You've Got to Help Yourself

You've Got to Help Yourself (also known as Ishin Denshin, or 'Everlasting Telegraph' in English) is a song by Yellow Magic Orchestra that was first released in sneak peek form on their 1983 album Naughty Boys. The full-length version was released as a single four months later on September 28, 1983. Expecting Rivers from Naughty Boys served as the single's B-side. The song would end up on Service, the final studio album from the band's initial incarnation.

Origin
The band started working on the song when they were approached by NHK to write a theme for the United Nations' World Communication Year (WCY). The band was initially taken aback by the offer, with the band retrospectively remarking, "We weren't exactly Godiego." However, the band eventually accepted the offer.

The song is notable in that it's one of the few YMO songs in which every member took part in the writing process. Sakamoto, who co-wrote the music with Takahashi, claimed that the band was trying to go for a sprightly, anthemic Beatles-influenced sound. Hosono, who co-wrote the lyrics with Peter Barakan, said that the song was inspired by the rise of charity songs in the US, with him observing the irony of people who couldn't help themselves trying to help others.

Release
The song was first released on May 24, 1983 on the album Naughty Boys in the form of a 30-second sneak peek, since the song was still being worked on at the time of its release. In between Naughty Boys and the song's single release, Sakamoto previewed an early version of the song on his show Sound Street, bearing slightly different lyrics. The song was released as a single on September 28, 1983. The single, backed with Expecting Rivers from Naughty Boys, would end up reaching #23 on the Oricon charts.

Live performances
The song would become a staple of the band's 1983 shows, and the band would also go on to play it numerous times on TV that year. After 1983, performances of the song became sparse. On July 7, 2007, the band notably played the song live at the Live Earth event, performing for the first time under the YMO name in 14 years.