Beatles Challenge

Play Along: Guitar, Piano, Vocals

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3. Speed 100%

Cheat Sheet

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Lyrics

1. Intro
Can’t buy me [Em] love, [Am] oh [Em] love [Am] oh.
Can’t buy me [Dm7] love, [G] oh.

2. Verse
I’ll [C] buy you a diamond ring my friend, if it makes you feel alright.
I’ll [F7] get you anything my friend, if it [C] makes you feel alright.
Cause [G] I don’t care too [F7] much for money,
for money can’t buy me [C] love.

3. Verse
I’ll [C] give you all I’ve got to give if you say you love me too.
I [F7] may not have a lot to give, but what I’ve [C] got I’ll give to you.
Cause [G] I don’t care too [F7] much for money,
for money can’t buy me [C] love.

4. Chorus
[C] Can’t buy me [Em] love, [Am] oh,
[C] everybody tells me so.
Can’t buy me [Em] love, [Am] oh,
[Dm7] no no no [G] no!

5. Verse
[C] Say you don’t need no diamond rings, and I’ll be satisfied.
[F7] Tell me that you want the kind of things,
that [C] money just can’t buy.
[G] I don’t care too [F7] much for money,
money can’t buy me [C] love.

6. Verse (instrumental)

7. Chorus

8. Verse (repeat step 5)

9. Outro
[C] Can’t buy me [Em] love. [Am] love
[Em] [Am] Can’t buy me [Dm7] love. [G] [C]

Chords

1. E Minor [Em]
2. A Minor [Am]
3. D Minor 7 [Dm7]
4. G Major [G]
5. C Major [C]
6. F Dominant [F7]

Song

“Can’t Buy Me Love” is about a guy saying he will buy anything for a girl if she agrees to love him. The song starts with “I’ll buy you a diamond ring my friend, if it makes you feel alright”. The song then continues saying “Cause I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love.”

Can’t Buy Me Love Significance

“Can’t Buy Me Love” held the #1 position on April 4, 1964 when “The Beatles” held the top 5 positions on the US charts. “Twist and Shout”, “She  Loves You”, “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, and “Please, Please Me” were the other songs by “The Beatles” in the top 5 positions on April 4, 1964. A week after “Can’t Buy Me Love” hit #1 in the US charts, “The Beatles” had 14 songs in the Billboard Hot 100.

Can’t Buy Me Love Inspiration

“Can’t Buy Me Love” is based on a standard twelve bar blues which “The Beatles” seldom used in any of their songs.

Paul McCartney told American journalists in 1966 “I think you can put any interpretation you want on anything, but when someone suggests that ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ is about a prostitute, I draw the line. The idea behind it was that all these material possessions are all very well, but they won’t buy me what I really want.”

Can’t Buy Me Love Writing

“The Beatles Can’t Buy Me Love” is a song primarily written by Paul McCartney and credited to Paul McCartney and John Lennon. McCartney and Lennon wrote “Can’t Buy Me Love” in a 5 star hotel named George V in Paris, France. “The Beatles” were in Paris, France performing 18 days of concerts at the Olympia Theatre. “The Beatles” felt pressured to write a new song after “I Want to Hold Your Hand” reached #1 in the American charts. “The Beatles” had an upright piano brought into one of their hotel rooms and composed “Can’t Buy Me Love”.

“The Beatles Can’t Buy Me Love” launches directly into the chorus which they also did on “She Loves You”. “Can’t Buy Me Love” is one of the first pop songs to start with the chorus rather than a verse – a suggestion made by their producer George Martin.

“The Beatles” producer George Martin said the following about “Can’t Buy Me Love”: “I thought that we really needed a tag for the song’s ending, and a tag for the beginning – a kind of intro. So I took the first two lines of the chorus and changed the ending, and said ‘Let’s just have these lines, and by altering the second phrase we can get back into the verse pretty quickly.’” And “The Beatles” said, “That’s not a bad idea, we’ll do it that way“.

