| "Eleanor Rigby" is a haunting and deeply moving ballad written by the Beatles. Although it's technically credited as a Lennon-McCartney collaboration, Paul McCartney was the primary creative force behind this number-one hit, which was released on the Beatles' album Revolver. Novelist Douglas Copeland later took this song title for the title of one of his books. "Eleanor Rigby" tells a tale of an old woman who "picks up the rice" leftover by newlywed couples. It is a song of mournful loneliness. There is no redemption for the titular character. Indeed, she dies an anonymous death and gets buried by Father McKenzie, a priest who knows little to nothing about her or her life's story. Given its dark and funereal context, it's rather shocking that "Eleanor Rigby" ever climbed the charts. Clearly, the name recognition of the Beatles had something to do with the song's success. However, the lyrical quality of the melody and catchy string section made the song unforgettable. Paul McCartney was inspired to write the song while he was messing around on the keyboard. Eleanor Rigby's original name--at least in Paul's head--was Daisy Hawkins. Paul also originally thought that the priest should be named "Father McCartney." However, after realizing that audiences might believe that he was making a commentary on his own father, Paul looked up names in the phone book and culled the name "McKenzie." Musically, what stands out about the song most is its fluid string section, which was written by George Martin. |
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