A Helter Skelter is the name of an English fairground slide that you ride down on a carpet and it goes fast. Paul McCartney said he used "the symbol of a helter skelter as a ride from the top to the bottom; the rise and fall of the Roman Empire – and this was the fall, the demise."

Helter Skelter can also mean a term for chaos and disorder. Ringo Starr said: "'Helter Skelter' was a track we did in total madness and hysterics in the studio. Sometimes you just had to shake out the jams."

This song was recorded in several takes, the third take coming in at 27 minutes and 11 seconds long.

Chris Thomas, an English record producer who worked extensivley with The Beatles and Pink Floyd, produced this track when George Martin was absent. He recalled one particular session was very spirited for the September 9th recording: "While Paul was doing his vocal, George Harrison had set fire to an ashtray and was running around the studio with it above his head, doing an Arthur Brown.”

Because of the connection to Charles Manson, Paul McCartney refused to play this song live for years.