Recording

“Can’t Buy Me Love” by “The Beatles” was recorded in EMI’s Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris, France on January 29, 1964. “The Beatles” also recorded a version of the song in German because EMI’s West Germany branch insisted “The Beatles” would not sell any albums in Germany unless it was sung in the German language.

“Can’t Buy Me Love” became the first single “The Beatles” released without harmonic backing vocals. “The Beatles” decided to remove the backing vocals after listening to the first take which included backing vocals. Paul McCartney recorded the final version of the vocals at EMI’s Abbey Road Studio on February 25, 1964. George Harrison also re-recorded the guitar solo on February 25, 1964 at Abbey Road Studio. Harrison said, “What happened was, we recorded first in Paris and re-recorded in England. Obviously they’d tried to overdub it, but in those days they only had two tracks, so you can hear the version we put on in London, and in the background you can hear a quieter one.” Ringo Starr also added extra cymbals on February 25, 1964 at Abbey Road Studio – apparently something he did quiet often on many of “The Beatles” recordings.

Release

“Can’t Buy Me Love” was released as a single on March 16, 1964. The backside of the single featured John Lennon’s song titled “You Can’t Do That”. “Can’t Buy Me Love” was also release on “The Beatles” album titled “A Hard Day’s Night” released in June 1964.

“Can’t Buy Me Love” by “The Beatles” was used in “The Beatles” movie titled “A Hard Day’s Night” where “The Beatles” run around a large empty field brilliantly reflecting the bands carefree appetite for living in the moment.

“The Beatles Can’t Buy Me Love” was used in the 1987 film titled “Can’t Buy Me Love” starring Patrick Dempsey. Dempsey plays a nerdy high school kid who becomes popular after paying a popular girl to pretend they are dating. In the end the title “Can’t Buy Me Love” makes sense when the girl ends up liking Dempsey’s character regardless of his social status.

Covers

Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald recorded a cover of “Can’t Buy Me Love” shortly after “The Beatles” released “Can’t Buy Me Love” in 1964. Fitzgerald’s version of “Can’t Buy Me Love” reached #34 in the UK charts, making Fitzgerald the first artist to chart with a Beatles cover.

Men Without Hats derived the song “Kenbarbielove” from “The Beatles” song “Can’t Buy Me Love”. Michel Langevin, the band’s drummer, didn’t speak english and misheard the song title of “Can’t Buy Me Love” as “Ken Barbie Love” when he was six-years-old.

Australian band Human Nature also made a cover of “Can’t Buy Me Love” by “The Beatles” which they released on their 2018 album titled “Romance of the Jukebox”.

Play Along: Guitar, Piano, Vocals

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2. Speed 75%

3. Speed 100%

Drive My Car Lyrics

1. Verse
[D7] Asked a girl what she [G] wanted to be.
[D7] She said baby [G] can’t you see?
[D7] I wanna be famous a [G] star of the screen.
[Dmsus/A] But you can do something in between.

2. Chorus
[Bm] Baby you can drive my [G7] car.
[Bm] Yes I’m gonna be a [G7] star.
[Bm] Baby you can drive my [E7] car, and
[Am] maybe I’ll [D] love [G] you [A].

3. Verse
[D7] I told the girl that my [G] prospects were good.
[D7] She said baby it’s [G] understood.
[D7] Working for peanuts is [G] all very fine.
[Dmsus/A] But I can show you a better time.

4. Chorus
Beep, beep, mm beep, beep yeah.

5. Verse (instrumental)

6. Chorus

7. Verse
[D7] I told the girl I could [G] start right away.
[D7] And she said listen baby I got [G] something to say. [D7] I got no car and it’s [G] breaking my heart. [Dmsus/A] But I found a driver and that’s a start.

8. Chorus

9. Outro
[A] Beep, beep, mm beep, beep [D] yeah.
[G] [A] Beep, beep, mm beep, beep [D] yeah. [G]

Drive My Car Chords

1. D Dominant [D7]
2. G Major [G]
3. D Minor Suspended Over A [Dmsus/A]
4. B Minor [Bm]
5. G Dominant [G7]
6. E Dominant [E7]
7. A Minor [Am]
8. D Major [D]
9. A Major [A]

Song

“Drive My Car” is about a guy who meets an aspiring actress who tells him “baby, you can drive my car.” She then continues on saying “I can show you a better time.” After he finally decides to accept the job as her chauffeur, she tells him “I have no car and it’s breaking my heart, but I found a driver and that a start.”

