THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

599-Beatles-Eleanor Rigby.

1966-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 1.17. It appears that when Eleanor Rigby was alive nobody had heard of her, but now she’s dead, she’s very well known.

‘Eleanor Rigby’ was released in August 1966 as a double ‘A’ sided single, with ‘Yellow Submarine’, both tracks were taken from the Beatles seventh studio Album ‘Revolver.’ although the song is credited to Lennon/McCartney, (as all the Beatles songs were) this one was mainly McCartney. None of the Beatles played an instrument on the song, with McCartney providing lead, and harmony vocals, and Lennon (see also best songs 927-473-218-168 and 20,) and Harrison (see also best songs 737) both providing harmony as well. It was a classical string ensemble of studio musicians comprising four violins, and two cellos, that played the music, which was arranged and produced by George Martin (1926-2016.)McCartney (see also best songs 646-456-319-238-141-107-80-52-10 and 6) has stated that he came up with the name ‘Eleanor’ from the actress Eleanor Bron who had starred with the Beatles in the 1965 film ‘Help.’ He has said that ‘Rigby’ came from a shop in Bristol called ‘Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers,’ which he had seen while on a visit to see his girlfriend of that time Jane Asher. However it has been pointed out that the graveyard of St Peter’s Church in Liverpool, which is in walking distance of the Woolton Village garden fete, where McCartney and Lennon first met on the afternoon of July 6th, 1957, contains the gravestone of an individual called Eleanor Rigby. McCartney’s explanation for this is that he must have subconsciously remembered the headstone, as he insists that he made the name up.

The song tells the story of two lonely people, the churchgoing woman Eleanor Rigby, and the pastor Father McKenzie, whose sermons no one will hear. In the third verse Eleanor dies, and only Father McKenzie is present at the funeral to bury her. McCartney said,’When I was really little, I lived on a housing estate, there were lots of old ladies, and I enjoyed sitting around with these older ladies because they had these great stories, in this case about World War 2. One in particular I used to visit, and I’d go shopping with her, you know, she couldn’t get out, so I figured in my mind, of a sort of lonely old lady.’

‘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.’