Helpless Child (track)
by Swans
Year: 1996
From the album Soundtracks For The Blind (track #3)
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Helpless Child appears on the following album(s) by Swans:
- Soundtracks For The Blind (track #3) (this album) (1996)
- Swans Are Dead (track #15) (1998)
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Helpless Child ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this track. | Show all 202 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 07/15/2026 01:25 |  Purplepash | 35,377 | 76/100 |
| ! | 03/09/2026 20:57 | martintho | 68,704 | 74/100 |
| ! | 03/04/2026 18:57 | stareaterogni0n | 5,751 | 70/100 |
| ! | 02/07/2026 16:12 | Robert_fripp | 899 | 86/100 |
| ! | 11/20/2025 20:23 | Exist-en-ciel | 166,265 | 71/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 91.2/100, a mean average of 90.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.0/100. The standard deviation for this track is 17.3.
Helpless Child favourites
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Helpless Child comments
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In all honesty, one of the most powerful and mind-blowing tracks I've ever heard. Perfection.
More emotional than any song in To Be Kind/The Seer
StefanR10 06/27/2020 19:59 | #254623
Very good track I like the art of rock here and nice way of singing very enjoyable.
DriftingOrpheus 03/30/2020 23:20 | #249318
Among the greatest pieces of music ever written, a sublime blend of ugliness and beauty that few artists could conjure. The live version on Swans are Dead ups the ante even more.
One of the few post-rock songs Im patient enough for.
El Stairway To Heaven del post-rock
Their best song
Anti 11/16/2014 03:13 | #127108
After indulging in The Seer and To Be Kind, a song like this just amazes me on how diverse Swans can get with their sounds. This track is definitely one of their best, it almost has to be.
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