Drive My Car Significance

The innuendos in “Drive My Car” become pretty clear once you understand American Blues Artists had already used chauffeurs and cars as an incognito way to refer to illicit affairs. However, there is nothing to indicate “Drive My Car” isn’t just a song about a guy, a girl, and a car – so, it’s still a radio-friendly Beatles song.

Inspiration

Paul McCartney said, “To me it (‘Drive My Car’) was L.A. chicks, ‘You can be my chauffeur’, and it also meant, ‘You can be my lover.” McCartney later explained “Drive My Car” was an old blues expression for sex. For example, “Memphis Minnie” had a song named “Me and My Chauffeur” with the following lyrics: Won’t you be my chauffeur / I wants him to drive me / I wants him to drive me downtown / Yes he drives so easy / I can’t turn him down. So in the end, American Blues Music ended up creeping into “The Beatles” writing session and saving the day. McCartney said, “It wrote itself then. I find that very often, once you get the good idea, things write themselves.”

Writing

“Drive My Car” by “The Beatles” was a equal collaboration by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Lennon wrote most of the lyrics and McCartney came up with the melody. McCartney said, “This is one of the songs where John and I came nearest to having a dry session.” When McCartney entered the writing session at Lennon’s house “The lyrics I brought in were something to do with golden rings, which is always fatal.” McCartney recalled, “We struggled for hours, I think we struggled to long. Then we had a break and suddenly it came: can drive my car. What is it? What’s he doing? Is he offering a job as a chauffeur, or what? And then it became much more ambiguous, which we liked, instead of golden rings, which was bit goofy. Golden rings became beep, beep, yeah. We both came up with that. Suddenly we were in L.A.: cars, chauffeurs, open-top Cadillacs, and it was a whole other thing.”

Drive My Car Recording

“Drive My Car” by “The Beatles” was recorded in Abbey Road Studio #2 on Oct 13, 1965. “The Beatles” entered the studio around 7pm and did not leave until after midnight. “The Beatles” recorded four takes that night with final take being the only complete run through which became the master track. John Lennon and Paul McCartney both sang lead vocals. Paul McCartney then added piano on a separate track. George Harrison played lead guitar and added backing vocals. Ringo Starr played the drums and cowbell.

George Harrison said this about “Drive My Car”, “What Paul would do, if he had written a song, he’d learn all the parts… and then come in the studio and say, ‘Do this.’ He’d never give you the opportunity to come out with something.  But, on ‘Drive My Car’, I just played the line, which is really like a lick off ‘Respect’, you know, the Otis Redding version — and I played that line on the guitar and Paul laid that with me on bass. We laid the track down like that. We played the lead part later on top of it.”

Release

“Drive My Car” became the first track on the UK release of the album titled “Rubber Soul”. The title of the album comes for a derogatory term Paul McCartney overheard black musicians using about Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones – “Plastic Soul” – which means anything processed and fake. However, Capitol Records deemed “Drive My Car” too hard rock for American audiences and left it off “Rubber Soul” released in the United States. “Drive My Car” was later released in June 1966 in the United States on the album titled “Yesterday and Today”.

Covers

“Drive My Car” by “The Beatles” has been recorded and released by over 50 professional musicians ranging from  “Paul McCartney” to “Bobby McFerrin”.

Play Along: Guitar, Piano, Vocals

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Eight Days A Week Lyrics

1. Verse
[D] Ooh I need your [E] love, babe, [G] guess you know it’s [D] true.
[D] Hope you need my [E] love babe, [G] just like I need [D] you.

2. Chorus
[Bm] Hold me, [G6] love me.
[Bm] Hold me, [E] love me.
[D] I ain’t got nothin’ but [E] love babe, [G] eight days a [D] week.

