George Harrison Thought of 1 Iconic Line From The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’
John Lennon said George Harrison contributed a famous line to The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” In addition, John said the violins from “Eleanor Rigby” were inspired by the work of another famous musician. John felt the song would not have been the same without Paul McCartney’s girlfriend.
The Beatles’ John Lennon said sometimes it’s hard to describe ‘the moment the apple falls’
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes an interview from 1980. During the interview, John was asked about the origin of “Eleanor Rigby.” He said Paul conceived of the initial idea for the song and the first few lines. “It’s hard to describe, even with the clarity of memory, the moment the apple falls,” John opined.
“The thing will start moving along at a speed of its own, then you wake up at the end of it and have this whole thing on paper, you know?” the “Imagine” singer continued. “Who said what to whom as we were writing, I don’t know.”
John Lennon said a classical musician inspired the violins from The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’
John revealed George’s contribution to the song. “I do know that George Harrison was there when we came up with ‘Ah, look at all the lonely people,'” John recalled. “He and George were settling on that as I left the studio to go to the toilet, and I heard the lyric and turned around and said, ‘That’s it!'”
John said “Eleanor Rigby” might not be the same without Paul’s then-girlfriend, actor Jane Asher. “The violins backing was Paul’s idea,” he said. “Jane Asher had turned him on to [composer Antonio] Vivaldi, and it was very good, the violins, straight out of Vivaldi. I can’t take any credit for that, a-tall.”
How ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and its parent album performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
In the United States, “Eleanor Rigby” was a hit for The Beatles, even if it was far from one of their most popular tunes. The track reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for eight weeks. The track appeared on the album Revolver, which topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks. Revolver lasted a total of 85 weeks on the chart.
The Official Charts Company reports “Eleanor Rigby” became far more popular in the United Kingdom, where it was released as a double A-side with “Yellow Submarine.” The two songs were No. 1 for four weeks, remaining on the chart for 13 weeks altogether. Meanwhile, Revolver was No. 1 for seven of its 34 weeks on the chart.
“Eleanor Rigby” is a classic song — and it wouldn’t be the same without George or Asher.
