As a flutist, I recommend your next Beatles song be Fool On The Hill. The flute takes center stage on this number. Don't worry about getting negative comments. True Beatles fans get a lot of enjoyment watching people discover the incredible music of this band. Be prepared for interesting chord changes and time signature shifts. The Beatles found ways to go against music theory to create sounds and textures that surprise you and excite the senses.
Agree 100%. Even from strictly a songwriting standpoint, the song has an amazing atmosphere. Plus, there's at least 50 other songs of theirs that would also be worth her time to investigate.
One of the saddest and most profound songs about loneliness ever written. Too bad humans still don't seem to get the message. We need to take better care of each other. Thank you for checking this out.
“In my life” is a real tear jerker too. Soon after its release I lost several dear friends through violence and suicide. Detroit was a violent town. There were over 800 gun violence deaths in one year. It still hurts when I hear that song. My two favorite discs are Abby Road and Revolver. Sgt Pepper changed music. If your band did get it, you were left behind. People wanted content, not mindless fluff. Of course that change with the Advent of Disco. The mantra for disco was f*ck art, let’s dance. We did dance. It faded away because white people soon realized they couldn’t dance, and synthetic fibers chaffed, and collected BO. We smelled bad under a cloud of perfumes and anti perspirants, but our clothes didn’t wrinkle or fade. tis better to look good than smell good.
It's more than just simple loneliness. People get to the end of their lives, their friends are gone, not necessarily passed away but the business of life pulls them away and their age causes it's own issues.. but there is no one left who cares about anything their lives meant. Things that were important to them mean nothing to anyone else. Even in most cases to their own children. I watched this happening in real time to my own mother.. who I tried to care for ..and afterward feeling like I didn't do enough. This song always makes me cry.
@@do0ranfrump260 My step-mom, who is in her 80s, told me one day "When I die, don't try to save my stuff--no one will care about it. Just pull up a dumpster and throw it all in." We're actually close but she has no illusions about memories carrying on. Pretty wise woman.
@@Great-Documentaries And the years as teenage punk-garage-grunge in Liverpool and Indra Club and Kaiserkeller in Hamburg before 'Love Me Do' at the end of 1962. They learned hundreds of songs and worked out their own arrangements to play them live for up to 8 hour shifts in those pre-fame years, started writing their own material, and got to work with some of the early greats like Little Richard and Billy Preston.
@richr6249 No, it really comes down to the fact they were the first boy band and were so popular that they had to be smuggled into one of their last concerts in an armored car. Think Brinks truck. So because touring was impossible, they were able to master their craft writing songs and being produced by Brian Eipstein (one of the greatest producers ever). Eipstein used all the classical elements, that any good British lads would have grown up on, and many experimental techniques copied by all modern producers like multitracking and overdubs.
@@Embur12 *Brian Epstein was their manager. He was responsible for turning them from a greaser rock and roll band into mop headed pop stars. George Martin was the name of the music producer you're thinking of.
The part about this song that really blows my mind is that IT'S ALL STRINGS. There's no percussion, no guitars, no synths, no keyboards. This from a band that grew up listening to 50s Blues and started their career doing covers of stuff like Twist and Shout, which is basically 3 guitars (1 of them bass) and a singer. And here they've created his haunting, catchy, melancholy song that resonates with damn near everyone without a standard rock band instrument in sight. The Beatles were just on another level.
Agreed. But I wonder what it sounded like before George Martin got his hands on it though? I think that's his arrangement. Did any of the Beatles themselves suggest an all-string arrangement, or did he? (Honest question. I don't know).
@@latheofheaven1017 It was Paul's suggestion but it was George Martin who made the unique arrangement of strings as Paul wanted something that had never been done with strings before. George wasn't called the 5th Beatle for nothing.
Their first single was released in October 1962. Three years later in October 1965 they recorded _Nowhere Man._ Then, ten months later they released _Eleanor Rigby._ The difference was amazing in such a short time.
I love, watching young people, discovered the Beatles. Especially when they have musical knowledge and realizing immediately what they’re listening to. Love your reaction.
@@michaelcurtis8515 One of my earliest memories was seeing the Beatles debut on the Ed Sullivan show when I was four. I couldn't believe how long their hair was! My dad--a jazz musician--changed the channel in disgust. (He later became a Beatles fan when he realized how creative and talented they were. He even grew his hair long. 😂)
One of my very favorite things is watching a young person discover The Beatles - I sort of get to re-experience discovering them myself many, many years ago. Do a deep dive into their catalog. You won't be disappointed.
Nit Pic, I’m, or was a musician back in the Beatles heyday. The Beatles are why music is the way it was until recently. They were the most influential artists of all time. They’re still my all time favorite musicians. I’m 71 years old and have played in numerous rock bands, and we were all moved by the Beatles. They started in 1962, but came to the US in 1963.
I am also 71 and sang in some teenage bands growing up. When Sgt. Peppers went on sale we rushed out to buy it. After school we rushed home to play the record to see if we could figure out a few of the tunes. Well, one song ran into another and they had full orchestration. We kept playing it and flipping it because it was completely different from anything we had ever heard before. "A Day in the life " was the one that haunts me to this day. "I read the news today, Oh Boy...about a lucky man who made the grade..."
I thought maybe you were in a band that was well-known, so I looked you up, but the first hits in the search engine were "Rodney Davenport found guilty of triple murder"... well, I tried. :)
Just FYI, The Beatles came to America a couple of days before their historic performance on the Ed Sullivan show on Feb 9, 1964. I remember that night still, even though I was just 4 years old. Cheers!
Something which many young people today don't understand about the Beatles music...they existed for only about 7 years...in which they wrote & recorded 200+ original songs!!! The range of styles, both lyrically & musically was amazingly vast. Especially considering they were all in their 20s! At first, older composers scoffed at them, but by the mid 60s they all had great respect for their creativity in songwriting. I remember Leonard Bernstein & Henry Mancini doing tv shows analyzing their music. Their musical growth in those years is even more amazing in retrospect, IMO.
Check out The Long and Winding Road. I have been a Beatles fan since 1962, at age seven. I grew up listening to their music and have continued to do so all my life. Keep listening!
"Golden Slumbers" & "The Long and Winding Road" further highlight the genius of the Beatles melodies. And to consider Paul was 20 when he wrote this! Incredible.
This is mainly a McCartney song and he wrote this when he was 23 years old. Amazing. This is what genius sounds like.....then he sings it fantastically.
Absolutely nothing like it at the time and blew me away when it first arrived. Genius stuff, no doubt about it. I swear you'll never see their likes again.
String section written and arranged by Sir George Martin, the Beatles long time record producer who talked the lads into accepting the idea. We used to have lots of radio dj's who'd brag about being the Fifth Beatle but Martin really was. He was in the studio with them every step of the way, not a hired technician, a co-artist.
George Martin was unquestionably a great contributor to the Beatles catalogue. However, when it came to string arrangements such as Eleanor, McCartney kept him on a tight rein, insisted on certain lines in the various parts, and attended the recording sessions to demand details such as that the string players had to keep their employment of the standard vibrato technique to an absolute minimum. That's why the track has bite. If it had been left to Sir George, it would have turned out as forgettable schmaltz.
My brother was a Beatles fan, so I heard a lot of Beatles as a teenager. Let It Be is special to me, because the organ played it at his funeral as we carried him out of the church. Which songs do I especially like? You have already mentioned Yesterday. There is While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Help! Yellow Submarine. Revolution. A Day in the Life. Penny Lane. They published more than 300 songs. There are so many greats among them.
It's the one of the best Beatles song, maybe the best. Deep, touching poetry, dramatic, sublime music, perfect vocal harmonies - this is an all-time masterpiece
@@magicbrownie1357 It funny how intelligent folk can lack basic perception and make flawed interpretations. 'Nobody came' implies an unhappy, lonely life. Here, at her funeral, she has no friends, lovers or relations. She has nothing and this is her life summed in two words. Nobody came. The rest is unimportant.
I can think of many others which I'd goto first - but to each their own. I always thought HTAE was a rather pale track for the Beatles. Other people did it better IMO.
@alanmusicman3385 What I admire about HTAE are the chord changes as he switches keys in the middle portion of the song. The transition of going from one key to the other and then back again is so smooth that it's barely noticeable to the untrained ear.
@@tdgallagher218 It is a lovely song with intriguing changes yes, but the Beatles version always sounds to me to be unfinished. Paul said he was trying to create a kind of Beach Boys sound on the backing vocals - but I think it just sounds pale and unfinished. The one-hit-wonder band Episode Six did a version which is much fuller and - IMO - is a much more fully realised version of the song. You can hear that version here on YT.
Often dismissed as a 'pop group' they were musically and lyrically innovative. Even their straight rock/pop songs are streets ahead of most other bands. I'm the wrong side of 70 so I grew up with their music (and a whole lot else from that time). It's heartening to see people rediscovering it, but also heartening to find bands like Band-Maid who, whilst in a slightly different part of the musical spectrum, are being equally innovative with their music and lyrics and matching/surpassing any other musician with their skills. I had to give up playing my beloved bass in my early twenties with the onset of severe arthritis, but I never lost my love of listening to music and I truly appreciate your breakdown of each of the songs you react to.
Hi everyone. Just for the edification of new Beatle fans or simply for those who are just curious --- The Beatles had 4 distinct musical phases in their career and they showed signs of progress (and experimentation) within each one of them as they delved into a variety of musical styles and genres along the way. Roughly, those phases can be broken into groups of 3 albums each (along with the associated singles often not included on the albums). Every 3rd album or so they would move on to something totally new, but within those phases there was definitely progression within each individual album. It's amazing that their entire legacy was cemented in just 7 short years. The phases are roughly as follows (albums listed in recording order, not release date order): ( 1 ) --- The Mop Top / Teen idol phase: Albums: _Please, Please Me (1963);_ _With the Beatles (1963);_ _A Hard Day's Night (1964)_ ( 2 ) --- The Folk Rock / Country Rock phase: Albums: _Beatles For Sale (1964);_ _Help! (1965);_ _Rubber Soul (1965)_ ( 3 ) --- The Psychedelic Rock Phase: Albums: _Revolver (1966);_ _Sgt. Peppers ... (1967);_ _Magical Mystery Tour (1967)_ ( 4 ) --- The Professional /eclectic phase: Albums: _The White Album (1968);_ _Let It Be (1969);_ _Abbey Road (1969)_ NOTE: All of the singles they released that were not included on their official albums can be found in the 2 disc compilation collection called _Beatles Past Masters I_ and _Beatles Past Masters II_ --- most of their well known hits and popular songs can be found on these 2 albums (though in my opinion, their album tracks were equally as great, just not as well known). A few other tunes not released as singles or on the above albums appear on the _Yellow Submarine_ soundtrack album. That being said, I would also like to add that we should not forget about their wonderful producer _George Martin_ who also contributed much to the Beatles music --- including the playing of Piano and Harpsichord on a variety of tracks --- truly the 5th Beatle. Hope this helps a bit in defining the different stages in their musical progress.