3. Verse
[D] Love you every [E] day girl, [G] always on my [D] mind.
[D] One thing I can [E] say girl, [G] love you all the [D] time.

4. Chorus

5. Bridge
[A(no3rd)] Eight days a week, [Bm] I love you.
[E] Eight days a week, is [G6] not enough to [A] show I care.

6. Verse (repeat step 1)

7. Chorus

8. Bridge

9. Verse (repeat step 3)

10. Chorus

11. Outro
[G] Eight days a [D] week, [G] Eight days a [D] week.

Eight Days A Week Chords

1. D Major [D]
2. E Major [E]
3. G Major [G]
4. B Minor [Bm]
5. G 6 [G6]
6. A no 3rd [A(no3rd)]
7. A Major [A]

Song

“Eight Days A Week” is about a guy saying he loves a girl “all the time”. “Eight Days A Week” is a brilliant play on words that serves as the hook used throughout the song. Just hear “Eight Days A Week” instantly captures our attention because we are so familiar with hearing the phrase “seven days a week”. “The Beatles” wisely took the hook “Eight Days A Week” and created a captivating love song.

Eight Days A Week Significance

“Eight Days a Week” was the very first song “The Beatles” completed in the studio – something that would later become common practice for “The Beatles”. In October of 1964 “The Beatles” came into the studio with the basic outline and structure for “Eight Days A Week” and then completed the song during a series of recording session. The main recording session on October 6, 1964 was devoted entirely to “Eight Days A Week” and lasted over 7 hours. “The Beatles” recorded several different variations for the intro and outro before settling on the final versions. The intro to the song incorporates a fade-in which is very uncommon in pop/rock music and the first time “The Beatles” had every used this technic. “Eight Days A Week” uses a standard set of instrumentation for “The Beatles” which includes electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, and drums.

“The Beatles” never performed “Eight Days A Week” live in front of an audience or in any of their radio sessions for the BBC. John Lennon was never happy with the song even though it was a huge success in America.

Inspiration

During an interview with Playboy Magazine in 1984 Paul McCartney credited the title of “Eight Days A Week” to Ringo Starr (who is also credited with the song titles for “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Tomorrow Never Knows”). Paul said, “Yeah, he (Ring Starr) said it as though he were an overworked chauffeur. ‘Eight Days A Week’ – when  we heard  it, we said, ‘Really? Bing! Got It!’”

Paul McCartney has also credited a chauffeur who drove him to Lennon’s house with the title for the song “Eight Days A Week.” Paul McCartney said, “I usually drove myself there (John Lennon’s house), but the chauffeur drove me out that day and I said, ‘How’ve you been? – ‘Oh working hard – working eight days a week,’ he said.”

Paul McCartney said in his anthology, ”I remember writing that (‘Eight Days A Week’) with John at his place in Weybridge, from something said by the chauffeur who drove me out there. John had moved out of London, to the suburbs. I usually drove myself there, but the chauffeur drove me out that day and I said, ‘How’ve you been?’ – ‘Oh, working hard,’ he said, ‘working eight days a week.’ I had never heard anyone use that expression, so when I arrived at John’s house I said, ‘Hey, this fella just said, “eight days a week”.’ John said, ‘Right – “Ooh I need your love, babe…” and we wrote it. We were always quick to write. We would write on the spot. I would show up, looking for some sort of inspiration; I’d either get it there, with John, or I’d hear someone say something. John and I were always looking for titles. Once you’ve got a good title, if someone says, ‘What’s your new song?’ and you have a title that interests people, you are halfway there. Of course, the song has to be good. If you’ve called it ‘I Am On My Way To A Party With You, Babe’, they might say, ‘OK…’ But if you’ve called it “Eight Days A Week”, they say, ‘Oh yes, that’s good!’”

Writing

“The Beatles Eight Days A Week” is a song written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon based on a phrase Ringo Starr used to say to the band about being overworked.

