Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles

Eleanor Rigby

The Beatles * Track #2 On Revolver

Download "Eleanor Rigby"

Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles

Release Date
Fri Aug 05 1966
Performed by
The Beatles
Produced by
George Martin
Writed by
Paul McCartney & John Lennon
About

“Eleanor Rigby” is a song about loneliness and depression representing a departure from their early pop love songs.

This is an early example of the Beatles taking risks and dabbling in other genres; in this particular example it’s baroque pop, as made evident by the string arrangements. During the...

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Eleanor Rigby Lyrics

[Intro: Paul McCartney, John Lennon & George Harrison]
Ah, look at all the lonely people!
Ah, look at all the lonely people!

[Verse 1: Paul McCartney]
Eleanor Rigby
Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window
Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?

[Chorus: Paul McCartney]
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

[Verse 2: Paul McCartney]
Father McKenzie
Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working
Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?

[Chorus: Paul McCartney]
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

[Bridge: Paul McCartney, John Lennon & George Harrison]
Ah, look at all the lonely people!
Ah, look at all the lonely people!

[Verse 3: Paul McCartney]
Eleanor Rigby
Died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie
Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved

[Outro: Paul McCartney]
All the lonely people (Ah, look at all the lonely people!)
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people (Ah, look at all the lonely people!)
Where do they all belong?

Eleanor Rigby Q&A

Who wrote Eleanor Rigby's ?

Eleanor Rigby was written by Paul McCartney & John Lennon.

Who produced Eleanor Rigby's ?

Eleanor Rigby was produced by George Martin.

When did The Beatles release Eleanor Rigby?

The Beatles released Eleanor Rigby on Fri Aug 05 1966.

Where did the name "Eleanor Rigby" come from?

At first, McCartney improvised the name “Ola Na Tungee”, which morphed into “Miss Daisy Hawkins”. He considered that “inauthentic”, so took Eleanor from Eleanor Bron, the female lead in Help!, and “Rigby” from Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers, a shop in Bristol.

Was Eleanor Rigby a real person?

Although McCartney made up the name himself, coincidentally, there is an Eleanor Rigby buried in Woolton Cemetery, Liverpool, next to the church where Paul met John. She died in 1939, aged 44, having been married to a Thomas Woods.

Where did the name Father McKenzie come from?

Paul originally called the priest “Father McCartney” because it fit the song’s rhythm, but didn’t want people to think it meant his literal father.

John wanted to stay McCartney, but I said, ‘No, it’s my dad! Father McCartney.’ He said, ‘It’s good, it works fine.’ I agreed it worked, but I didn’t w...

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What did The Beatles say about "Eleanor Rigby"?

Paul McCartney said about the song:

I wrote “Eleanor Rigby” when I was living in London and had a piano in the basement. I used to disappear there, and while I was fiddling on a chord some words came out: “Dazzie-de-da-zu picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been…” This idea of someo...

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What inspired the song?

Paul McCartney explained in a November 2020 piece for Rolling Stone:

‘Eleanor Rigby’ was based on old ladies I knew as a kid. For some reason or other, I got great relationships with a couple of local old ladies. I was thinking the other day, I don’t know how I met them, it wasn’t like they were fa...

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Is there a live performance of "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles?

Paul McCartney
The Analogues
Ray Charles
Stanley Jordan
Black Pumas
The Hellacopters
Jacob Collier
Aretha Franklin
The Jerry Garcia Band
Zoot
Alice Cooper
St. George Quintet
Zac Brown Band
Alexander Hanson and the Gothenburg Symphony
Tori Kelly
Amanda Marshall

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