@Hernal03. In relation to Let It Be. As most of us, Beatles fans are aware, all of the material on the album was written and recorded in January 1969, as covered in the original Let It Be film, directed by Michael Lindsay Hogg, and more thoroughly in Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson, though not released until the following year, 1970, with Abbey Road hitting the shelves well in advance of Let It Be.✌️
That is a very interesting formulation. Fact is, The Beatles were and always will be in a class of their own. They were and remain truly unique and simply the best ever.
You spoilt everything by your stupid comment about the 5th Beatle. There wasn’t one unless you are talking about past members, Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe. George Martin was their producer, never a member, and did his job very well, but that’s all.
@@martinmorris5997 There is a reason that George Martin is frequently referred to as the _Fifth Beatle,_ not just by myself but by countless others including fans, biographers and even members of the Fab Four themselves. Of course Martin was the Producer on most of the music they released but there were also roughly 30 or so Beatle songs that he participated as an instrumentalist as well (mostly keyboards) and, on a few occasions, as a musical composer. How many songs in the Beatles main catalogue (songs released during their 7 years together) do you think Pete Best or Stu Sutcliffe actually contributed to? The answer is a whopping ZERO. The label of _Producer_ does not even begin to do justice to the level of involvement that George Martin had on their records. Even if you don't take into account his technical wizardry that helped create so many unusual sounds on some of their more psychedelic songs, George is also known for such things as playing keyboards on a variety of songs including *_In My Life, Fixing a Hole, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kyte_* among others. As a classically trained musician he helped compose some of the backing instrumentation of such songs as *_Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby_* and *_Strawberry Fields Forever._* Let's not downplay his contribution to the groups sound, it _was_ a real thing. But if you truly feel that my George Martin comment was _stupid,_ I won't begrudge you that, please feel free to believe what you feel is right --- each of us is different and we all have our personal opinions --- life is too short and during our brief tenure on this planet we must all find meaning where we can. _Whatever gets us through the night, is alright._
@@martinmorris5997 Martin was known as the "5th Beatle" (in inverted commas not actually an official 5th Beatle) since the 60s. You must know this and are just being contrary. Twit.
You can thank the genius of their producer, George Martin for that string arrangement. George was a master at taking many of the ideas that the Beatles had for their songs and creating magic!
Eleanor Rigby is on Revolver, which is the greatest album of all-time. If you want to dive into The Beatles catalogue, you should start by listening to that entire album. But of course a lot of the most groundbreaking Beatles songs are not the hit Singles (which are also great) but are songs on the B-side of albums. An example of this is with on Revolver itself where lots of people talk about Eleanor Rigby but people should also talk about For No One. However, my favourite example is I'll Be Back, which closes out A Hard Day's Night. It was such a revolutionary song in so many ways for a song that came out in the summer of 1964.
@@dggydddy59 Agreed, and it was just an album cut for them. For any other band "I'll Be Back" would be released as a single and might have gone to the top.
It was fun to watch someone (you) who had never heard Eleanor Rigby react. Glad you liked it, I hope you'll expand your experience of the Beatles. Been a fan since I was a grade-schooler in the backseat, hearing for the first time, and watching my parents react, too, to "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
I’ve heard that song for years and it is so refreshing to see a young person discover the genius of the Fab 4. Also I find it intriguing that you have music an understanding of music theory and can analyze things from that perspective. I love that you were surprised at the ingenuity of this track. So much more to explore (I hope). It looks like you “get it”. So cool. Thanks for sharing
Lennon and McCartney were extraordinary song writers and are known mostly for songs like Elenor Rigby. But they also wrote some great pure rock songs as well. A couple of my favorites are Paperback Writer and Day Tripper. Those songs started me on my path to becoming a hard rock lover all these years.
The Beatles were and will always be the most important musical phenomenon in human history. What they took us on is inconceivably, beautiful and transformative, so yeah, you might say a little bit of a fan.
The Beatles' producer, George Martin was a classically trained oboist who also played keyboards and wrote orchestral arrangements. He played piano, celesta, organ and harpsichord on some Beatles records, though most of the band's keyboard parts were played by John or Paul. He arranged "Eleanor Rigby" for a string octet - four violins, two violas and two cellos. Those are the only instruments on the record. Vocals were overdubbed later. George Martin's arrangement was influenced by Bernard Herrmann's score for the movie "Fahrenheit 451".
Finally, someone mentions George Martin whose influence on this track is so substantial and couldn’t/shouldn’t be ignored. This is really a McCartney/ Martin production, rather than a Beatles’ song.
I'm soon to be 74 years old, and the Beatles are still my favorite group, and I'm sure that most people don't realize their indelible mark on music to this day. If you were to buy their entire set of albums and listen to them in the order of their release, you would hear a growth of vocalizations, composition, cord usage, and storytelling that have seldom, in most cases been used prior, and seldom duplicated to that extent. In fact, many have used, and have admitted to using, much of what the Beatles originally produced. They were innovators par-none. That being said, you cannot leave out George Martin's influence. He was their long-time producer, writer, or co-writer with Paul, of several of their orchestrations, and their guide and mentor, especially in post-production. If you've never listened to A Day in the Life, I suggest you do. It would actually make a great video for you. But I would first read a bit of background on how it came to be.
You're young. Don't feel ashamed about not knowing Beatles music, but instead, study their music and enjoy it if you desire. I always watching someone new listening to a song that I knew most of my life. This came out in 1966. Songs that I love by the Beatles are: In My Life, Paperback Writer, Yellow Submarine, Hey Bullfrog, The Abbey Road Medley, Michelle, Girl, You Won't See Me, I Saw Her Standing There, Here, There, and Everywhere, Hey Jude, She Loves You, All My Loving, I Want To Hold Your Hand, If I Fell, Day Tripper, A Day In The Life, Penny Lane, I Am The Walrus (I think you'll really dissect that one), Something, Strawberry Fields Forever, Roll Over Beethoven, Rain, All You Need Is Love, Please Please Me; PS. I Love You, A Hard Days Night, And I Love Her, Tell Me Why...etc. There are so many good ones and their recordings got very interesting as they evolved. Definitely don't feel bad about not knowing their music. You have a lifetime to enjoy it. Thank you for sharing.
@@pcallas66 well, to be fair it was originally called Hey Bullfrog, but Paul deliberately "misread" the lyrics and changed it to Hey Bulldog, which John was apparently okay with.
Producer George Martin scored the string part, and he was very influenced by Bernard Herrmann, who scored several films for Alfred Hitchcock, including Psycho - Martin liked Herrmann's "spiky" string sounds. Martin was a classically trained oboist, and he encountered The Beatles' non-standard use of chords and keys early on. They ended She Loves You with a rather unorthodox chord in violation of normal music theory, he pointed that out to them, and they just said "We like that chord and we're gonna end the song on it". Paul came up with the name Eleanor Rigby, inspired partly by the name Eleanor Bron, an actress who worked with them in their movie Help. However, in their younger years, The Beatles sometimes used to hang out in a cemetery in Liverpool (because it was quiet and shady), and it turns out that there was an Eleanor Rigby buried there. When asked about it, Paul said he had no conscious memory of ever seeing that headstone, but admitted that it could very well have been in the back of his mind from all those hours spent in the cemetery.
And interestingly she chose the only song (pretty sure) that none of the Beatles actually played on. Of course there's Paul's vocal but none of the guys played an instrument on this one. She's Leaving Home may be another but I'm not entirely sure about that.
I knew Martin scored the string part, but I didn't know about the Herrmann influence and YEAH!.. Now that you pointed it out, it's all I can hear!!!! Ahhh, Herrmann... what an absolute grump, but also an absolute treasure.
I was just going to listen some Beatles when I saw this video. Love Elanor Rigby. Nothing better than to sit in the sweet spot of a system cranked up listening to that song. It envelops you to the point you sitting in the studio right next to Paul as he sings it. Listen to this old man young lady. There will come a time in your future when you'll realize what others think of you for whatever you do, think, say, intelligence or how you appear is of no matter and you'll be mad at yourself for living all your years worrying about. You need to consider that and think about what it means to the way your life will be structured if you live it now and the beckon of others. Never be afraid to say you don't know. That's what makes you wiser. Good luck with your channel.
This period of time represented a massive shift in the subject matter of pop/rock music. In the years prior, songs were almost exclusively about love, dancing, holding hands, etc... lighthearted happiness. Real human issues, real problems like depression, loneliness, grief were taboo. A few months prior to this song The Rolling Stones released a song called "Paint it Black" about death, grief and depression. After these songs, the floodgates were opened and pop/rock musicians were able to write about almost anything. The huge change in all forms of pop culture and entertainment that happened in just a few years time in the middle 1960's cannot be overstated.
Dylan was releasing songs with serious subject matter long before the Stones did it and even the Beatles gave him credit for changing the type of songs they wrote.
@@jameshannagan4256 Dylan was folk music for self-conscious university students and arty types. He was not pop music for the masses till later, perhaps he never was. He sold far fewer records than most of us assume (and I have a lot of his records, including a few singles). Simon & Garfunkel, also more in the folk genre, sold far more records
The reason "everyone seems to like the Beatles" is because people universally recognise genius when the see it or hear it. There doesn't seem to be a particular reason why they should have been able to write and record so many incredibly memorable and meaningful songs, they just met each other by chance and were compelled to do the work. They stand alone in music history. There are 186 songs written by the Beatles, knock yourself out.
It's more common now but back in the day no one used a string ensemble in rock and roll much less the only instrumentation in the entire song. That's where there creative genius came in.
The Beatles have many others that are equally complete. They ave far more masterpieces than any other band. Many top bands only have one or two masterpieces. Most have none.
My father was in a rock band when the Beatles made the transition from "I wanna hold your hand" to "Yesterday" and "Eleanor Rigby". I've heard him describe it as sea change. Mind Blowing, thinking he was going to have to forget everything he knew and start over. Up to this point rock music was three chords performed by a guitar, bass, drums, and piano, on a blues scale, as were the Beatles pretty much. Then the Beatles meet Bob Dylan, who showed them how lyrics could be used, as well as introducing them to weed. Which is what led them from "I wanna hold your hand" into a far different era. So the Beatles get credit for showing the world the way.... but Bob Dylan gets the credit for showing the Beatles.
As a child of the mid fifties I grew up listening to and loving The Beatles all through the 60's to this day! I understand youngsters like your self might not have heard The Beatles much or at all. Glad your listening to some now, might bring a few more folks onboard to hearing these classics! The Beatles were so impactful in music. "Yellow Submarine" is a song and a animated movie, too!
You started down into a rabbit hole that never ends. Once you venture down into that Beatles universe you never truly leave. Basically 90 percent of their songs are either hits or very famous songs.