“Eight Day’s A Week” was written by “The Beatles” for the movie “Help!”. Paul McCartney wrote most of the song including the verse and chorus, John Lennon added the middle eight (bridge), and Ringo Starr is credited with the title. Typically John Lennon and Paul McCartney sang lead vocals on the songs they wrote, however “Eight Days A Week” is an exception where Paul McCartney wrote most of the song, but “John Lennon” sang lead.

Release

“Eight Days A Week” was originally released in December of 1964 on the album titled “Beatles for Sale”. “Eight Days A Week” spent 2 weeks at #1 in March of 1965.

“Eight Days A Week” was released as a single in the United States on February 15, 1965 and set an all-time record by becoming “The Beatles” seventh number-one hit during a one year time period. The other number-one songs released by “The Beatles” during this time period were “I Wan’t to Hold Your Hand”,  “She Loves You”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “Love Me Do”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, and “I Feel Fine”.  “Eight Days A Week” was also the second of six “Hot 100” #1 chart toppers in a row by one act (a record at that time) which also included “I Feel Fine”, “Ticket to Ride”, “Help!”, “Yesterday” and “We Can Work It Out”.

“Eight Days A Week” was re-released in 2000 as part of “The Beatles” compilation box set.

 

Covers

“The Beatles Eight Days A Week” has been covered by other professional musicians including The Dandy Warhols, Billy Preston, Procol Harum, Lorrie Morgan, and The Persuasions. “Eight Days A Week” and “You Won’t See Me” take the chord sequence from “The Four Tops’” song titled “It’s the Same Old Song”. Paul McCartney later admitted “We (‘The Beatles’) were the biggest nickers in town.”

Play Along: Guitar, Piano, Vocals

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Lyrics

1. Intro (instrumental)
[G7] [C/D] [C] (3x) [G]

2. Chorus
[G7] Love, love me [C] do.
You [G7] know I love [C] you.
I’ll [G7] always be [C] true.
So please, love me [G7] do [C/D].
[C] Woh love [G7] me [C/D] do.

3. Chorus

4. Bridge
[D] Someone to love,
[Csus] somebody [G] new.
[D] Someone to love,
[Csus] someone like [G] you.

5. Chorus

6. Bridge (instrumental)

7. Chorus

8. Outro (repeat and fade)
[C] Woh love [G7] me [C/D] do.

Chords

1. G Dominant [G7]
2. C Over D [C/D]
3. C Major [C]
4. G Major [G]
5. D Major [D]
6. C Suspended [Csus]

Song

“Love Me Do” is a song giving the listener permission to love the singer. It’s okay to love me “You know I love you” and “I’ll always be true” – “So please, love me do.” The lyrics are simple, but they drive home a very deeply needed sentiment in all of us – the need to be loved.

Significance

In 1962 “The Beatles” were playing regular gigs at The Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany. “The Beatles” played cover songs by famous American artists such as Little Richard and Ray Charles. Introducing “Love Me Do” into their set was a big deal for “The Beatles”. However, “Love Me Do” was well received and gave “The Beatles” the confidence to start writing and performing their own original music.

George Martin, The producer at Parlophone Records, wanted “The Beatles” first release to be a song called “How Do You Do It?” written by a “professional” songwriter named Mitch Murray. “The Beatles” did not want their first release to be a song written by someone else so they purposefully did not play their best during the recording session. After hearing “The Beatles” play their original composition called “Love Me Do”, George Martin decided to let “The Beatles” release “Love Me Do” as their first single.

“The Beatles” stubborn persistence to release “Love Me Do” proved to be crucial to “The Beatles” future success. After releasing “Love Me Do”, George Martin, The producer at Parlophone Records, offered no objections when “The Beatles” returned to Abbey Road Studios to record their second original composition titled “Please, Please Me”. George Martin said after the recording session, “Gentlemen, you have just made your first number one” – and Martin was correct.

Inspiration

Paul McCartney developed the original concept for the song about his girlfriend Iris Caldwell. John Lennon was going to sing the lead vocals until he started experimenting with using the harmonica on the song. The record producer George Martin heard Lennon play the harmonica and decided to make Paul McCartney sing the lead vocals so John Lennon could play the harmonica. Paul McCartney has said, “you can hear the fear in his voice at the audition” because he had never sang lead before.

