Like most of the smash hits, aka Beatles‘ songs, there are many stories and versions. This is mine with a little friends’ help.
Reportedly, this is the story and the theory behind The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” It is widely believed that Paul McCartney wrote most of “Eleanor Rigby.” However, years later, Lennon and McCartney disputed who had written more of the song. The song tells the story of lonely people: Primarily Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie.
And on a personal note, there is also the lonely neighbor who mainly talks to her pet, just like Son of Sam did long ago, but in this case, perhaps she could be called the stepdaughter of Samantha?
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
Paul McCartney said that he came up with the first name from an actress. The last word came from a wine store. However, a gravestone with the term “Eleanor Rigby” was noticed in a cemetery years later. The cemetery connected to the church where Paul and John Lennon first met. Another stone in the same cemetery says “McKenzie.”
The Beatles didn’t play ANY of the instruments on this track. Session musicians came in to handle the strings. Four violins and two cellos made up the recording.
The Origin of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby”
Paul talked about the origin of “Eleanor Rigby” in an interview with GQ in 2018, “When I was really little I lived on what was called a housing estate, which is like the projects – there were a lot of old ladies and I enjoyed sitting around with these older ladies because they had these great stories, in this case about World War II. One, in particular, I used to visit and I’d go shopping for her – you know, she couldn’t get out. So I had that figure in my mind of a sort of lonely old lady."
“Over the years, I’ve met a couple of others, and maybe their loneliness made me empathize with them. But I thought it was a great character, so I started this song about the lonely old lady who picks up the rice in the church, who never really gets the dreams in her life. Then I added in the priest, the vicar, Father McKenzie. And so, there were just the two characters. It was like writing a short story, and it was basically on these old ladies that I had known as a kid.”
https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/eleanor-rigby/
John Lennon Was ‘Hurt’ When Paul McCartney Asked Him to Work on The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’
The Beatles‘ “Eleanor Rigby” is one of the Fab Four’s most famous ballads. During the songwriting process, Paul McCartney asked John Lennon and a pair of others to work on the lyrics of the song. John explained why Paul’s actions offended him.
John Lennon said Paul McCartney only wrote the 1st verse of The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono is a 1980 interview. In the interview, John was asked about “Eleanor Rigby.” “Ah, the first verse was his and the rest are basically mine,” he said. “But the way he did it … Well, he knew he had a song.” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tYCBCb2M0LQ&t=69s