You picked a perfect song to analyze with your musical background. It is a masterpiece. The one thing I get from the song is you’re not the only one who’s lonely and maybe it sucks but if you remember, you’re not alone, maybe loneliest can pass you by
I would not expect anyone in their mid 20's to know anything about the Beatles. The band broke up 55 years ago. Ask Grandma or Grandpa what they thought of the Beatles. That being said, I'm glad that young ones like yourself are discovering what we have known for over 50 years.
Someone in their mid-20's not knowing of The Beatles! Really? You're definitely mistaken (not completely, I'm sure). The Beatles are alive and well even in younger generations. My son is 12 and is into plenty of music from the 50s onwards, and this was nothing to do with me. Good music is good music.
The Beatles catalog is quite a journey. You'll love it! Start from the beginning and follow their progression from great pop music (with great vocals and harmonies), to more diverse subjects and musical growth and finally to fine artists! Listening out of order you lose much of the magic.
exactly! Any Beatles journey should always start at their first album and go chronologically as we "first generation fans" heard them as they were released. Then and ONLY then can a "newbie" hear how their music evolved and progressed with EACH album and single, in just 7 1/2 years.
If you want to dive in - you should probably go through their catalogue from the start. The amount of innovation and change in their writing ability from 1962 - 1969 is just staggering.
Something that I think often gets overlooked about the Beatles is that they were only a band from 1963 to 1970. To have done the musical experimentation and had the impact they had in such a short time makes them seem even more impressive to me!
They were a band before 1962 as they performed in clubs in Germany and had quite a following there before they returned to the UK to get a recording contract with EMI. George Martin took them on and the rest is history.
The Beatles catalogue before their break-up has 213 tracks, 25 covers and 188 originals, and every single one of those 188 tracks has been covered by other artists.
Never apologize for not knowing something. Appreciate and celebrate you've learned it. Anyone that knocks you down for not knowing is someone that hasn't learned enough. Great reaction! You know you're stuff!
This song was part of the Beatles "Revolver" album released around July-August 1966. For some time, the group had been evolving from a band for teenyboppers to one that aspired to be taken far more seriously as a "grown-up" band. Revolver was a giant step in that process and Eleanor Rigby, dealing as it did with the twin themes of loneliness and death seemed to encapsulate these new artistic emphases.
I would argue that there isn't an intro at all. One of the many striking things about this song is that they plunge directly into the chorus. Within the first second, we're in it.
Musical genius, the way they incorporated classical instruments into popular music, they were the first to do so many things in music. and they were so diverse. No two Beatles songs sound the same.
Anyone who says, "How can you not know about The Beatles?!" is missing the point. You are finding out about them now, and we all get the joy of seeing you do it. Life is not a race, it's an ever-unfolding experience, diverse and personal. Does the first person to finish his glass of fine wine or his gourmet meal enjoy it more, or do it more honor, than the person who finishes hers in her own good time? You just demonstrated that you understood the song in ways some of those people never have, nor ever will. This is an absolutely delightful reaction video!! Great Job! Hearing your expert musical analysis of this song makes me appreciate it even more, and I've loved it for fifty years (which is not as long as many have loved it, but longer than others). I just learned a lot about this song...from you. You don't need to apologize to anyone. Those "superior" people should be apologizing to you...and then thanking you. This is one of The Beatles' (and Paul McCartney's) most iconic songs. Yet, on the next album, in my humble opinion, he surpasses this string quartet masterpiece with an even greater achievement composed in this same style: "She's Leaving Home." If you liked this ...then ...that. [EDIT: Silly joke omitted. Don't worry, you're not missing anything.]
The Beatles were foundational to modern music. I think that's why folks are shocked. You are so knowledgeable about music. Glad to see you fill this gap. 😅
The greatest band of all time. So much classics... -Strawberry Fields Forever -While My Guitar Gently Weeps -All You Need Is Love -Hapiness Is A Warm Gun -In My Life -Nowhere Man -Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds -Hey Jude -Something -Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End -If I Fell -And I Love Her -Ticket To Ride -Got You Get To Into My Life -It's Only Love
The Beatles had a habit of writing songs about real life and real people. Eleanor is an older women whose widowed or never married and works in the church. She keeps waiting for someone that never comes home. Father McKenzie is the priest and as most do when they right their sermons they know a lot of people just don't pay attention. Priests live a lonely life. When Eleanor dies she had no friends that showed up for the funeral and Father McKenzie was just going through the motions of the ceremony. Another good one is A Day In The Life which has all of its key lyrical elements from newspaper headlines.
Once you start diving into the Beatles rabbit hole, it is nearly impossible to stop because of their genius. To state that they changed music is a massive understatement. They proved that the usual music theory that classical music abides by is NOT the only way music can be composed.
I am 73. I grew up with The Beatles music, sounding on the radio. The Beatles music is an important part of what I am. It is hard to me recommend one or another Beatles song, because every album was different from the former. The Beatles were constantly evolving. But I would say, essential Beatles songs are: "A Day in the Life", "Strawberry Fields for Ever", "Here Comes the Sun", "All You Need is Love", "Nowhere Man", "Yesterday", and, of course "Tomorrow Never Knows". I stop here, because I think you shoud explore by yourself. You will understand why people of my age cannot understand today's pop music. And also, why we keep listening to The Beatles, and teaching them to our children and grandchildren. Thank you very much for your beautiful reaction to a beloved song. Gonzalo Fuster, from Viña del Mar, Chile.
It's an amazing lyric. Especially since it's from Paul McCartney, who was very much an optimistic type person, but here he searches a darker side. Apparently he was fascinated with a gravestone he found in a church graveyard near his home in Liverpool. He imagined the fate of an unknown person - a headstone and name, all that's left in the visible world. The Beatles' producer, the legendary George Martin, would respond to the songwriters in the band when they requested various sounds for their compositions. He was a classically trained musician, who had been given creative control over a floundering label within the EMI stable of record labels. He searched for a popular music act that could launch his label, he found The Beatles, who were untrained musically. This collaboration resulted in a revolution in pop music. The band members and their producer revolutionized the creation and recording of popular music. I've been listening to the Beatles since age 5 in 1965, when I heard their A Hard Days Night on a Saturday morning Beatles cartoon show.
@@wraithby We don't know whether this song is based on the person named on the gravestone, or an old lady named Daisy Hawkins, he knew as a child, as he said in a Rolling Stone Interview. But her name didn't fit the song. In another interview Paul said, that he always liked the name Eleanor and knew a shop named Rigby.
Noting all the comments about Paul's serendipitous discovery of a headstone for the grave of a woman who was completely unknown to him made me think about her name, how it captured his imagination, and inspired him to describe a life of desperate loneliness, and set it in such a remarkable song. I suppose there is an implicit contrast of the French regal elegance of Eleanor, and the more plain and workaday dactyl of Rigby, like worlds colliding, or a fall from grace caught in the juxtaposition of two nouns. Perhaps this contrast is what we hear in the abrupt shift from major to minor that is such prominent of the music. I'm speculating there of course, but what is unarguable really is the genius of McCartney to take a randomly encountered name and use it to memorialize the loneliness suffered by so many people, and the fear of loneliness that almost everyone experiences at some point in their lives. Now, I never knew I thought any of that until I watched your video, and saw how the major / minor thing caught your attention. Amazing! So thanks. There are so many 'I've never listened to X' videos out there, and I get, but if you'll permit me to say so, it is a leeeeettle bit click baity. I acknowledge that there's a difference between hearing and listening, but nevertheless, once that stuff was out of the way, you quickly made me pay closer attention to what you had to say. Whether there is a moral to be found in that is not for me to say. I enjoyed your reaction, I can definitely say that. Asif that wasn't enough, I disappeared down an etymological rabbit hole over the question of flutist vs flautist, which is how I've always referred to players of the instrument. I discovered that it's an American vs British English thing. Interestingly, the first recorded use of flutist dates from 1603, whereas flautist first appears over 250 years later, in 1860. So presumably flutist was also the preferred noun in English from whenever flutes became familiar instruments until some silly stuck-up snobby Victorian arsehole decided it would be classier to give it more Italianate feel. If you compare the voicing of the vowels 'aw' with 'oo', the former certainly superior in facilitating looking down one's nose! It certainly wouldn't be the first time that British English speakers have taken it upon themselves to arbitrarily complexify to perfectly serviceable words for no obvious purpose! More pretentious than clever, I think, although there will be some who complacently take it as evidence of American English being a dumbed down travesty of the mother tongue. Pompous gits! Anyway, that's something else I learned today. I think I may need to get out more! P.S. Listen to more Beatles! There's so much of interest to discover in their music it's frankly ridiculous and someone should have told them to share the toys with the other children. How they came by their talents is unknowable, but they had a protean fecundity, such that their influence is probably unmatched in modern music. Several of their songs feature the flute, if you are curious, but Strawberry Fields Forever is the one that's coming to mind. For maxi-flute however, you should check out another British band (if you don't know them already), just a few years later than the Beatles, Jethro Tull, whose flautist was also the lead vocalist. Living in the Past would be a good place to start, but Ian Anderson is a great musician with a rich and extensive catalogue. Best wishes.
WOW - you’re so young and have missed out on so much music for a “music educator”. I’m 68 this is the soundtrack to my life. The music is stunning for the year 1966. The strings was from the EMI producer Sir George Martin. You pointed out the mode mixture of Aeolian mode (neutral minor) and the Dorian mode. Song is in E minor but starts with C major vocals. The composition of this music complements the lyrics and the characters plight in the song. However as a teenager it was just super cool and a new sound. My old ears and a lifetime of music collecting has pushed me into learning why songs impact me on so many levels - however some who like watching a magician think it best not to know, or understand how the trick is done, but to just wallow in its beauty and brilliance. So little time left for me and so much to still learn about music and the universe.
I was born in 1954 so when I began to be aware of music the Beatles were on the radio all of the time. The British Invasion was in full swing. This is what I cut my teeth on, so to speak, musically. I heard them evolve from 1964 until 1970, and it was an amazing metamorphosis. Check out "Baby You Can Drive My Car" and "Golden Slumbers"
I've been a Beatles fan since February 1964, when they first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. I'll say what I assume others have already said, if only to emphasize the importance of it: Start from the beginning, the early songs (e.g., Please Please Me, I Want to Hold Your Hand). Then follow them through their brief 5-6 year journey so you can marvel at their progression.
I'm light years from understanding music as you do, but i find your analysis so totally interesting... you increased my appreciation of this classic song as I've never heard it before. Thank you!