Writing

“The Beatles Love Me Do” was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1958 when Lennon was 17-years-old and McCartney was 16-years-old. Lennon and McCartney had already started to write songs together by skipping school, but “Love Me Do” was the first song they liked enough to record.

When John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi heard the recording of “Love Me Do”, she said to John, “Well, if you think you are going to make a fortune with that, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Recording

“Love Me Do” was recorded by “The Beatles” using three different drummers. The first recording was done with “The Beatles” original drummer named Pete Best. The second recording was done with Ringo Starr. The third version was done with a session drummer named Andy White after producer George Martin decided “The Beatles” new drummer Ringo Starr wasn’t up to the task. Ringo Starr plays the tambourine on the third version and recalls feeling very insecure about being bumped because “The Beatles” had just recently hired him to replace Pete Best.

Release

“Love Me Do” was the first single ever released by “The Beatles”. “Love Me Do” was released by Parlophone Records in the UK, but it took sometime before “The Beatles” could find a record company in the United States to release the song. “The Beatles” wanted Capitol Records to release the song in the United States, but they refused because they said it would be a flop. “Love Me Do” was eventually released by Tollie Records in the United States about a year after it was released in the UK.

“Love Me Do” was not a big hit when it was released in the UK on October 5, 1962. Brian Epstein, “The Beatles” Manager, was so confident in “The Beatles”, he purchased a huge quantity (reportedly 10,0000 copies – more than he could ever sell) of the single for his record store. Epstein’s knew what he was doing, his purchase helped push “Love Me Do” into the charts and helped“The Beatles” gain exposure.

Covers

“The Beatles Love Me Do” has been covered by various recording artist including The Persuasions, Sandie Shaw, Bobby Lee, Ringo Starr, The Brady Bunch, etc, etc…

Play Along: Guitar, Piano, Vocals

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Lyrics

1. Intro

[C] Ah look at all the lonely [Em] people!
[C] Ah look at all the lonely [Em] people!

2. Verse

[Em] Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has
[C] been, lives in a [Em] dream.
[Em] Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in the jar by the [C] door, who is it [Em] for?

3. Chorus

[Em7] All the lonely [Em6] people, where [C/E] do they all come [Em] from?
[Em7] All the lonely [Em6] people, where [C/E] do they all [Em] belong?

4. Verse

[Em] Father McKenzie, writing the words of a sermon that no one will [C] hear, no one comes [Em] near.
[Em] Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody [C] there,
what does he [Em] care?

5. Chorus

6. Bridge (repeat Intro)

7. Verse

[Em] Eleanor Rigby, died in the church and was buried along with her [C] name, nobody [Em] came.
[Em] Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the [C] grave, no one was [Em] saved.

8. Chorus

Chords

1. C Major [C]
2. E Minor [Em]
3. E Minor 7 [Em7]
4. E Minor 6 [Em6]
5. E Over C [C/E]

Song

“All The Lonely People”

“The Beatles Eleanor Rigby” song opens with the line “Ah look at all the lonely people”. “Eleanor Rigby” then tells the story of two lonely people. The first person we meet is is a church going woman named “Eleanor Rigby” as she “picks up the rice in a church where a wedding has been.” We are then introduced to “Father McKenzie”, the pastor at the church, whose sermons “no one will hear”. In the climatic third verse “Eleanor Rigby” dies in the church and is buried by “Father McKenzie”, but “nobody came”.

“Eleanor Rigby” by “The Beatles” ends on a somber note after “Father McKenzie” buries “Eleanor Rigby” and the lyrics say “no one was saved”. This could be further indication of the pointless nature of “Father McKenzie’s” works, it could be further indication of “Eleanor Rigby’s” pointless efforts, or it could be a swipe at the Christian concept of being saved by Jesus.

