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TL;DR:

  • Paul McCartney says singing The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” makes his past flash before his eyes.
  • He revealed why he doesn’t want to retire.
  • The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” was more popular in the United Kingdom than it was in the United States.

Paul McCartney said performing The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” makes him feel like he’s drowning. In addition, he called this a pleasant experience. Notably, “Eleanor Rigby” was a double A-side with another famous Beatles song in the United Kingdom.

Paul McCartney loves a line he wrote for The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’

During a 2015 interview with Esquire, Paul was asked why he continued to tour rather than sit back and relax. “Two reasons: I love it, and it’s my job,” he said. “Three reasons: the audience. You sing something and you get this incredible warmth back, this adulation. And who doesn’t like that? It’s amazing. Plus, the band’s very good. And having said there were three answers there are now about seven.

“Another thing is I kind of get to review my songs, and they go back quite a way,” he added. “So if I’m singing ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ I’m me now reviewing the work of a twentysomething and I’m going, ‘Whoa, that’s good.’
‘Wearing the face that she keeps in the jar by the door.’ Ooh! And you see it all again flashing by you … like drowning. In the nicest possible way.”

The former Beatle once revealed why he had no intention of retiring

Subsequently, Paul was asked if he seriously considered retiring. “Sit at home and watch telly?” he replied. “That’s what people do, man. Gardening, golf … no thanks. Occasionally, I do think, ‘You should have got fed up by now, you should be jaded.'”

Paul revealed his former manager encouraged him to retire at 50. The former Beatle was initially sympathetic to the idea. However, he decided he still enjoyed writing songs and singing. “You see so many people who retire and then immediately expire,” he opined.

Related

John Lennon Discussed How Jesus Would React to The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’

How ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and ‘Yellow Submarine’ performed on the charts

“Eleanor Rigby” was a modest hit in the United States. The tune reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for eight weeks. The Beatles included “Eleanor Rigby” on the album Revolver. That record topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks, remaining on the chart for 94 weeks. It was one of the band’s most popular studio albums in the U.S.

The Official Charts Company reports “Eleanor Rigby” was a double A-side single with “Yellow Submarine.” The tracks peaked at No. 1 in the United Kingdom and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks. Upon rerelease, “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yellow Submarine” peaked at No. 63 and stayed on the chart for two weeks.

The songs’ parent album, Revolver, was popular in the U.K. as well. The album reached No. 1 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for 34 weeks. Revolver later reached No. 2 and remained on the chart for 33 weeks.

“Eleanor Rigby” makes Paul feel like he’s drowning and he likes that.

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