It is interesting you would mention Yellow Submarine., as it was paired with Eleanor Rigby on the "Double A Sided" American single (released in August of 1966). George Martin and Paul McCartney arranged the songs string octet. I believe a viola plays the chromatic descending line. Starting with a D note (the 7th of the Em7 chord.) Followed by a C# (Em6.) The following C note becomes the tonic 1 note of the introduced C chord. Concluding on a B note (the 5th of the Em) chord). The C chord is also the Major chord heard in the songs Intro and middle coda. Good stuff indeed. A terrific reaction. All the best, RNB
An important fact to note: unlike many pop or rock groups today, the Beatles had a strong sense of the avant-garde, from art school and people they met in Hamburg in the early 1960s. It is unusual that they would be allowed to expand their artistic expression so much or that they would be willing to sacrifice their popularity to do something experimental and out of the mainstream. This I attribute to their long history together before becoming famous, and George Martin their producer. He was classically trained, but his job at Parlephone records was making spoken word records. So really this was a meeting of first-timers figuring it out as they went along instead of some seasoned professional telling the band what to do. Also due to their fantastic popularity, no one could tell them what to do. The result? Bands everywhere started trying out new sounds and new ideas.
George Martin did all kinds of records before producing The Beatles -- spoken word, comedy records, jazz, bagpipe music, classical, experimental even pop (though that was the genre he was weakest in until his partnership with John, Paul, George, and Ringo). He was far from a first-timer, though working with the Beatles was a learning experience for him, as it would be for anyone working with a group that innovative.
@@gregoryeatroff8608 Very interesting! I don't know if it's true, that he said: "In the beginning The Beatles learned from me and later I learned from The Beatles".
The Beatles had thousands of hours of live performance before they were known outside of local venues, much of it in their late teens and early twenties. This made them an extraordinarily tight band with three great songwriters, a perfect setup to revolutionize popular music. Ironically, their incredible popular success forced them to give up live performance and focus instead on the studio where they produced amazing music in a rapid evolution, but if you watch their last live concert, the rooftop show, you can see and hear the great live band they always were.
I discovered The Beatles when I was about 11 or 12. This would have been in the early 70s, so after their break up, but still in our very recent memory. As such, their music shaped much of my musical tastes. Over the years, I grew to learn how many of these songs came to be and about The Beatles own musical influences. Regarding this song, as I have grown older and I have lost friends and family, the tragedy of the lyrics become more keenly felt. The death at the end isn't the tragedy, it is the life of loneliness that proceeds it. If any lesson can be taken from this art, it is that we should seek out the lonely and spend some of our time with them and try to alleviate it as best we can. We are social beings and we need the human contact
Quick History, In February 1964, the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show (twice) and sang "I wanna Hold your Hand" and "Twist and Shout" among others and Beatlemania began in the USA. They were ages 19 to 22. I think they were the first "Boy Band" that became superstars. Previous superstars were individual vocalists backed by studio musicians, like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Pressley, Bobby Darin. The song Eleanor Rigby was written in 1966 after they stopped touring and focused on studio work. They excelled at many popular music genres, so if you skip around their catalog, you will often be surprised.
I've been a fan for 50/60 years. One thing I loved about them is you never knew what they do next, heavy metal, polka music, country or orchestral backdrops, folk or rock and roll. They did it all. Check out Paul singing Oh Darling for a look at his range past Eleanor Rigby.
"Rubber Soul" (not the homonym of "soul" and "sole" (as the bottom of a show). It and "Revolver" marked the real growth of the Lennon-McCartney team (with always a bone tossed to George) and blossoming out in "Sgt. Pepper." Eleanor Rigby is a sad and poignant elegy, with not much to say about an insignificant person (which applies to most of us). For a profoundly sad song, check out Gordon Lightfoot's ballad "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." It tugs at my heart every time I play it.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE your interest in this gorgeous song. It has made me re-listen and appreciate how amazing this music was, all around, instruments, voice AND highly intelligent and philosophical!! Thank you so much !!! Yes, I am a 78 year old American living now in Ukraine !!
Which Beatle song are you missing out? All of 'em. Ok, easy answer but not that far from the truth (ok ok ... MY truth 😉). It would be amazing to watch you discovering some of their best albums (controversial subject though): Revolver (Eleanor Rigby is on the tracklist), The Beatles (aka the White Album), Abbey Road or Sgt Peppers. You won't believe how many great songs are packed in each of those albums, nor the amazing diversity of musical genres they contain. I discovered the Beatles at 13 (1974) and they already were separated! A friend of mine was playing "Day Tripper"'s riff on his bass and I fell in love. I bought all the albums I could second hand from school mates and discovered a new universe: rock and pop music. So you can say The Beatles opened the music doors to me. To cut a long story short, there's a second band that did the same to me 6 years ago: Band-Maid opened the doors of Japanese rock to me - now I have hundreds of records (... and tshirts) and I'm following dozen of bands. Cherish the bands or artists who are the key opening a new world to you.
I am a Beatles fan and also a Harrison, McCartney, Lennon and Starr solo artists fan. I went to Paul's concert at Dodger stadium back in 2014. It's already been 10 years and still my favorite concert. He played for nearly 3 hours, Beatles and songs from his solo career. Beatles music is the soundtrack of my life. 🎤🥁🎹💐👍 I
Heard an interview with a contemporary of the Beatles - possibly one of the Beatles themselves - about being at a wedding for another contemporary and queueing at the smorgasbord and noticing a stage full of musical equipment at the end of the venue. And Paul McCartney joins the queue and says "who's the band?" and the narrator says "I think it's us". He continues the narrative, saying "of course, you know Paul, give him a push and he will play everything he knows" and, sure enough, Paul puts down his plate and heads for the stage.
Sir Paul McCartney wrote by ear, had very little music theory training, and could not read music. These songs, these haunting memorable melodies, just popped into his head. Genius.
Great react tnx, been beatles fan since 13yo 1982 mybe earlier their songs always on radio in Philippines, almost every station devote an hour or two every sunday
Some songs I love from The Beatles are "Help"(also a movie), "Helter Skelter", "Hard Day's Night", "Hey Jude", "Taxman", "She Said She Said", "Yesterday", "Paperback Writer", "Penny Lane", "Lady Madonna", "Get Back", "Something", "Let It Be", for a start, anyway. I probably will get flack for saying this, but, there are two bands though my 68 years on this planet that I like every song they did or have done to this point and they are The Beatles and Band-Maid! Don't get me wrong, there are songs I love from tons of other bands through the years in many genres, but no other bands have captured me like those two.
@@waynebenedict5785 You just gave me a good laugh is all ... imagining you being a full sized person sitting on a small house plant ... in a scrunched up sitting position with your feet up on the leaves too :p .
Imagine how sad it would be if there weren't new songs and bands to enjoy? I hope that you enjoy all the new Beatles songs you've yet to discover! (and phhhttt!!! to anyone climbing on their high-horse about knowing Beatles songs)
I am so happy that UA-cam suggested this video! I much prefer reaction videos by musicians to "ordinary" people. I love that you talk about chord structure, instrumentation, etc. I am a former band and choir director and really geek out on this stuff! (I am also a long-time drum corps instructor and high school marching band adjudicator.) My suggestion for the next Beatles song is "Think For Yourself," a George Harrison song. There are actually 2 simultaneous bass lines that Paul plays.
I’m glad this video is finding my music family here on UA-cam and thank you! I wish I could’ve marched drum corps! I didn’t have the funds when I was younger. 🥹 I’m very glad you enjoyed! 🥰
@@NittPicc I didn't get to march DCI because I discovered Drum Corps my senior year in college. I marched and taught Senior Drum Corps for 10 years. Are you familiar with Blast! - an all brass marching band on a stage with color guard and percussion? If you haven't, please do a reaction on them doing Malaguena! You will be astonished! ua-cam.com/video/lGkhiiM-KRg/v-deo.htmlsi=Jr972Qn43i-uUpR0
Great! The Beatles are the first band I can consider myself a fan of, more than forty years ago, and it is one of the few complete discographies I have. You have just listened a song from 1966, played exclusively with string instruments, written by a rock band that was rapidly transitioning to another genre (one yet to be discovered or defined) and that would mark the future decades of music to be written. Revolver is a tremendously eclectic album where this song shares space with Yellow Submarine or And Your Bird Can Sing or the fantastic Taxman. What are you missing with the Beatles? In my opinion, the best song in the history of rock music, which is A Day in the Life (from the Sgt Pepper's album from... 1967!). That song alone makes The Beatles the most original and daring band in history. Thanks! I didn't expect to have such a nostalgic time today.
I was a teen in the '60s and loved the Beatles (and all the other amazing bands) but it wasn't until later that I started to learn of and understand the absolute genius of John, Paul and George. They found entirely new ways of combining sounds to create music that is so unique and original. They get 5 stars for originality when most composers only deserve one or two.
I wouldn't leave Ringo Starr off the genius list. He always played "to the song." Top drummers have said that the Beatles' songs wouldn't have been what they turned out to be without his creative drumming.
I enjoyed your reaction. I've only been listening to The Beatles for 60 years. Well, songs by them include, Penny Lane with a piccolo trumpet, For No One has a french horn, She's Leaving Home has a harp & strings, etc. etc. etc. Within You Without You has eastern Indian instruments, and Tomorrow Never Knows is totally unique.
Never saw that video someone decided to attach to this song, but the constant violin image in your face over and over really makes the point. There are lots of violins in this song!
As a flutist, I recommend your next Beatles song be Fool On The Hill. The flute takes center stage on this number. Don't worry about getting negative comments. True Beatles fans get a lot of enjoyment watching people discover the incredible music of this band. Be prepared for interesting chord changes and time signature shifts. The Beatles found ways to go against music theory to create sounds and textures that surprise you and excite the senses.
They are actually Recorders, like we used to play at junior school in the UK.
@@ericthefish01 I was just going to say the same thing before I saw your comment. ☺️
its a recorder not a flute
@@ericthefish01 Absol-flutely lol.
Agree 100%. Even from strictly a songwriting standpoint, the song has an amazing atmosphere.
Plus, there's at least 50 other songs of theirs that would also be worth her time to investigate.
One of the saddest and most profound songs about loneliness ever written. Too bad humans still don't seem to get the message. We need to take better care of each other. Thank you for checking this out.
I take honor in being your 100th "like". Your message is on point.
An absolute masterpiece!
“In my life” is a real tear jerker too. Soon after its release I lost several dear friends through violence and suicide. Detroit was a violent town. There were over 800 gun violence deaths in one year. It still hurts when I hear that song.
My two favorite discs are Abby Road and Revolver. Sgt Pepper changed music. If your band did get it, you were left behind. People wanted content, not mindless fluff. Of course that change with the Advent of Disco.
The mantra for disco was f*ck art, let’s dance. We did dance. It faded away because white people soon realized they couldn’t dance, and synthetic fibers chaffed, and collected BO. We smelled bad under a cloud of perfumes and anti perspirants, but our clothes didn’t wrinkle or fade. tis better to look good than smell good.
