Is Helter Skelter the first metal song? Or the first punk song?

[BornToLooze]

My wife and I have been arguing over this. She's a Beatles fan, and I do agree that for the time it was pretty hard, it's the first punk song. I mean they're yelling over loud ass amps, hitting the stings so hard the low E is going out of tune, and "I'VE GOT BLISTERS ON ME FINGERS"

I mean personally, it reminds me more of this

than any of the other first "metal" songs..

So what do y'all think? Is Helter Skelter the first punk or metal song?

 

[DavGrape]

Siouxsie and the Banshees covered it; still not as violent as The Beatles.
Can't be done.

 

[icantshred]

 

[Zungle]

 

[Shelkonnery]

I consider The Stooges and MC5 to be the proto-punk bands that laid ground for what punk came to be.

So I always think of it as the first metal song. The progression, arrangements and lysergy more in line with what would become the first metal acts like Black Sabbath and even Deep Purple.

 

[DavGrape]

Thought of at same time ↑
Stooges 'TV Eye', fo' sho'.

 

[CB91710]

I'd call it punk.
It has a lot in common with what metal would later evolve into, OTOH, Motorhead was considered to be a punk band at first.
There's more overlap between the two genres than either metalhead or punkers want to admit.

Compare Helter Skelter to The Ramones and Black Sabbath.

 

[Wuuthrad]

Although it does have the energy, I wouldn’t call it Punk (which almost always had a “message,” especially in the beginning.) Definitely had the feeling and energy of both later genres though.

I’ve always thought of this Punk Floyd song in a similar way:

 

[Misty Mountain Hop]

I am going with this for first punk song:

 

[LtDave32]

Punk goes back to garage band of the early and mid sixties.

Here's a fairly punk example from 1963:

 

[Jim Klein]

check out King Crimson 21st century skitzoid man..

 

[Diocletian]

check out King Crimson 21st century skitzoid man..

That was 1969. I would agree "Helter Skelter" is the first metal song - it's more complex than punk and is way heavier and dissonant than when Motley Crue covered it.

 

[jlee]

I always thought The Wheels from Belfast were as proto-punk as it got. Brian Rossi’s vocals were pretty intense for 1966.

 

[jlee]

I would say Fleetwood Mac’s Green Manalishi is definitely the first “metal” song.

 

[cybermgk]

Interesting question.

First 'Punk' bands and music were about anti-convention. This includes lyrics, production value, song structure/speed, and even vocals. It was about giving the finger, or fingers (for Brits) to the establishment (Government, Society, Music Industry) in as many ways as possible.

And Helter Skelter has aspects of that. The Lyrics are about living in the demise of an empire. Paul did write it to send the finger to critics that said he only wrote love ballads and Pop love songs.

But, unlike most Original era Punk, which had very basic production and production value/techniques, instruments, there is no hiding The Beatles mastery of production techniques. Sure, there were also Beatles vocal Harmonies present, But, even the Ramones had that.

It definitely 'fits' the mold of 60s Garage Rock, which is definately the progenitor of Punk. But, it also isn't the only of that ilk. And, I would say it was intentionally PRODUCED to sound like that, as opposed to just being a natural outcome

Surf/Hot Rod music begat Frat Rock, which begat Garage Rock, that begat Punk.

So, yea it fits firmly in that Garage Rock era, sound, etc.

 

[22Frets]

Without the extensive "documentation" -ahem - that others are offering, here are my thoughts.

It has traits of both, therefore, why could it not be a divergent point for both genres? Two forms of music being brought forth from the same point, using different influences except for this commonality?

My two cents.

 

[Deftone]

 

[Just.Sean]

No. Neither.
This is like stating Blondie’s Rapture is the first hip hop song.

 

[Dave's not here]

Neither.

 

[dc007]

Tiny metal seeds were planted when Clapton dimed his Marshall