions for the Canadian version included songs by Sam Roberts, The Dears, and Buck 65. A cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" by Emily Haines and James Shaw of Toronto's Metric was also included on the album.

The first single from the album was "Lebo's River", a song by Raine Maida, who helped produce the album, and Chantal Kreviazuk, his wife. The chorus was written by Lebo Kgasapane, an 18-year-old South African singer-songwriter who died of AIDS. The track features vocals by Lebo, as well as by Archie Khambula, a good friend of Lebo's.

The album cover was designed by John Squire.

Reworks

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Tracks first released on this album were subsequently re-recorded for the albums D-Sides by Gorillaz, Once Upon a Time in the West by Hard-Fi, Razorlight by Razorlight and Aman Iman by Tinariwen.

Track listings

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British track listing
  1. "How You See the World No. 2" – Coldplay
  2. "Kirby's House" – Razorlight
  3. "I Want None of This" – Radiohead
  4. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" – Keane with Faultline
  5. "Gua" – Emmanuel Jal
  6. "Hong Kong" – Gorillaz
  7. "Leviathan" – Manic Street Preachers
  8. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" – Kaiser Chiefs
  9. "Cross-Eyed Bear" – Damien Rice
  10. "Gone Are the Days" – The Magic Numbers
  11. "Cler Achel" – Tinariwen
  12. "It Was Nothing" – The Coral
  13. "Mars Needs Women" – Mylo
  14. "Wasteland" – Maxïmo Park
  15. "Snowball" – Elbow
  16. "The Present" – Bloc Party
  17. "Help Me Please" – Hard-Fi
  18. "Phantom Broadcast" – The Go! Team
  19. "From Bollywood to Battersea" – Babyshambles
  20. "Happy Christmas, War Is Over" – Boy George and Antony
Digital download track listing
  1. "I Want None of This" – Radiohead
  2. "It Was Nothing" – The Coral
  3. "Hello Conscience" – The Zutons
  4. "Snowball" – Elbow
  5. "Gone Are the Days" – The Magic Numbers
  6. "Wasteland" – Maxïmo Park
  7. "Phantom Broadcast" – The Go! Team
  8. "Gua" – Emmanuel Jal
  9. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" – Keane with Faultline
  10. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" – Kaiser Chiefs
  11. "The Present" – Bloc Party
  12. "Help Me Please" – Hard-Fi
  13. "Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House" – Belle and Sebastian
  14. "Cler Archel" – Tinariwen
  15. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" – Boy George and Antony
  16. "Hong Kong" – Gorillaz
  17. "From Bollywood to Battersea" – Babyshambles
  18. "Leviathan" – Manic Street Preachers
  19. "Kirby's House" – Razorlight
  20. "Cross-Eyed Bear" – Damien Rice
  21. "Mars Needs Women" – Mylo
  22. "How You See the World No. 2" – Coldplay
Canadian track listing
  1. "How You See the World No. 2" – Coldplay
  2. "Missing" – City and Colour
  3. "Hong Kong" – Gorillaz
  4. "I Want None of This" – Radiohead
  5. "Magic on My Mind" – Sam Roberts
  6. "Stand Alone" – Bedouin Soundclash
  7. "Utilities" – The Weakerthans
  8. "Ballad of Humankindness" – The Dears
  9. "Cross-Eyed Bear" – Damien Rice
  10. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" – Keane with Faultline
  11. "At the Angels Feet" – Payola$
  12. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" – Kaiser Chiefs
  13. "Spooked" – Buck 65
  14. "Get It Right" – Jets Overhead
  15. "Surrender" – Surefire
  16. "The Present" – Bloc Party
  17. "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" – Emily Haines and James Shaw of Metric
  18. "Lebo's River – A Tribute" – Raine Maida & Chantal Kreviazuk featuring Archie Khambula & Lebo Kgasapane

References

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  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ Pitchfork review
  3. ^ War Child web release breaks download record | | Guardian Unlimited Arts
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