Significance

“Eleanor Rigby” by “The Beatles” is a song that marked a significant transition in “The Beatles” evolution from a live pop band to an experimental studio band. “The Beatles” recorded and released “Eleanor Rigby” in 1966 on the album titled Revolver. The writing of “Eleanor Rigby” is credited to Lennon-McCartney, but Paul McCartney came up with the original concept and wrote most of the lyrics. The lyrics deal with loneliness and depression which is considerably different from any other song by “The Beatles”. Richie Unterberger of Allmusic said “singing about the neglected concerns and fates of the elderly” in “Eleanor Rigby” is “just one example of why ‘The Beatles’ appeal reached so far beyond the traditional rock audience.”

“Eleanor Rigby Meaning” can be interpreted in many different ways. Why is “Eleanor Rigby” picking up the rice in a church where a wedding has been? Why is “Father McKenzie” writing the words to a sermon that no one will hear? Why are they doing their small tasks, what is the point? Near the end of the song, the phrase “no one was saved” raises questions about the value of organized religion? In any case, “Eleanor Rigby” is a deep and moving song that raises very serious concerns about growing old. Writing a song about these deep issues and shining a spot light on “all the lonely people” is one of the reasons “The Beatles” music reached far beyond their traditional pop/rock audience. Even today, it feels like “The Beatles” lyrics in “Eleanor Rigby” are commenting on the alienation of people in our modern world.

“Eleanor Rigby” was released in 1966 just weeks after John Lennon caused an uproar when we said, “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now.” John Lennon’s comment (a publicity stunt meant to boost upcoming record sales) was the spark that lead delusional religious zealot Mark David Chapman to murder John Lennon on December 8, 1980.

Inspiration

“Eleanor Rigby” was a real person who lived in Liverpool, England. “Eleanor Rigby” was born on August 29, 1895, she married a man named Thomas Wood on Boxing Day, (December 26) 1930, and Rigby died on October 10, 1939 from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 44. Her body is laid to rest in the graveyard of St. Peter’s Parish Church in Woolton, Liverpool, England. Eleanor Rigby’s tombstone is a landmark for Beatle’s fans from around the world who visit Liverpool, England.

A tombstone with the last name “McKenzie” written across the top is also near “Eleanor Rigby’s” grave. with the last name “McKenzie”. This tombstone was probably the inspiration for “Father McKenzie” who also plays a significant role in “The Beatles Eleanor Rigby” song. After all, Paul McCartney and John Lennon spent time sunbathing in or near the St. Peter’s Parish Church Graveyard as teenagers. Paul McCartney admits these tombstones were probably the inspiration for the names used in the song. However, Paul McCartney did not consciously decide to use these names in the “The Beatles Eleanor Rigby” song. Paul McCartney said the strange coincidence is probably a product of his subconscious rather than an intensional decision.

In 1990 Paul McCartney donated a document to Sunbeams Music Trust originally signed by “E. Rigby” in 1911. On November 2008 the document was sold at auction for £115,000. The document is a salary register from Liverpool City Hospital that identifies Rigby as a scullerymaid.

In 2018 Paul McCartney told the origin story of the song “Eleanor Rigby” in an interview with GQ Magazine. McCartney said, “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 was 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.” Paul McCartney was also quoted in November 2008 edition of Observer Music Monthly saying, “These lonely old ladies were something I knew about growing up, and that was what ‘Eleanor Rigby’ was about – the fact that she died and nobody really noticed. I knew this went on.”

Writing

“The Beatles Eleanor Rigby” was written by Paul McCartney, “The Beatles Bassist” and John Lennon “The Beatles Rhythm Guitarist” who was murdered on December 8, 1980. John Lennon said in 1971 that he “wrote a good half of the lyrics or more” and later in 1980 claimed he wrote everything except the first verse. However, Paul McCartney said, “John helped me on a few words but I’d put it down 80-20 to me, something like that.” Pete Shotton, one of John Lennon’s childhood friends, who was there when the song was being written, remembers Lennon’s contribution being “absolutely nil”.

