1966Released
2:06

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about Eleanor Rigby - Remastered 2009. By Songfacts®.

Paul McCartney wrote most of this song. He got the name "Eleanor" from the actress Eleanor Bron, who appeared in the 1965 Beatles film Help!. "Rigby" came to him when he was in Bristol, England, and spotted a store: Rigby and Evens Ltd Wine and Spirit Shippers. He liked the name "Eleanor Rigby" because it sounded natural and matched the rhythm he wrote.

McCartney explained at the time that his songs came mostly from his imagination. Regarding this song, he said, "It just came. When I started doing the melody I developed the lyric. It all came from the first line. I wonder if there are girls called Eleanor Rigby?" McCartney wasn't sure what the song was going to be about until he came up with the line "picks up the rice in a church where a wedding has been." That's when he came up with the story of an old, lonely woman. The lyrics "wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door" are a reference to the cold-cream she wears in an effort to look younger.

The song tells the story of two lonely people. First, we meet a churchgoing woman named Eleanor Rigby, who is seen cleaning up rice after a wedding. The second verse introduces the pastor, Father McKenzie, whose sermons "no one will hear." This could indicate that nobody in coming to his church, or that his sermons aren't getting through to the congregation on a spiritual level. In the third verse, Eleanor dies in the church and Father McKenzie buries her.

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of Eleanor Rigby - Remastered 2009.
EKey
MinorMode
4/4Time Signature
138BPM

Album

The album Eleanor Rigby - Remastered 2009 is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released Eleanor Rigby - Remastered 2009.
EMI Catalogue
© 2015 Apple Corps Ltd.
℗ 2015 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)

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