“Help Me, Rhonda” is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys, appearing first on their 1965 album The Beach Boys Today! (where it was spelled “Help Me, Ronda“) and subsequently in re-recorded form on the following 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). It was written by Brian Wilson, with additional lyrics by Mike Love. Unlike many other songs by the band from this period, “Help Me, Rhonda” features a lead vocal sung by Al Jardine.

According to Wilson, “Help Me, Rhonda” was not based on a real person. After it was released as an album track on Today!, Wilson revisited the song, feeling it had commercial potential. This new version, featuring a different arrangement and slightly different lyrics, was released as a single in April 1965 and appeared on Summer Days later that same year. It topped the Billboard Hot 100, making it their second number-one single following “I Get Around” (1964). It remains one of the band’s most acclaimed singles commercially and critically.

“Help Me, Rhonda” was written by Brian Wilson with additional lyrics by Mike Love.In his memoir, Wilson claimed the song was inspired by Bobby Darin‘s “Mack the Knife“, which he was playing on the piano when he came up with the music for “Help Me Rhonda”. He has also cited “Fannie Mae” as an inspiration.

The lyrics tell a story of a man who was attracted to a woman who then found another man; to aid the healing process, he begs a woman named Rhonda to help him get over her. According to Brian Wilson, “Rhonda” was not based on a real person.The song’s lead vocalist Al Jardine confirmed that Wilson had told him the song was fictional, though he commented, “I’m sure there was something down there in the psychology of it. … We didn’t really get into the meaning of the lyrics. They spoke for themselves.”