Paul McCartney wrote the first verse of “Eleanor Rigby” by himself while experimenting at his piano. Paul McCartney then played “Eleanor Rigby” for “The Beatles” at John Lennon’s home in Kenwood. “The Beatles” along with Pete Shotton listened to Paul McCartney’s work and then made suggestions which McCartney used to complete the song.

For example, George Harrison, “The Beatles Lead Guitarist”, came up with the hook: “Ah, look at all the lonely people.” Ringo Starr, “The Beatles Drummer” contributed “writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear” and suggested the priest “darn his socks”.

The original protagonist in “The Beatles Eleanor Rigby” was not named “Eleanor Rigby”. Paul McCartney used the name “Miss Daisy Hawkins” when he first played “Eleanor Rigby” for “The Beatles” at John Lennon’s house. Paul McCartney said he later came up with the name “Eleanor” from the actress Eleanor Born who had starred in “The Beatles” film named “Help!”.

Paul McCartney said he got the name “Rigby” from the name of a local company he saw while visiting his girlfriend at the time named Jane Asher. “I just like the name. I was looking for a name that sounded natural. ‘Eleanor Rigby’ sounded natural,” said Paul McCartney. However, Paul McCartney has conceded that the St. Peter’s Parish Church Graveyard which contains the grave of “Eleanor Rigby” probably subconsciously influenced his decision to name the song “Eleanor Rigby”. After all Paul McCartney and John Lennon met at the St. Peter’s Church in Liverpool on July 6, 1957. And they later spent several afternoons sunbathing in or near Eleanor Rigby’s grave as teenagers.

“The Beatles Eleanor Rigby” is written in E Minor and contains just a few chord changes (C, Em, Em7, Em6, C/E). “Eleanor Rigby” does not have “The Beatles” standard pop backing containing guitars, bass, and drums. In fact none on “The Beatles” played instruments on the original recording. Paul McCartney sang lead and John Lennon and George Harrison contributed vocal harmony. All of the instrumentation backing “The Beatles” vocals was done by a classical string ensemble of studio musicians. The classical string ensemble contained four violins, two violas, and two cellos all performing a score composed by “The Beatles” producer George Martin.

John Lennon said in 1980 that “Eleanor Rigby” was “Paul’s baby, and I helped with the education of the child… The violin backing was Paul’s idea. Jane Asher had turned him on to Vivaldi, and it was very good.”

Recording

“The Beatles Eleanor Rigby” was recorded in Abbey Road Studios on April 28, 1966 Studio 2. It was complete in Abbey Road Studios on April 29, 1966 Studio 3. The 15th take was selected as the master track.

Release

“Eleanor Rigby” by “The Beatles” was simultaneously release on August 5, 1966 on a double A-side single with “Yellow Submarine” and on the album titled “Revolver”. “Eleanor Rigby” spent four weeks at number one on the British Charts and reached number eleven on the American Charts. The song was nominated for 3 grammy awards in 1966 and won the grammy for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance. The song was reissued in 1999 on Yellow Submarine Soundtrack fully remixed in stereo with some minor fixes to the vocals.

Rolling Stone Magazine ranks “Eleanor Rigby” by “The Beatles” at 138 on their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs on All Time”. “Eleanor Rigby” marked an important evolution of “The Beatles” from a live-performance pop band to a more experimental studio band. “The Beatles Eleanor Rigby” was the first time a famous pop band had ever taken a song with a bleak message of depression and desolation to the number one spot on the pop charts.  Paul McCartney said, “I remember thinking to myself, What am I going to do when I’m thirty? Thirty was the big age. Will I still be in a group? I remember being round at John Dunbar’s house, having a very clear vision of myself in a herringbone jacket with leather elbow patches and a pipe, thinking Eleanor Rigby, this could be a way I could go, I could become a more serious writer, not so much a pop writer.”

Covers

“Eleanor Rigby” by “The Beatles” is not an easy song to cover because of the original arrangement for strings by George Martin, the varied rhythms, the mode changes, and the dissonant melody. However, many professional musicians have recorded their own renditions including pianist/singer Ray Charles, singer Aretha Franklin, soul band Brooker T. & the MGs, jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman, etc, etc, etc…