Cover art for Mother’s Little Helper by The Rolling Stones

Mother’s Little Helper

The Rolling Stones
Track 32 on The Rolling Stones Singles Collection: The London Years 

Producer

Andrew Loog Oldham
A 1966 hit. The first ever(?) song dedicated to a pill? Hail the Diazepam (aka Vallium). The B side was “Lady Jane”. Both can be found on Stones' fourth album… Read More 
Apr. 15, 19661 viewer73.2K views

Mother’s Little Helper Lyrics

[Intro]
What a drag it is getting old

[Verse 1]
"Kids are different today"
I hear every mother say
Mother needs something today
To calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill

[Chorus]
She goes running for the shelter
Of her mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way
Gets her through her busy day

[Verse 2]
"Things are different today"
I hear every mother say
Cooking fresh food for her husband's just a drag
So she buys an instant cake
And she burns a frozen steak

[Chorus]
And goes running for the shelter
Of her mother's little helper
And two help her on her way
Get her through her busy day
[Bridge]
"Doctor, please
Some more of these"
Outside the door
She took four more
What a drag it is getting old

[Verse 3]
"Men just aren't the same today"
I hear every mother say
"They just don't appreciate that you get tired"
They're so hard to satisfy
You can tranquilize your mind

[Chorus]
So go running for the shelter
Of a mother's little helper
And four help you through the night
Help to minimize your plight

[Bridge]
"Doctor, please
Some more of these"
Outside the door
She took four more
What a drag it is getting old
[Verse 4]
"Life's just much too hard today"
I hear every mother say
The pursuit of happiness
Just seems a bore
And if you take more of those
You will get an overdose

[Chorus]
No more running for the shelter
Of a mother's little helper
They just helped you on your way
Through your busy, dying day

[Outro]
Hey!

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About

Genius Annotation

A 1966 hit. The first ever(?) song dedicated to a pill? Hail the Diazepam (aka Vallium).

The B side was “Lady Jane”.

Both can be found on Stones' fourth album, Aftermath (UK version), their first containing only Jagger/Richards written songs.

Q&A

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The Rolling Stones Singles Collection: The London Years (1989)
  1. 1.
    Come On
  2. 2.
    I Want to Be Loved
  3. 3.
    I Wanna Be Your Man (Mono Version)
  4. 4.
    Stoned
  5. 5.
    Not Fade Away (Mono Version)
  6. 6.
    Little by Little
  7. 7.
    It’s All Over Now
  8. 8.
    Good Times, Bad Times
  9. 9.
    Tell Me
  10. 10.
    I Just Want to Make Love to You
  11. 11.
    Time Is on My Side
  12. 12.
    Congratulations
  13. 13.
    Little Red Rooster
  14. 14.
    Off the Hook
  15. 15.
    Heart of Stone
  16. 16.
    What a Shame
  17. 17.
    The Last Time
  18. 18.
    Play with Fire
  19. 19.
    (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
  20. 20.
    The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man
  21. 21.
    The Spider and the Fly
  22. 22.
    Get Off of My Cloud
  23. 23.
    I’m Free
  24. 24.
    The Singer Not the Song
  25. 25.
    As Tears Go By
  26. 26.
    Gotta Get Away
  27. 27.
    19th Nervous Breakdown
  28. 28.
    Sad Day
  29. 29.
    Paint It, Black
  30. 30.
    Stupid Girl
  31. 31.
    Long Long While
  32. 32.
    Mother’s Little Helper
  33. 33.
    Lady Jane
  34. 34.
    Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?
  35. 35.
    Who’s Driving Your Plane?
  36. 36.
    Let’s Spend the Night Together
  37. 37.
    Ruby Tuesday
  38. 38.
    We Love You
  39. 39.
    Dandelion
  40. 40.
    She’s a Rainbow
  41. 41.
    2000 Light Years from Home
  42. 42.
    In Another Land
  43. 43.
    The Lantern
  44. 44.
    Jumpin’ Jack Flash
  45. 45.
    Child of the Moon
  46. 46.
    Street Fighting Man
  47. 47.
    No Expectations
  48. 48.
    Surprise, Surprise
  49. 49.
    Honky Tonk Women
  50. 50.
    You Can’t Always Get What You Want
  51. 51.
    Memo from Turner
  52. 52.
    Brown Sugar
  53. 53.
    Wild Horses
  54. 54.
    I Don’t Know Why
  55. 55.
    Try a Little Harder
  56. 56.
    Out of Time
  57. 57.
    Jiving Sister Fanny
  58. 58.
    Sympathy for the Devil
Credits
Producer
Writers
Vocals
Piano
Twelve-String Electric Guitar
Acoustic Guitar
Bass
Drums
Recorded At
RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, CA (December 1965)
Released on
April 15, 1966
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Tags
RockRaga RockSinger-SongwriterUKPsychedelic RockFolk Rock
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