Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 28, 29 April, 6 June 1966
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Released: 5 August 1966 (UK), 8 August 1966 (US)
Paul McCartney: vocals
John Lennon: harmony vocals
George Harrison: harmony vocals
Tony Gilbert, Sidney Sax, John Sharpe, Jurgen Hess: violin
Stephen Shingles, John Underwood: viola
Derek Simpson, Norman Jones: cello
Available on:
Revolver
1
Anthology 2
Yellow Submarine Songtrack
Love
Eleanor Rigby, which originally appeared on the Revolver album and on a double a-side single with Yellow Submarine, is justifiably held as a one of The Beatles' truly timeless compositions.
I don't like supposing that somebody like Jesus was alive now and pretending and imagining what he'd do. But if he was Jesus and he held that he was the real Jesus that had the same views as before - well, Eleanor Rigby wouldn't mean that much to him.
Anthology
Paul McCartney came up with the initial idea in the music room in the basement of Jane Asher's family home in Wimpole Street, London.
I wrote it at the piano, just vamping an E minor chord; letting that stay as a vamp and putting a melody over it, just danced over the top of it. It has almost Asian Indian rhythms.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
As with Yesterday before it, McCartney didn't have lyrics at first, and improvised sounds and words to fill the lines. An early version was heard by musician Donovan at his flat in London's Maida Vale.
One day I was on my own in the pad running through a few tunes on my Uher tape recorder. The doorbell rang. It was Paul on his own. We jammed a bit. He played me a tune about a strange chap called 'Ola Na Tungee'.
'Ola Na Tungee/Blowing his mind in the dark/With a pipe full of clay/No one can say.'
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
The lyrics eventually took shape back in Wimpole Street. A breakthrough came for McCartney with the idea of a wedding in the church.
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 someone picking up rice after a wedding took it in that poignant direction, into a 'lonely people' direction.
Anthology
For a time McCartney settled on the name Miss Daisy Hawkins, but rejected it for its lack of realism. He took the name Rigby from a shop in Bristol: Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers. He spotted the name while visiting Jane Asher, who was appearing in The Happiest Days Of Your Life at the Bristol Old Vic theatre. The name Eleanor was after Eleanor Bron, who played the female lead in Help!.
I thought, I swear, that I made up the name Eleanor Rigby like that. I remember quite distinctly having the name Eleanor, looking around for a believable surname and then wandering around the docklands in Bristol and seeing the shop there. But it seems that up in Woolton Cemetery, where I used to hang out a lot with John, there's a gravestone to an Eleanor Rigby. Apparently, a few yards to the right there's someone called McKenzie.
Anthology
The Woolton Cemetery adjoins St Peter's Church in Liverpool. The church was where McCartney was first introduced to Lennon, prior to a Quarry Men performance on 6 July 1957.
Related articles:
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- US single: Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine
- Press conference: Astor Tower Hotel, Chicago
- UK single: Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine
- John Lennon is reunited with his father Alf
Paul was kind of upset about john taking credit for a large part of the lyrics of eleanor rigby. Like you said, paul said that wasnt true in many occasions.
This is what McCartney said to Hunter Davies in 1981 just a few months after the playboy interview was published and John had died. “ I saw somewhere that he says (John) he helped on Eleanor Rigby. Yeah. About half a line. He also forgot completely that I wrote the tune for In My Life. That was my tune. But perhaps he just made a mistake on that.”.
The timing for Paul's response couldn't have been better.
So?
He DID write the tune for "In my life".
My reply was about Paul's insensitivity with a remark like "Yeah. About half a line" (concerning Eleanor Rigby) made to Hunter Davies, just a few months after Lennon's death.
Why didn't McCartney say this prior to Lennon's death?
John's opinions about Eleanor Rigby and In My Life were well known prior to December 8, 1980.
Paul is too concerned about his legacy.
Everett’s take:
A string octet were recorded – mikes right at the strings – two per track, requiring a reduction to one track.
Two vocal tracks were recorded: Paul’s lead vocal and John and George’s backing parts. ADT sent the lead vocal signal to the left for refrains, but to the left in the last refrain.
A fourth track was used to add a countermelody vocal from Paul to the last refrain, sung through a Leslie speaker and with ADT.
According to Anthology, Paul was the only Beatle on this song.
Reporter: Do you think you'll ever record solo?
...
George: We already have ... Eleanor Rigby was just Paul.
John: We just sat around drinking tea.
The harmony vocals of Paul,John,and George were recorded the day after Paul's original vocals.
There are no other Beatles on this record. Paul is singing double-tracked or second vocal.
Hi, Does anyone know if a score for the string parts exists that I could purchase or find through a library? I would like to analyze it.
Thanks!
paulsbass is right. No just a double tracked Paul.
Oh boy, here comes another dispute! Even though I eventually caved and came to believe paulsbass's centention that Paul alone sang that wordless ADITL bit, it's not gonna happen this time. I'm positive I hear George and John's harmonies in the left stereo channel, "Anthology" remarks notwithstanding. And anyways, being requried to do nothing other than to sing "Ah, look at all the lonely people" four times total would certainly leave John with plenty of time to do nothing but sit around and drink tea.
The 5th and 6th iterations of the "Ahhh..." lyric: Now THOSE were indeed sung by Paul all alone.
No dispute this time, you're totally right!
I completely forgot about that intro part (same in the middle). I don't know if the middle one is George or Paul, but the deep one is definitely John.
Sorry!
I should listen to the song before talking about it...
Why would he have 2 backing vocalist on his live versions not 1 if he needed to create a double tracked appearance
What do you mean? Why does he have two of his bandmates sing harmony? Maybe that's because there are three parts to "Ah, look at all the lonely people" in the beginning and middle!