It's more than just simple loneliness. People get to the end of their lives, their friends are gone, not necessarily passed away but the business of life pulls them away and their age causes it's own issues.. but there is no one left who cares about anything their lives meant. Things that were important to them mean nothing to anyone else. Even in most cases to their own children. I watched this happening in real time to my own mother.. who I tried to care for ..and afterward feeling like I didn't do enough. This song always makes me cry.
@@do0ranfrump260 My step-mom, who is in her 80s, told me one day "When I die, don't try to save my stuff--no one will care about it. Just pull up a dumpster and throw it all in." We're actually close but she has no illusions about memories carrying on. Pretty wise woman.
There’s a reason why they’re the biggest selling, most influential popular musicians of the last 100 years
And all of that comes down to a mere 8 years of work.
@@Great-Documentaries And the benefit of those 8 years being smack dab in the middle of a baby boom generation buying their first records.
@@Great-Documentaries And the years as teenage punk-garage-grunge in Liverpool and Indra Club and Kaiserkeller in Hamburg before 'Love Me Do' at the end of 1962. They learned hundreds of songs and worked out their own arrangements to play them live for up to 8 hour shifts in those pre-fame years, started writing their own material, and got to work with some of the early greats like Little Richard and Billy Preston.
@richr6249 No, it really comes down to the fact they were the first boy band and were so popular that they had to be smuggled into one of their last concerts in an armored car. Think Brinks truck. So because touring was impossible, they were able to master their craft writing songs and being produced by Brian Eipstein (one of the greatest producers ever). Eipstein used all the classical elements, that any good British lads would have grown up on, and many experimental techniques copied by all modern producers like multitracking and overdubs.
@@Embur12 *Brian Epstein was their manager. He was responsible for turning them from a greaser rock and roll band into mop headed pop stars. George Martin was the name of the music producer you're thinking of.
I have been a Beatles fan for around 62 years. They are the greatest band of all time and I love it when young guys become fans, like you
Golden Slumbers
2024 minus 62 years is 1962, are you from England? Beatles hit the USA in 1964 I was still 13. Best band ever, so rewarding to listen to.
The part about this song that really blows my mind is that IT'S ALL STRINGS. There's no percussion, no guitars, no synths, no keyboards. This from a band that grew up listening to 50s Blues and started their career doing covers of stuff like Twist and Shout, which is basically 3 guitars (1 of them bass) and a singer. And here they've created his haunting, catchy, melancholy song that resonates with damn near everyone without a standard rock band instrument in sight. The Beatles were just on another level.
Agreed. But I wonder what it sounded like before George Martin got his hands on it though? I think that's his arrangement. Did any of the Beatles themselves suggest an all-string arrangement, or did he? (Honest question. I don't know).
@@latheofheaven1017 It was Paul's suggestion but it was George Martin who made the unique arrangement of strings as Paul wanted something that had never been done with strings before. George wasn't called the 5th Beatle for nothing.
Their first single was released in October 1962. Three years later in October 1965 they recorded _Nowhere Man._ Then, ten months later they released _Eleanor Rigby._ The difference was amazing in such a short time.
@@johnburns4017The drugs kicked in.
@@ilionreactor1079
Not really.
I love, watching young people, discovered the Beatles. Especially when they have musical knowledge and realizing immediately what they’re listening to. Love your reaction.
It’s the gift that just keeps on giving. 😀
It's great to know that I'm not the only one.
Another great fan of theirs is Howard Goodall. The classical composer who wrote amongst other themes Red Dwarf and all the Blackadder themes as well.
Yea, some of us have been listening intently to Beatles for 60 years. Welcome aboard
Yep. Saw them on Ready, Steady Go on the BBC, before they were really famous.
Yep.. ever since seeing them perform on the Ed Sullivan show.
@@michaelcurtis8515 One of my earliest memories was seeing the Beatles debut on the Ed Sullivan show when I was four. I couldn't believe how long their hair was! My dad--a jazz musician--changed the channel in disgust. (He later became a Beatles fan when he realized how creative and talented they were. He even grew his hair long. 😂)
Let it be album and Abby road album
Being British I am lucky enough to have seen them live (I think it was 1964) in my home town of Cardiff.
The Beatles changed everything. They changed the way we dressed, thought of music, played music, and influenced bands then and now.
One of my very favorite things is watching a young person discover The Beatles - I sort of get to re-experience discovering them myself many, many years ago. Do a deep dive into their catalog. You won't be disappointed.
Nit Pic, I’m, or was a musician back in the Beatles heyday. The Beatles are why music is the way it was until recently. They were the most influential artists of all time. They’re still my all time favorite musicians. I’m 71 years old and have played in numerous rock bands, and we were all moved by the Beatles. They started in 1962, but came to the US in 1963.
I am also 71 and sang in some teenage bands growing up. When Sgt. Peppers went on sale we rushed out to buy it. After school we rushed home to play the record to see if we could figure out a few of the tunes. Well, one song ran into another and they had full orchestration. We kept playing it and flipping it because it was completely different from anything we had ever heard before. "A Day in the life " was the one that haunts me to this day. "I read the news today, Oh Boy...about a lucky man who made the grade..."
I thought maybe you were in a band that was well-known, so I looked you up, but the first hits in the search engine were "Rodney Davenport found guilty of triple murder"... well, I tried. :)
1964
Just FYI, The Beatles came to America a couple of days before their historic performance on the Ed Sullivan show on Feb 9, 1964. I remember that night still, even though I was just 4 years old. Cheers!
She's Leaving Home is another masterpiece👌
Still makes me cry as a 60 year old geezer. Such a beautiful yet tragic song. Yet another Beatles masterpiece.
Still makes me cry.
No argument from me.
That is the one that I was going to recommend.
So true and i would add,For No One.They were bloody good,weren't they.
Something which many young people today don't understand about the Beatles music...they existed for only about 7 years...in which they wrote & recorded 200+ original songs!!! The range of styles, both lyrically & musically was amazingly vast. Especially considering they were all in their 20s! At first, older composers scoffed at them, but by the mid 60s they all had great respect for their creativity in songwriting. I remember Leonard Bernstein & Henry Mancini doing tv shows analyzing their music. Their musical growth in those years is even more amazing in retrospect, IMO.
Check out The Long and Winding Road. I have been a Beatles fan since 1962, at age seven. I grew up listening to their music and have continued to do so all my life. Keep listening!
"Golden Slumbers" & "The Long and Winding Road" further highlight the genius of the Beatles melodies. And to consider Paul was 20 when he wrote this! Incredible.
This is mainly a McCartney song and he wrote this when he was 23 years old. Amazing. This is what genius sounds like.....then he sings it fantastically.
Do not under estimate the Beatles wirk and non musical minds thinking
Did ya know the line "Ah look at all the lonely people" was a George contribution!!!
Incredible.
@@wpollock1 Fool On The Hill is genius? Lol Just a song. Helter Skelter is genius!
@@michaelbeckwith6177I wonder if he did the melody too
Absolutely nothing like it at the time and blew me away when it first arrived. Genius stuff, no doubt about it. I swear you'll never see their likes again.
Right on, copferthat! As a huge Beatle fan, I was 15 when Revolver came out. It was mind-blowing.
I find it hard to believe that there are people around who have not heard "Eleanor Rigby."
It’s fun watching people listen to the greatest band of all time for the first time
And to think no other country has anything like them. Or ever will.
String section written and arranged by Sir George Martin, the Beatles long time record producer who talked the lads into accepting the idea. We used to have lots of radio dj's who'd brag about being the Fifth Beatle but Martin really was. He was in the studio with them every step of the way, not a hired technician, a co-artist.
Exactly right. What a talented group of people all in one place. Amazing!
George Martin was unquestionably a great contributor to the Beatles catalogue. However, when it came to string arrangements such as Eleanor, McCartney kept him on a tight rein, insisted on certain lines in the various parts, and attended the recording sessions to demand details such as that the string players had to keep their employment of the standard vibrato technique to an absolute minimum.
That's why the track has bite. If it had been left to Sir George, it would have turned out as forgettable schmaltz.
I think the best part of this song is the imagery. You see every scene in your minds eye. You see the sadness we all feel inside.
My brother was a Beatles fan, so I heard a lot of Beatles as a teenager. Let It Be is special to me, because the organ played it at his funeral as we carried him out of the church.
Which songs do I especially like? You have already mentioned Yesterday. There is While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Help! Yellow Submarine. Revolution. A Day in the Life. Penny Lane. They published more than 300 songs. There are so many greats among them.
It's the one of the best Beatles song, maybe the best. Deep, touching poetry, dramatic, sublime music, perfect vocal harmonies - this is an all-time masterpiece
" Eleanor Rigby died & was buried along with her name, nobody came" Her whole life described in 12 words. Amazing 😮
That line only describes her death, not her life.
@@magicbrownie1357 Her life's described by 'nobody came'.
A story in six words: For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.
@@brianbell3836 No, her life is described in the first verse. Amazing how many people have such terrible problems with reading comprehension.
@@magicbrownie1357 It funny how intelligent folk can lack basic perception and make flawed interpretations.
'Nobody came' implies an unhappy, lonely life. Here, at her funeral, she has no friends, lovers or relations. She has nothing and this is her life summed in two words. Nobody came.
The rest is unimportant.
Here, There, and Everywhere is a Beatles song that definitely deserves your attention. It's another 'Paul' song and is pure joy to listen to.
Lennon said it was his favorite Paul song.
Probably my favorite...amongst a dozen others.
I can think of many others which I'd goto first - but to each their own. I always thought HTAE was a rather pale track for the Beatles. Other people did it better IMO.
@alanmusicman3385 What I admire about HTAE are the chord changes as he switches keys in the middle portion of the song. The transition of going from one key to the other and then back again is so smooth that it's barely noticeable to the untrained ear.
@@tdgallagher218 It is a lovely song with intriguing changes yes, but the Beatles version always sounds to me to be unfinished. Paul said he was trying to create a kind of Beach Boys sound on the backing vocals - but I think it just sounds pale and unfinished. The one-hit-wonder band Episode Six did a version which is much fuller and - IMO - is a much more fully realised version of the song. You can hear that version here on YT.
Often dismissed as a 'pop group' they were musically and lyrically innovative. Even their straight rock/pop songs are streets ahead of most other bands. I'm the wrong side of 70 so I grew up with their music (and a whole lot else from that time). It's heartening to see people rediscovering it, but also heartening to find bands like Band-Maid who, whilst in a slightly different part of the musical spectrum, are being equally innovative with their music and lyrics and matching/surpassing any other musician with their skills. I had to give up playing my beloved bass in my early twenties with the onset of severe arthritis, but I never lost my love of listening to music and I truly appreciate your breakdown of each of the songs you react to.
I will often do a double take when I hear that the most influential band, maybe ever, is "just" a 'pop group.'
"often dismissed"... why would anyone dismiss THEM
@@BaccarWozat Well, people are entitled to be wrong, I suppose.
