Beatlesongs.wiki
SongsRevolverEleanor Rigby
Revolver album cover

Eleanor Rigby

1966 · Revolver

“All the lonely people, where do they all belong?”

McCartney's character study of two solitary lives, scored by George Martin for a double string quartet in the style of Bernard Herrmann's film music. Topped the UK chart and won McCartney the 1967 Grammy for Best Contemporary Solo Vocal Performance. The song also features in the 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine.
VinylCDMerch

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Year1966
AlbumRevolver
Track2 · Side 1
Duration2:08
Songwriter(s)McCartneyCredited as Lennon-McCartney
Lead VocalPaul
RecordedApril 28 – June 6, 1966
ReleasedAugust 5, 1966
Song familyCharacter songTwin songsTwin of Tomorrow Never Knows: death-themed, serious and experimental.

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Text218 tags

Motif

Social commentaryDeathCharacterReal peopleLonelinessFood and drinksQuestionStorytellingContainersClothesReligionRelationshipFamilyCommunicationHomeAnatomyWorkSadness

Influence

Music hall influenceLiterary influence

Title

Title is a person

Vocabulary

Poetic lyricsNegative toneDark lyrics

Narrative

Third personObservationalVignette

Lyrical device

Extended metaphorRhetorical question

Rhyme type

Feminine rhymeInternal rhymeHalf rhymePerfect rhyme

Song form

Verse-chorus

Sections

Standard verses (2-4)Has outroHas refrainStandard choruses (1-3)

Section links

Outro based on verseOutro based on chorus

Repetition

Consecutive lineRecurring lineConsecutive verses
Word cloud

Recurring words

alongbelongdiedfacefatherhandslivespeoplepicksrefrainsavedsockswaitswearingwindowworkingwritinga dreama sermonas heat himfrom hisher namehis handsis itit forlook atnight whenno oneshe keepsthat shethe dirtthe doorthe lonelyup thewhen there'swith heris it forno one willpicks up thethere's nobody there

Cover-shared words

ahallcamecarecomecomesdoordreamhehearherhimhisitkeepslonelylooknamenearnightnobodyoneshetheretheywordsall theat allfrom thethe nightthe wordswords of

Lyric shape

[NOUN] has[NOUN] where[VERB] athis [WORD]one [VERB]there's [NOUN][NOUN] in the[NOUN] of a[NOUN] the [NOUN][VERB] at [WORD][VERB] at him[VERB] his [WORD][VERB] in the[VERB] that she[VERB] up the[WORD] [VERB] ata [WORD] byas he [VERB]at the [NOUN]in a [NOUN]no one [VERB]of a [WORD]she [VERB] inthat she [VERB]the [NOUN] inthe [NOUN] ofthe [NOUN] whenthe [NOUN] wherethere's [NOUN] [ADV]up the [NOUN][NOUN] [WORD] [VERB] at[NOUN] in the [NOUN][VERB] at the [NOUN][VERB] from the [NOUN][VERB] in a [NOUN][VERB] in the [NOUN][VERB] that she [VERB][VERB] the [NOUN] that[VERB] up the [NOUN]a [WORD] by thein the [NOUN] wherethe [NOUN] in thethe [NOUN] of awhen there's [NOUN] [ADV][VERB] in the [NOUN] andthe [NOUN] in the [NOUN]the [NOUN] of a [WORD][VERB] the [NOUN] that she [VERB]

Cover-shared shape

[NOUN] and[NOUN] from[NOUN] in[NOUN] of[NOUN] the[NOUN] when[VERB] as[VERB] from[VERB] his[VERB] in[VERB] that[VERB] the[VERB] up[WORD] by[WORD] in[WORD] that[WORD] the[WORD] witha [NOUN]a [WORD]at [WORD]he [VERB]her [NOUN]his [NOUN]she [VERB]the [ADJ]the [NOUN]they [WORD]was [VERB]will [VERB][VERB] in a[VERB] the [NOUN][WORD] [NOUN] from[WORD] in the[WORD] the [ADJ]by the [NOUN]from the [NOUN]in a [WORD]in the [NOUN]the [ADJ] [NOUN]the [NOUN] andthe [NOUN] thatwas [VERB] [WORD][VERB] in a [WORD][WORD] in the [NOUN]

Rhyme scheme

ABACABBCDDABCDEEAAUnique rhyme scheme

Line length

Consistent line lengths9-96-6-6-6Unique line length

Distinctive word

buriedchurchdarningeleanorgravejarmckenziericerigbywalksweddingwiping
You might also like:The Beatles Illustrated LyricsAll the Songs

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Sources & references

Tags on this page are original analysis, transcribed and cross-checked against the fine work of others: Alan W. Pollack's “Notes on…” series, the Beatles Complete Scores (Hal Leonard), Mark Lewisohn's session histories, Ian MacDonald's Revolution in the Head, Dave Rybaczewski's Beatles Music History and Andy Babiuk's Beatles Gear for the instruments and studio equipment, and others besides - then verified by ear against the recordings. Full bibliography: Sources & thanks.

External entity links: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz recording · MusicBrainz work · Wikidata

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