Eleanor Rigby stands out as one of Revolver‘s most remarkable tracks. This haunting portrayal of isolation and death was unique in that it featured no instrumental contributions from the Beatles themselves. Instead, the song relied on a stunning string arrangement by George Martin. Martin openly acknowledged that his arrangement was heavily influenced by film composer Bernard Herrmann.
In 1971, he explained, “Herrmann was my model for ‘Eleanor Rigby.’ I worked with Paul, got his ideas on harmonies, and the arrangement evolved from there. It was easy to translate because Paul could play the tune on piano, and I could put it into the style of Herrmann.” Martin frequently claimed that Herrmann’s score for the 1966 film Fahrenheit 451 was the primary inspiration, but this is unlikely as the film wasn’t released until November 1966, seven months after Eleanor Rigby was recorded. A more plausible influence was Herrmann’s 1960 score for Psycho, which features a similar harsh, staccato string effect that Martin used to great effect in 1966.
Recording began on April 28 with Martin’s arrangement for a double string quartet, consisting of four violins, two violas, and two cellos. These instruments were divided across the four-track tape (Studer J 37), with two instruments per track. Geoff Emerick, the album’s engineer, seized the opportunity to experiment with how the strings were mic’d. “‘Eleanor Rigby’ was groundbreaking,” Emerick recalled.
“No one had heard strings recorded like that before – you could hear the bow on the strings. It was the first time I started mic’ing them really close, right near the f-holes of the instruments. The musicians were horrified, knowing every mistake would be picked up. They even started inching their chairs away from the microphones, and I had to keep pushing them back in.” The small condenser microphones he used were likely Neumann KM-56 or KM-54s.
After 14 takes, Martin was satisfied with the arrangement. These four tracks were then mixed down to Track 1 on Take 15, leaving three tracks open for additional elements. The following day, Paul recorded the lead vocal on Track 4, and then he and George added harmony vocals to Track 3. Both vocal tracks were recorded with the tape machine running at 49 cycles/second, so when played back, they were pitched a third of a semitone higher.
Interestingly, tape notes show that someone later attempted to add finger cymbals and congas to Track 2, but this was ultimately scrapped. The song was considered finished and was given three mono remixes for the album. However, over a month later, Paul returned to the track to record a second lead vocal, erasing the percussion on Track 2.
George Martin had suggested to Paul that the “ahh, look at all the lonely people” refrain could run simultaneously with the line “all the lonely people, where do they all come from.” This counterpoint approach inspired McCartney, and he added it to the end of Track 2.
The recording process unfolded as follows:
- Take 14
- Track 1: Violins
- Track 2: Violins
- Track 3: Violas
- Track 4: Cellos
- Take 15
- Track 1: Violins, Violas, Cellos
- Track 2: Second lead vocal (formerly percussion)
- Track 3: Harmony vocals
- Track 4: Lead vocal
With the second vocal addition, the song required remixing. It was decided that Paul’s original lead vocal on Track 4 was stronger, so the second lead on Track 2 was turned down for most of the song. The lead vocal was treated with ADT (Automatic Double Tracking) on the choruses and panned hard-left in the stereo mix.
During the “ahh, look at all the lonely people” sections, Paul’s second vocal was brought up for a proper double-tracked effect. (In the stereo mix, Geoff Emerick accidentally left the second vocal too loud at the beginning of the first verse, and a brief moment of it is audible panned left about 14 seconds in.) Paul’s counterpoint at the song’s end on Track 2 was also treated with ADT.
For many Beatles fans, Eleanor Rigby is undoubtedly one of the band’s finest songs. Its standout qualities lie not only in its innovative production but also in its poignant lyrics. Released on 5 August 1966, Eleanor Rigby appeared both as part of a double A-side single with Yellow Submarine and on the Revolver album. Despite the stark contrast between the two songs, this unusual pairing didn’t hinder the single’s success, as it went on to top the UK charts for four consecutive weeks.