They were never a Pop band..the Beatles created all forms of Rock music from symphonic rock, to hard rock, to acid rock, to blues rock to rock ballads
Chorus first is genius. By the time the chorus comes in after the 1st verse, you already know it.
Can't Buy Me Love was a bit of a foreshadowing of this technique... :)
After the song was written, they found Elanor Rigby's grave in a Liverpool Cemetry.
Not just any churchyard it was the one where John and Paul first met
@billysequins no she's buried in the church at wavatree mystery park they met about 2 miles away in Woolton
No the graveyard is in Woolton.I live around tbe corner.
She is still alive, and owns Ellie's Fish & Chips shop on Scotland Rd.😂
@@david-lw3doI’ve seen Eleanor Rigby’s grave in Woolton. Rigby is old established Liverpool surname so could well be duplicated in Wavertree?
Hi everyone. Just for the edification of new Beatle fans or simply for those who are just curious --- The Beatles had 4 distinct musical phases in their career and they showed signs of progress (and experimentation) within each one of them as they delved into a variety of musical styles and genres along the way. Roughly, those phases can be broken into groups of 3 albums each (along with the associated singles often not included on the albums). Every 3rd album or so they would move on to something totally new, but within those phases there was definitely progression within each individual album. It's amazing that their entire legacy was cemented in just 7 short years. The phases are roughly as follows (albums listed in recording order, not release date order):
( 1 ) --- The Mop Top / Teen idol phase: Albums: _Please, Please Me (1963);_ _With the Beatles (1963);_ _A Hard Day's Night (1964)_
( 2 ) --- The Folk Rock / Country Rock phase: Albums: _Beatles For Sale (1964);_ _Help! (1965);_ _Rubber Soul (1965)_
( 3 ) --- The Psychedelic Rock Phase: Albums: _Revolver (1966);_ _Sgt. Peppers ... (1967);_ _Magical Mystery Tour (1967)_
( 4 ) --- The Professional /eclectic phase: Albums: _The White Album (1968);_ _Let It Be (1969);_ _Abbey Road (1969)_
NOTE: All of the singles they released that were not included on their official albums can be found in the 2 disc compilation collection called _Beatles Past Masters I_ and _Beatles Past Masters II_ --- most of their well known hits and popular songs can be found on these 2 albums (though in my opinion, their album tracks were equally as great, just not as well known). A few other tunes not released as singles or on the above albums appear on the _Yellow Submarine_ soundtrack album. That being said, I would also like to add that we should not forget about their wonderful producer _George Martin_ who also contributed much to the Beatles music --- including the playing of Piano and Harpsichord on a variety of tracks --- truly the 5th Beatle. Hope this helps a bit in defining the different stages in their musical progress.
@Hernal03. In relation to Let It Be. As most of us, Beatles fans are aware, all of the material on the album was written and recorded in January 1969, as covered in the original Let It Be film, directed by Michael Lindsay Hogg, and more thoroughly in Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson, though not released until the following year, 1970, with Abbey Road hitting the shelves well in advance of Let It Be.✌️
That is a very interesting formulation. Fact is, The Beatles were and always will be in a class of their own. They were and remain truly unique and simply the best ever.
You spoilt everything by your stupid comment about the 5th Beatle.
There wasn’t one unless you are talking about past members, Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe.
George Martin was their producer, never a member, and did his job very well, but that’s all.
@@martinmorris5997 There is a reason that George Martin is frequently referred to as the _Fifth Beatle,_ not just by myself but by countless others including fans, biographers and even members of the Fab Four themselves. Of course Martin was the Producer on most of the music they released but there were also roughly 30 or so Beatle songs that he participated as an instrumentalist as well (mostly keyboards) and, on a few occasions, as a musical composer. How many songs in the Beatles main catalogue (songs released during their 7 years together) do you think Pete Best or Stu Sutcliffe actually contributed to? The answer is a whopping ZERO. The label of _Producer_ does not even begin to do justice to the level of involvement that George Martin had on their records. Even if you don't take into account his technical wizardry that helped create so many unusual sounds on some of their more psychedelic songs, George is also known for such things as playing keyboards on a variety of songs including *_In My Life, Fixing a Hole, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kyte_* among others. As a classically trained musician he helped compose some of the backing instrumentation of such songs as *_Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby_* and *_Strawberry Fields Forever._* Let's not downplay his contribution to the groups sound, it _was_ a real thing. But if you truly feel that my George Martin comment was _stupid,_ I won't begrudge you that, please feel free to believe what you feel is right --- each of us is different and we all have our personal opinions --- life is too short and during our brief tenure on this planet we must all find meaning where we can. _Whatever gets us through the night, is alright._
@@martinmorris5997 Martin was known as the "5th Beatle" (in inverted commas not actually an official 5th Beatle) since the 60s. You must know this and are just being contrary. Twit.
You can thank the genius of their producer, George Martin for that string arrangement. George was a master at taking many of the ideas that the Beatles had for their songs and creating magic!
Eleanor Rigby is on Revolver, which is the greatest album of all-time. If you want to dive into The Beatles catalogue, you should start by listening to that entire album. But of course a lot of the most groundbreaking Beatles songs are not the hit Singles (which are also great) but are songs on the B-side of albums. An example of this is with on Revolver itself where lots of people talk about Eleanor Rigby but people should also talk about For No One. However, my favourite example is I'll Be Back, which closes out A Hard Day's Night. It was such a revolutionary song in so many ways for a song that came out in the summer of 1964.
For No One might be especially interesting as it had Alan Civil, one of the UK's top horn players playing at the limits of the instruments range.
I'll Be Back, one of the greatest of The Beatles countless fabulous songs.
@@dggydddy59 Agreed, and it was just an album cut for them. For any other band "I'll Be Back" would be released as a single and might have gone to the top.
It was fun to watch someone (you) who had never heard Eleanor Rigby react. Glad you liked it, I hope you'll expand your experience of the Beatles. Been a fan since I was a grade-schooler in the backseat, hearing for the first time, and watching my parents react, too, to "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
I’ve heard that song for years and it is so refreshing to see a young person discover the genius of the Fab 4. Also I find it intriguing that you have music an understanding of music theory and can analyze things from that perspective. I love that you were surprised at the ingenuity of this track. So much more to explore (I hope). It looks like you “get it”. So cool. Thanks for sharing
Lennon and McCartney were extraordinary song writers and are known mostly for songs like Elenor Rigby. But they also wrote some great pure rock songs as well. A couple of my favorites are Paperback Writer and Day Tripper. Those songs started me on my path to becoming a hard rock lover all these years.
Helter Skelter has so many hallmarks of later punk and hard rock that it is wild to realize it came out in the 60s.
George used the fuzz tone for the first time in the lead in to Day Tripper.
The Beatles were and will always be the most important musical phenomenon in human history. What they took us on is inconceivably, beautiful and transformative, so yeah, you might say a little bit of a fan.
The Beatles' producer, George Martin was a classically trained oboist who also played keyboards and wrote orchestral arrangements.
He played piano, celesta, organ and harpsichord on some Beatles records, though most of the band's keyboard parts were played by John or Paul.
He arranged "Eleanor Rigby" for a string octet - four violins, two violas and two cellos. Those are the only instruments on the record. Vocals were overdubbed later.
George Martin's arrangement was influenced by Bernard Herrmann's score for the movie "Fahrenheit 451".
Finally, someone mentions George Martin whose influence on this track is so substantial and couldn’t/shouldn’t be ignored. This is really a McCartney/ Martin production, rather than a Beatles’ song.
George Martin - The fifth Beatle. He should be officially named since he’d masterfully produced their later tracks
I'm soon to be 74 years old, and the Beatles are still my favorite group, and I'm sure that most people don't realize their indelible mark on music to this day. If you were to buy their entire set of albums and listen to them in the order of their release, you would hear a growth of vocalizations, composition, cord usage, and storytelling that have seldom, in most cases been used prior, and seldom duplicated to that extent. In fact, many have used, and have admitted to using, much of what the Beatles originally produced. They were innovators par-none. That being said, you cannot leave out George Martin's influence. He was their long-time producer, writer, or co-writer with Paul, of several of their orchestrations, and their guide and mentor, especially in post-production. If you've never listened to A Day in the Life, I suggest you do. It would actually make a great video for you. But I would first read a bit of background on how it came to be.
You're young. Don't feel ashamed about not knowing Beatles music, but instead, study their music and enjoy it if you desire. I always watching someone new listening to a song that I knew most of my life. This came out in 1966. Songs that I love by the Beatles are: In My Life, Paperback Writer, Yellow Submarine, Hey Bullfrog, The Abbey Road Medley, Michelle, Girl, You Won't See Me, I Saw Her Standing There, Here, There, and Everywhere, Hey Jude, She Loves You, All My Loving, I Want To Hold Your Hand, If I Fell, Day Tripper, A Day In The Life, Penny Lane, I Am The Walrus (I think you'll really dissect that one), Something, Strawberry Fields Forever, Roll Over Beethoven, Rain, All You Need Is Love, Please Please Me; PS. I Love You, A Hard Days Night, And I Love Her, Tell Me Why...etc. There are so many good ones and their recordings got very interesting as they evolved. Definitely don't feel bad about not knowing their music. You have a lifetime to enjoy it. Thank you for sharing.
You mean Hey Bulldog.
@jimjess6864 I'm not sure but my spell correct may have done that. You're right, whether my brain or spell check messed it up. Thank you.
@@pcallas66 well, to be fair it was originally called Hey Bullfrog, but Paul deliberately "misread" the lyrics and changed it to Hey Bulldog, which John was apparently okay with.
@@jimjess6864 It's just a great song!!!
@@jimjess6864 There's an all girl group from around 1971 named Fanny that did a tremendous cover of it. You can find it easily.
Producer George Martin scored the string part, and he was very influenced by Bernard Herrmann, who scored several films for Alfred Hitchcock, including Psycho - Martin liked Herrmann's "spiky" string sounds. Martin was a classically trained oboist, and he encountered The Beatles' non-standard use of chords and keys early on. They ended She Loves You with a rather unorthodox chord in violation of normal music theory, he pointed that out to them, and they just said "We like that chord and we're gonna end the song on it".
Paul came up with the name Eleanor Rigby, inspired partly by the name Eleanor Bron, an actress who worked with them in their movie Help. However, in their younger years, The Beatles sometimes used to hang out in a cemetery in Liverpool (because it was quiet and shady), and it turns out that there was an Eleanor Rigby buried there. When asked about it, Paul said he had no conscious memory of ever seeing that headstone, but admitted that it could very well have been in the back of his mind from all those hours spent in the cemetery.
And interestingly she chose the only song (pretty sure) that none of the Beatles actually played on. Of course there's Paul's vocal but none of the guys played an instrument on this one. She's Leaving Home may be another but I'm not entirely sure about that.
I knew Martin scored the string part, but I didn't know about the Herrmann influence and YEAH!.. Now that you pointed it out, it's all I can hear!!!!
