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TL;DR:

  • The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach was “addicted” to The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.”
  • He said the track “has that magical quality.”
  • Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Joan Baez, and Panic! at the Disco each recorded covers of the tune.
The Beatles with instruments during the "Eleanor Rigby" era
The Beatles | Mark and Colleen Hayward / Contributor

Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys said he was “addicted” to The Beatles‘ “Eleanor Rigby.” Subsequently, he explained why he felt the song resonated with people. Notably, the track inspired a statue made out of lots of money.

The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach discussed how he felt about The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones

For Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday in 2022, 80 artists told Stereogum their favorite composition by the “Silly Love Songs” singer. Auerbach discussed his relationship with the Fab Four. “I was raised on The Beatles,” he said. “Beatles over The Rolling Stones. My dad played them always. I had all those records memorized. I love every Beatles song.” Upon trying, he was unable to think of a Fab Four song he did not like.

“The Beatles set the bar for creative LPs,” he added. “When I talk about how I want my records to be like a mixtape, that’s basically how I felt about Beatles records. They had so much variation.”

The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach said The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’ exemplified something about pop music

Auerbach was particularly attached to “Eleanor Rigby.” “I was totally addicted to ‘Eleanor Rigby’ when I was a kid,” he recalled. “It has that magical quality. You don’t have to be a musician to connect with it. It has that pop thing.”

Auerbach discussed his feelings about pop music as a whole. “That’s what I think about pop — it’s the part of music where you don’t have to be a musician to appreciate it,” he opined. “It goes beyond that. Those guys just did that so often. They made it seem easy.” He lauded Paul for his three-part harmonies.

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

‘Eleanor Rigby’ inspired covers by several different artists as well as a statue made out of shredded money

Auerbach was right about “Eleanor Rigby” connecting with a wide audience. Many other musicians from different genres covered the song, such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Joan Baez, and Panic! at the Disco.

The track also inspired artists. For example, Liverpool Echo reports artist Leonard Brown produced a statue of Eleanor Rigby made of numerous shredded British pounds provided by the Bank of England. Altogether, the statue is composed of £1 million’s worth of old bills.

Brown said the sculpture was intended to convey a message: that money doesn’t necessarily buy happiness. He related the meaning of the artwork to The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Brown wanted his work to remind people to be grateful for what they have.

“Eleanor Rigby” connected to Auerbach and the world at large.

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