McCartney: A Life in Lyrics Eleanor Rigby
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Oct 4, 2023 Paul McCartney and Paul Muldoon discuss the inspirations and influences behind the song 'Eleanor Rigby', including face cream, a Bristol liquor business, and a Bernard Hermann score for a Hitchcock film. They also talk about McCartney's childhood experiences with elderly women, the process of naming the characters in the song, and McCartney's musical training.
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Young Paul’s Boy Scout Jobs Inspired Eleanor Rigby
- Paul McCartney based Eleanor Rigby on the many elderly women he met while doing Boy Scout jobs and helping neighbors as a youth.
- He describes knocking on doors during Bob-a-Job week, tidying sheds and gardens, which introduced him to older people who left a lasting impression.
Face Cream And Shower Caps Gave The Song Its Detail
- The lyric image of Eleanor “wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door” came from McCartney’s childhood observations of women using cold cream like Nivea.
- He recalls being mildly frightened by women’s beauty routines and the sight of shower caps and curlers, which informed the song’s intimate detail.
Eleanor Bron And A Bristol Shop Named Rigby
- The name Eleanor came partly from actress Eleanor Bron and the surname Rigby from a shop sign Paul saw outside Bristol Old Vic while waiting for Jane Asher.
- He preferred the ordinary but striking Riggby/Rigby surname he encountered and adopted it for the character.