Ahhh, Herrmann... what an absolute grump, but also an absolute treasure.
Always thrilled to see someone discover the Beatles.
The way this song flows into the criminally underrated song I’m Only Sleeping on this flawless album…
🤌🤌🤌🤌🤌🤌🤌🤌
Oh! Please don’t stop the song in the middle. That is so tragic wait till the end… Thank you for listening.
The Beatles always stretched the boundaries with their compositions
I was just going to listen some Beatles when I saw this video. Love Elanor Rigby. Nothing better than to sit in the sweet spot of a system cranked up listening to that song. It envelops you to the point you sitting in the studio right next to Paul as he sings it. Listen to this old man young lady. There will come a time in your future when you'll realize what others think of you for whatever you do, think, say, intelligence or how you appear is of no matter and you'll be mad at yourself for living all your years worrying about. You need to consider that and think about what it means to the way your life will be structured if you live it now and the beckon of others. Never be afraid to say you don't know. That's what makes you wiser. Good luck with your channel.
This period of time represented a massive shift in the subject matter of pop/rock music. In the years prior, songs were almost exclusively about love, dancing, holding hands, etc... lighthearted happiness. Real human issues, real problems like depression, loneliness, grief were taboo.
A few months prior to this song The Rolling Stones released a song called "Paint it Black" about death, grief and depression. After these songs, the floodgates were opened and pop/rock musicians were able to write about almost anything.
The huge change in all forms of pop culture and entertainment that happened in just a few years time in the middle 1960's cannot be overstated.
Dylan was releasing songs with serious subject matter long before the Stones did it and even the Beatles gave him credit for changing the type of songs they wrote.
@@jameshannagan4256 Dylan was folk music for self-conscious university students and arty types. He was not pop music for the masses till later, perhaps he never was. He sold far fewer records than most of us assume (and I have a lot of his records, including a few singles). Simon & Garfunkel, also more in the folk genre, sold far more records
The reason "everyone seems to like the Beatles" is because people universally recognise genius when the see it or hear it. There doesn't seem to be a particular reason why they should have been able to write and record so many incredibly memorable and meaningful songs, they just met each other by chance and were compelled to do the work. They stand alone in music history. There are 186 songs written by the Beatles, knock yourself out.
It's more common now but back in the day no one used a string ensemble in rock and roll much less the only instrumentation in the entire song. That's where there creative genius came in.
I remember the shock when a mere pop group had the temerity to use an orchestra, of Proper Musicians in their music.
Probably the most complete pop song every written. The influence of the 5th Beatle, George Martin, cannot be underestimated.
The Beatles have many others that are equally complete. They ave far more masterpieces than any other band. Many top bands only have one or two masterpieces. Most have none.
My father was in a rock band when the Beatles made the transition from "I wanna hold your hand" to "Yesterday" and "Eleanor Rigby". I've heard him describe it as sea change. Mind Blowing, thinking he was going to have to forget everything he knew and start over. Up to this point rock music was three chords performed by a guitar, bass, drums, and piano, on a blues scale, as were the Beatles pretty much. Then the Beatles meet Bob Dylan, who showed them how lyrics could be used, as well as introducing them to weed. Which is what led them from "I wanna hold your hand" into a far different era. So the Beatles get credit for showing the world the way.... but Bob Dylan gets the credit for showing the Beatles.
As a child of the mid fifties I grew up listening to and loving The Beatles all through the 60's to this day! I understand youngsters like your self might not have heard The Beatles much or at all. Glad your listening to some now, might bring a few more folks onboard to hearing these classics! The Beatles were so impactful in music. "Yellow Submarine" is a song and a animated movie, too!
Ringo's contribution.
You started down into a rabbit hole that never ends. Once you venture down into that Beatles universe you never truly leave. Basically 90 percent of their songs are either hits or very famous songs.
You picked a perfect song to analyze with your musical background. It is a masterpiece. The one thing I get from the song is you’re not the only one who’s lonely and maybe it sucks but if you remember, you’re not alone, maybe loneliest can pass you by
I would not expect anyone in their mid 20's to know anything about the Beatles. The band broke up 55 years ago. Ask Grandma or Grandpa what they thought of the Beatles. That being said, I'm glad that young ones like yourself are discovering what we have known for over 50 years.
Someone in their mid-20's not knowing of The Beatles! Really? You're definitely mistaken (not completely, I'm sure). The Beatles are alive and well even in younger generations. My son is 12 and is into plenty of music from the 50s onwards, and this was nothing to do with me. Good music is good music.
The Beatles catalog is quite a journey. You'll love it! Start from the beginning and follow their progression from great pop music (with great vocals and harmonies), to more diverse subjects and musical growth and finally to fine artists! Listening out of order you lose much of the magic.
exactly! Any Beatles journey should always start at their first album and go chronologically as we "first generation fans" heard them as they were released. Then and ONLY then can a "newbie" hear how their music evolved and progressed with EACH album and single, in just 7 1/2 years.
If you want to dive in - you should probably go through their catalogue from the start. The amount of innovation and change in their writing ability from 1962 - 1969 is just staggering.
Something that I think often gets overlooked about the Beatles is that they were only a band from 1963 to 1970. To have done the musical experimentation and had the impact they had in such a short time makes them seem even more impressive to me!
They were a band before 1962 as they performed in clubs in Germany and had quite a following there before they returned to the UK to get a recording contract with EMI. George Martin took them on and the rest is history.
The Beatles catalogue before their break-up has 213 tracks, 25 covers and 188 originals, and every single one of those 188 tracks has been covered by other artists.
Really? Revolution No. 9?
@@eddisstreet ua-cam.com/video/glrYaNqOPDU/v-deo.html
Never apologize for not knowing something. Appreciate and celebrate you've learned it. Anyone that knocks you down for not knowing is someone that hasn't learned enough. Great reaction! You know you're stuff!
This song was part of the Beatles "Revolver" album released around July-August 1966. For some time, the group had been evolving from a band for teenyboppers to one that aspired to be taken far more seriously as a "grown-up" band. Revolver was a giant step in that process and Eleanor Rigby, dealing as it did with the twin themes of loneliness and death seemed to encapsulate these new artistic emphases.
Do you think she could handle “Tomorrow Never Knows?”
I would argue that there isn't an intro at all. One of the many striking things about this song is that they plunge directly into the chorus. Within the first second, we're in it.
@KH Help and Can't Buy Me Love are other examples.
@@chatham43 Yes, the Beatles tried everything, and those burst openings work really well in the songs you name as well as ER
You don't know the Beatles because they broke up decades before you were born. Kudos to you for starting your Beatle experience.
Musical genius, the way they incorporated classical instruments into popular music, they were the first to do so many things in music. and they were so diverse. No two Beatles songs sound the same.
Anyone who says, "How can you not know about The Beatles?!" is missing the point. You are finding out about them now, and we all get the joy of seeing you do it. Life is not a race, it's an ever-unfolding experience, diverse and personal. Does the first person to finish his glass of fine wine or his gourmet meal enjoy it more, or do it more honor, than the person who finishes hers in her own good time? You just demonstrated that you understood the song in ways some of those people never have, nor ever will.
This is an absolutely delightful reaction video!! Great Job!
Hearing your expert musical analysis of this song makes me appreciate it even more, and I've loved it for fifty years (which is not as long as many have loved it, but longer than others). I just learned a lot about this song...from you. You don't need to apologize to anyone. Those "superior" people should be apologizing to you...and then thanking you.
This is one of The Beatles' (and Paul McCartney's) most iconic songs. Yet, on the next album, in my humble opinion, he surpasses this string quartet masterpiece with an even greater achievement composed in this same style: "She's Leaving Home." If you liked this ...then ...that.
[EDIT: Silly joke omitted. Don't worry, you're not missing anything.]
I just wanted to add a few more words to say, sometimes I use too many words. 😷
The Beatles were foundational to modern music. I think that's why folks are shocked. You are so knowledgeable about music. Glad to see you fill this gap. 😅
The greatest band of all time. So much classics...
-Strawberry Fields Forever
-While My Guitar Gently Weeps
-All You Need Is Love
-Hapiness Is A Warm Gun
-In My Life
-Nowhere Man
-Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
-Hey Jude
-Something
-Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End
-If I Fell
-And I Love Her
-Ticket To Ride
-Got You Get To Into My Life
-It's Only Love
You sound like a person talking about his/her lost love 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
The Beatles had a habit of writing songs about real life and real people. Eleanor is an older women whose widowed or never married and works in the church. She keeps waiting for someone that never comes home. Father McKenzie is the priest and as most do when they right their sermons they know a lot of people just don't pay attention. Priests live a lonely life.
When Eleanor dies she had no friends that showed up for the funeral and Father McKenzie was just going through the motions of the ceremony.
Another good one is A Day In The Life which has all of its key lyrical elements from newspaper headlines.
Eleanor, it's a common name believe it or not
@@mikeevans4585 Just call me fumble thumbs. 😁
Once you start diving into the Beatles rabbit hole, it is nearly impossible to stop because of their genius. To state that they changed music is a massive understatement. They proved that the usual music theory that classical music abides by is NOT the only way music can be composed.
I am 73. I grew up with The Beatles music, sounding on the radio. The Beatles music is an important part of what I am. It is hard to me recommend one or another Beatles song, because every album was different from the former. The Beatles were constantly evolving.
But I would say, essential Beatles songs are: "A Day in the Life", "Strawberry Fields for Ever", "Here Comes the Sun", "All You Need is Love", "Nowhere Man", "Yesterday", and, of course "Tomorrow Never Knows". I stop here, because I think you shoud explore by yourself. You will understand why people of my age cannot understand today's pop music. And also, why we keep listening to The Beatles, and teaching them to our children and grandchildren.
Thank you very much for your beautiful reaction to a beloved song.
Gonzalo Fuster, from Viña del Mar, Chile.
No, you're opening the door to a wondrous world of musical wander and genius
It's an amazing lyric. Especially since it's from Paul McCartney, who was very much an optimistic type person, but here he searches a darker side. Apparently he was fascinated with a gravestone he found in a church graveyard near his home in Liverpool. He imagined the fate of an unknown person - a headstone and name, all that's left in the visible world.
The Beatles' producer, the legendary George Martin, would respond to the songwriters in the band when they requested various sounds for their compositions. He was a classically trained musician, who had been given creative control over a floundering label within the EMI stable of record labels. He searched for a popular music act that could launch his label, he found The Beatles, who were untrained musically. This collaboration resulted in a revolution in pop music. The band members and their producer revolutionized the creation and recording of popular music.
I've been listening to the Beatles since age 5 in 1965, when I heard their A Hard Days Night on a Saturday morning Beatles cartoon show.
McCartney is still alive and making music.
@@wraithby We don't know whether this song is based on the person named on the gravestone, or an old lady named Daisy Hawkins, he knew as a child, as he said in a Rolling Stone Interview. But her name didn't fit the song.
