Eleanor Rigby

I've loved this haunting, very unusual song ever since I first heard it when I would be 6, or something.

I've recently looked at the lyrics and it's just about as enigmatic as any pop song you like. It mentions two characters, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, though no clue as to who they are; they appear to be connected in the last verse, where the latter has performed the burial service for the former.

In my child's mind, it felt ghostly and scary, talking about someone dying and someone wiping dirt from their hands as they walked from the grave. That combined with the dour, mournful melody gave me goose pimples.

The eponymous character appears to have been a real person.

Eleanor Rigby is listed among the names on a headstone in the graveyard of St Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool.

Wait a minute...weren't the Beatles from Liverpool? Yes, and in fact it was at that very church, at a church fete in 1957, that the teenaged Lennon and McCartney first met.

Obviously, one of them had clocked the unusual name on the headstone and it stuck, to be immortalised 9 years later in the eponymous song.

But Paul McCartney. who wrote most of the words and music, has a different explanation.

McCartney said when he first sat down at the piano he had the name Daisy Hawkins in his mind. He later changed this to Eleanor, after the actress Eleanor Bron, who had starred with The Beatles in the film Help! The character's surname at one stage was Bygraves, according to Spencer Leigh, author of The Beatles book Love Me Do to Love Me Don't. But McCartney later changed this to Rigby, from the name of a store he had spotted in Bristol - Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers. "I just liked the name," he said in 1984. "I was looking for a name that sounded natural. Eleanor Rigby sounded natural. Eleanor Rigby is a totally fictitious character that I made up."

www.bbc.co.uk...

Come off it, Macca.

Not buying that.

Paul McCartney?

Don't you mean Billy Sheers??!??!?

Just kidding.

Cool song.
I too always found it to be slightly haunting , and was sort of underwhelmed when I read the lyrics.


a reply to: CJCrawley

a reply to: CJCrawley

Great song

Didn't know McCartney penned most of it, he should've quit music when the Beatles finished.

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Paul died in 1966 so you are sort of on the right track. The rest of the band used to call him Faul, Fake Paul. True story

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Paul died in 1966 so you are sort of on the right track. The rest of the band used to call him Faul, Fake Paul. True story

I always preferred the Beatles story of when Lennon was asked if Ringo is the best drummer in the world, his reply "he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles".

originally posted by: CJCrawley
I've loved this haunting, very unusual song ever since I first heard it when I would be 6, or something.

I've recently looked at the lyrics and it's just about as enigmatic as any pop song you like. It mentions two characters, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, though no clue as to who they are; they appear to be connected in the last verse, where the latter has performed the burial service for the former.

In my child's mind, it felt ghostly and scary, talking about someone dying and someone wiping dirt from their hands as they walked from the grave. That combined with the dour, mournful melody gave me goose pimples.

The eponymous character appears to have been a real person.

Eleanor Rigby is listed among the names on a headstone in the graveyard of St Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool.

Wait a minute...weren't the Beatles from Liverpool? Yes, and in fact it was at that very church, at a church fete in 1957, that the teenaged Lennon and McCartney first met.

Obviously, one of them had clocked the unusual name on the headstone and it stuck, to be immortalised 9 years later in the eponymous song.

But Paul McCartney. who wrote most of the words and music, has a different explanation.

McCartney said when he first sat down at the piano he had the name Daisy Hawkins in his mind. He later changed this to Eleanor, after the actress Eleanor Bron, who had starred with The Beatles in the film Help! The character's surname at one stage was Bygraves, according to Spencer Leigh, author of The Beatles book Love Me Do to Love Me Don't. But McCartney later changed this to Rigby, from the name of a store he had spotted in Bristol - Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers. "I just liked the name," he said in 1984. "I was looking for a name that sounded natural. Eleanor Rigby sounded natural. Eleanor Rigby is a totally fictitious character that I made up."

www.bbc.co.uk...

Come off it, Macca.

Not buying that.

It's very obvious how the two characters , Eleanor and Father McKenzie are connected.

The song is about alienation and lack of social interaction. Eleanor lives a solitary life, and while Father McKenzie holds Sunday service, no one ever comes. They are two different people with one thing in common: loneliness and a solitary existence. "All the lonely people, where did they all come from?"

They are brought together in the end, if symbolically (and quite literally), by death.

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Paul died in 1966 so you are sort of on the right track. The rest of the band used to call him Faul, Fake Paul. True story

The real shame is that the Beatles murdered Clarence. He was the only black member of the band, with them before they took off. The other members murdered him to steal all his 'really good ideas '. Ringo has admitted as much, but it was never taken seriously.

R.I.P. Clarence. Some of us still remember.

originally posted by: SteamyJeans

Paul McCartney?

