If You've Got Trouble

If You've Got Trouble was written by the Lennon-McCartney team and performed by Ringo Starr. The recording was made on February 18, 1965 for the Help! film and soundtrack album. Only one take was made, followed by overdubs. After hearing the song played back, the group decided that it was neither a great song nor a great performance. Producer George Martin substituted Act Naturally (also sung by Ringo) for the Help! album and video, and he sent If You've Got Trouble to the tape vault. It was never released while the Beatles were together, and only saw the light of day when it was included in the 1996 album, Anthology 2. Music critics have agreed with the Beatles' own assessment of the recording. Ian MacDonald called it the only "unmitigated disaster" in the Beatles' history. Common consensus is that the tune was boring, the lyrics were trite and uninspired, and the group's performance was flat. In George Harrison's words, it was "the naffest song."