Paul McCartney has shared another excerpt from his new book “The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present.” Writing about his childhood in Liverpool, Paul explains the inspiration behind the Beatles song “Eleanor Rigby.”
While doing chores for locals during the Scouts’ “Bob-a-job week,” Paul met an old lady that ended up being the inspiration behind one of his best-known tunes. Paul says they got along really well, and since she lived alone he’d come over sometimes to chat and help her with her grocery shopping. “I would visit, and just hearing her stories enriched my soul and influenced the songs I would later write,” he adds.
His original name for Eleanor Rigby was Daisy Hawkins, referencing “Ben-Hur” actor Jack Hawkins and Jim Hawkins from “Treasure Island,” but it “wasn’t quite right.” So he went with Eleanor Rigby, inspired by actress Eleanor Bron from the 1965 Beatles film “Help!” and a liquor store called Rigby & Evens in Bristol.
Source: New Yorker
photo: Getty Images