Don't you mean Billy Sheers??!??!?

Just kidding.

Cool song.
I too always found it to be slightly haunting , and was sort of underwhelmed when I read the lyrics.


a reply to: CJCrawley

Ringo was Billy.

"Release him or I shoot! And I'm a deadeye shot shooting"
- Eleanor Bron

It's a great song. Who knows? Maybe he saw the headstone as a kid and saw the spirits store later and related spirits to graveyard or cemetery.

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

I always felt that Lennon would have been happier going into comedy. Probably would have still been here too.

He did some comic stuff with Cooke and Moore in the 60s.

Why should Paul have quit music after the Beatles broke up?

a reply to: CJCrawley

I just about could have written this myself, only I was probably around 8 at the time. I completely shared your feelings on this song myself. Very profound and very meaningful song to me.

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Paul died in 1966 so you are sort of on the right track. The rest of the band used to call him Faul, Fake Paul. True story

He didn't die in 1966, he had an accident on a motor bike and chipped his front tooth.

You can clearly see the chipped tooth on a video for the song Rain which was released that year.

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Paul died in 1966 so you are sort of on the right track. The rest of the band used to call him Faul, Fake Paul. True story

I always preferred the Beatles story of when Lennon was asked if Ringo is the best drummer in the world, his reply "he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles".

Yes and that comment alludes to the fact that Paul was playing drums on a few tracks.

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
a reply to: CJCrawley

Great song

Didn't know McCartney penned most of it, he should've quit music when the Beatles finished.

Paul WAS the Beatles post-Revolver.

If anything It's Lennon's solo work that sits as an unremarkable memory.

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Paul died in 1966 so you are sort of on the right track. The rest of the band used to call him Faul, Fake Paul. True story

Yep, probably because Paul was the only one interested in driving the group forward, and the only one coherent enough to handle the business end.

I'm sure he seemed like such an outcaste.

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Paul died in 1966 so you are sort of on the right track. The rest of the band used to call him Faul, Fake Paul. True story

I always preferred the Beatles story of when Lennon was asked if Ringo is the best drummer in the world, his reply "he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles".

haha... ain't that the truth!!

ringo sucks... Theres a commercial that has him doing a little drum solo while this kid watches completely amazed...

every time i see it, i can't help but laugh

originally posted by: CJCrawley
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

I always felt that Lennon would have been happier going into comedy. Probably would have still been here too.

He did some comic stuff with Cooke and Moore in the 60s.

Why should Paul have quit music after the Beatles broke up?

Because fans thought John was deep and inspired putting out half-assed work like this


And thought Paul was a loon for putting out gems like this


Go figure!

originally posted by: Akragon

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Paul died in 1966 so you are sort of on the right track. The rest of the band used to call him Faul, Fake Paul. True story

I always preferred the Beatles story of when Lennon was asked if Ringo is the best drummer in the world, his reply "he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles".

haha... ain't that the truth!!

ringo sucks... Theres a commercial that has him doing a little drum solo while this kid watches completely amazed...

every time i see it, i can't help but laugh

Come on Ringo was a competent drummer and showed some fine technique doing so. He didn't do solos and many drummers in the day didn't because they were there to provide a beat, not a gimmick.

There's many, many worse drummers out there who are lauded and praised.

Anyway, I gotta go cash these checks from MPL

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Paul died in 1966 so you are sort of on the right track. The rest of the band used to call him Faul, Fake Paul. True story

Yep, probably because Paul was the only one interested in driving the group forward, and the only one coherent enough to handle the business end.

I'm sure he seemed like such an outcaste.

Perhaps I wasn't clear. The remaining Beatles called the "new Paul" (Billy Sheers according to some and forced on them by MI5) "Faul" years later and sometimes made a slip of the tongue too in interviews and suchlike. As for driving them, he wasn't the real Paul so it all changed from that fateful day. Moxley (if memory serves) was the MI5 agent that threatened and instructed the band after that point. Why do you think the biggest band on earth split up?

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

Absolutely agree with you sir, 100%.

Paul was the musical powerhouse behind it all...I know that puts us in an unpopular minority, but it's the truth.

NONE of the other three produced solo work that could hold a candle to Paul's.

Harrison used to moan about being sidelined by Lennon and McCartney when they would, begrudgingly, include one of his songs on each album to keep him happy.

But he only had one good solo studio album, All Things Must Pass (but it was very good).

Ringo's solo work is laughable (well, you wouldn't expect much from a drummer, I suppose).

I've never been a fan of Lennon's solo work. I think his fame stems from his persona rather than his music. Just the odd track like Working Class Hero.

But Paul has done tons of really top class stuff and is still writing and performing into his mid 70s.