In another interview Paul said, that he always liked the name Eleanor and knew a shop named Rigby.
Noting all the comments about Paul's serendipitous discovery of a headstone for the grave of a woman who was completely unknown to him made me think about her name, how it captured his imagination, and inspired him to describe a life of desperate loneliness, and set it in such a remarkable song. I suppose there is an implicit contrast of the French regal elegance of Eleanor, and the more plain and workaday dactyl of Rigby, like worlds colliding, or a fall from grace caught in the juxtaposition of two nouns. Perhaps this contrast is what we hear in the abrupt shift from major to minor that is such prominent of the music. I'm speculating there of course, but what is unarguable really is the genius of McCartney to take a randomly encountered name and use it to memorialize the loneliness suffered by so many people, and the fear of loneliness that almost everyone experiences at some point in their lives.
Now, I never knew I thought any of that until I watched your video, and saw how the major / minor thing caught your attention. Amazing! So thanks. There are so many 'I've never listened to X' videos out there, and I get, but if you'll permit me to say so, it is a leeeeettle bit click baity. I acknowledge that there's a difference between hearing and listening, but nevertheless, once that stuff was out of the way, you quickly made me pay closer attention to what you had to say. Whether there is a moral to be found in that is not for me to say. I enjoyed your reaction, I can definitely say that.
Asif that wasn't enough, I disappeared down an etymological rabbit hole over the question of flutist vs flautist, which is how I've always referred to players of the instrument. I discovered that it's an American vs British English thing. Interestingly, the first recorded use of flutist dates from 1603, whereas flautist first appears over 250 years later, in 1860. So presumably flutist was also the preferred noun in English from whenever flutes became familiar instruments until some silly stuck-up snobby Victorian arsehole decided it would be classier to give it more Italianate feel. If you compare the voicing of the vowels 'aw' with 'oo', the former certainly superior in facilitating looking down one's nose! It certainly wouldn't be the first time that British English speakers have taken it upon themselves to arbitrarily complexify to perfectly serviceable words for no obvious purpose! More pretentious than clever, I think, although there will be some who complacently take it as evidence of American English being a dumbed down travesty of the mother tongue. Pompous gits! Anyway, that's something else I learned today. I think I may need to get out more!
P.S. Listen to more Beatles! There's so much of interest to discover in their music it's frankly ridiculous and someone should have told them to share the toys with the other children. How they came by their talents is unknowable, but they had a protean fecundity, such that their influence is probably unmatched in modern music. Several of their songs feature the flute, if you are curious, but Strawberry Fields Forever is the one that's coming to mind. For maxi-flute however, you should check out another British band (if you don't know them already), just a few years later than the Beatles, Jethro Tull, whose flautist was also the lead vocalist. Living in the Past would be a good place to start, but Ian Anderson is a great musician with a rich and extensive catalogue. Best wishes.
WOW - you’re so young and have missed out on so much music for a “music educator”. I’m 68 this is the soundtrack to my life. The music is stunning for the year 1966. The strings was from the EMI producer Sir George Martin. You pointed out the mode mixture of Aeolian mode (neutral minor) and the Dorian mode. Song is in E minor but starts with C major vocals. The composition of this music complements the lyrics and the characters plight in the song. However as a teenager it was just super cool and a new sound. My old ears and a lifetime of music collecting has pushed me into learning why songs impact me on so many levels - however some who like watching a magician think it best not to know, or understand how the trick is done, but to just wallow in its beauty and brilliance. So little time left for me and so much to still learn about music and the universe.
This is one of their masterpieces. It grabs you by the throat and pulls you in with the intro. One of my favorites out of so many favorites.
I was born in 1954 so when I began to be aware of music the Beatles were on the radio all of the time. The British Invasion was in full swing. This is what I cut my teeth on, so to speak, musically. I heard them evolve from 1964 until 1970, and it was an amazing metamorphosis. Check out "Baby You Can Drive My Car" and "Golden Slumbers"
1) A Day In The Life
2) Dear Prudence
3) Hey Jude
In no particular order
Agreed.If you really want to go out on a limb,Tomorrow never knows will take you there
I've been a Beatles fan since February 1964, when they first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. I'll say what I assume others have already said, if only to emphasize the importance of it: Start from the beginning, the early songs (e.g., Please Please Me, I Want to Hold Your Hand). Then follow them through their brief 5-6 year journey so you can marvel at their progression.
I'm 63 and honestly been a Beatles fan since 1964, so 60 years and have always thought by far the best band EVER.
We need you to come back here next year, and we will feed you. :)
@@mikemartin5749 I think we'll need him, too. 🙂
I'm light years from understanding music as you do, but i find your analysis so totally interesting... you increased my appreciation of this classic song as I've never heard it before. Thank you!
It is interesting you would mention Yellow Submarine., as it was paired with Eleanor Rigby on the "Double A Sided" American single (released in August of 1966). George Martin and Paul McCartney arranged the songs string octet. I believe a viola plays the chromatic descending line. Starting with a D note (the 7th of the Em7 chord.) Followed by a C# (Em6.) The following C note becomes the tonic 1 note of the introduced C chord. Concluding on a B note (the 5th of the Em) chord). The C chord is also the Major chord heard in the songs Intro and middle coda. Good stuff indeed. A terrific reaction. All the best, RNB
An important fact to note: unlike many pop or rock groups today, the Beatles had a strong sense of the avant-garde, from art school and people they met in Hamburg in the early 1960s. It is unusual that they would be allowed to expand their artistic expression so much or that they would be willing to sacrifice their popularity to do something experimental and out of the mainstream. This I attribute to their long history together before becoming famous, and George Martin their producer. He was classically trained, but his job at Parlephone records was making spoken word records. So really this was a meeting of first-timers figuring it out as they went along instead of some seasoned professional telling the band what to do. Also due to their fantastic popularity, no one could tell them what to do.
The result? Bands everywhere started trying out new sounds and new ideas.
George Martin did all kinds of records before producing The Beatles -- spoken word, comedy records, jazz, bagpipe music, classical, experimental even pop (though that was the genre he was weakest in until his partnership with John, Paul, George, and Ringo). He was far from a first-timer, though working with the Beatles was a learning experience for him, as it would be for anyone working with a group that innovative.
@@gregoryeatroff8608
Very interesting!
I don't know if it's true, that he said:
"In the beginning The Beatles learned from me and later I learned from The Beatles".
@@ulrikealtmann4655 I've heard that quote too, but I don't remember where.
Good info spag... thanks.
The Beatles had thousands of hours of live performance before they were known outside of local venues, much of it in their late teens and early twenties. This made them an extraordinarily tight band with three great songwriters, a perfect setup to revolutionize popular music. Ironically, their incredible popular success forced them to give up live performance and focus instead on the studio where they produced amazing music in a rapid evolution, but if you watch their last live concert, the rooftop show, you can see and hear the great live band they always were.
I discovered The Beatles when I was about 11 or 12. This would have been in the early 70s, so after their break up, but still in our very recent memory. As such, their music shaped much of my musical tastes. Over the years, I grew to learn how many of these songs came to be and about The Beatles own musical influences.
Regarding this song, as I have grown older and I have lost friends and family, the tragedy of the lyrics become more keenly felt. The death at the end isn't the tragedy, it is the life of loneliness that proceeds it. If any lesson can be taken from this art, it is that we should seek out the lonely and spend some of our time with them and try to alleviate it as best we can. We are social beings and we need the human contact
Thanks for your reaction. Coming from a Flutist it was a very refreshing perspective. Very nice
I really appreciate your dissection of the music. It brought a new awareness for me.
And bought a subscription for you.
You introduced me to Band Maid! We are all learning. What a great community music lovers are!
Quick History, In February 1964, the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show (twice) and sang "I wanna Hold your Hand" and "Twist and Shout" among others and Beatlemania began in the USA. They were ages 19 to 22. I think they were the first "Boy Band" that became superstars. Previous superstars were individual vocalists backed by studio musicians, like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Pressley, Bobby Darin. The song Eleanor Rigby was written in 1966 after they stopped touring and focused on studio work. They excelled at many popular music genres, so if you skip around their catalog, you will often be surprised.
I've been a fan for 50/60 years. One thing I loved about them is you never knew what they do next, heavy metal, polka music, country or orchestral backdrops, folk or rock and roll. They did it all. Check out Paul singing Oh Darling for a look at his range past Eleanor Rigby.
Polka? I don’t think so.
@@walterhoenig6569 I 'm refering to obla di obla da (not sure of the spelling) from the white album.
@@walterhoenig6569 I 'm refering to obla di obla da (not sure of the spelling) from the white album.
"Rubber Soul" (not the homonym of "soul" and "sole" (as the bottom of a show). It and "Revolver" marked the real growth of the Lennon-McCartney team (with always a bone tossed to George) and blossoming out in "Sgt. Pepper."
Eleanor Rigby is a sad and poignant elegy, with not much to say about an insignificant person (which applies to most of us).
For a profoundly sad song, check out Gordon Lightfoot's ballad "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." It tugs at my heart every time I play it.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE your interest in this gorgeous song. It has made me re-listen and appreciate how amazing this music was, all around, instruments, voice AND highly intelligent and philosophical!! Thank you so much !!! Yes, I am a 78 year old American living now in Ukraine !!
Which Beatle song are you missing out? All of 'em. Ok, easy answer but not that far from the truth (ok ok ... MY truth 😉). It would be amazing to watch you discovering some of their best albums (controversial subject though): Revolver (Eleanor Rigby is on the tracklist), The Beatles (aka the White Album), Abbey Road or Sgt Peppers. You won't believe how many great songs are packed in each of those albums, nor the amazing diversity of musical genres they contain.
I discovered the Beatles at 13 (1974) and they already were separated! A friend of mine was playing "Day Tripper"'s riff on his bass and I fell in love. I bought all the albums I could second hand from school mates and discovered a new universe: rock and pop music. So you can say The Beatles opened the music doors to me. To cut a long story short, there's a second band that did the same to me 6 years ago: Band-Maid opened the doors of Japanese rock to me - now I have hundreds of records (... and tshirts) and I'm following dozen of bands.
Cherish the bands or artists who are the key opening a new world to you.
I discovered The Beatles two years earlier through reruns of the syndicated cartoon series.
I would add Rubber Soul to that list. When it came out in 1965, it was apparent to us that The Beatles were entering new territories.
@@jmamarq Okay. The LP cover alone showed the world that the days of the loveable mop tops were over.
I am a Beatles fan and also a Harrison, McCartney, Lennon and Starr solo artists fan.
I went to Paul's concert at Dodger stadium back in 2014.
It's already been 10 years and still my favorite concert.
He played for nearly 3 hours, Beatles and songs from his solo career.
Beatles music is the soundtrack of my life. 🎤🥁🎹💐👍
I
Heard an interview with a contemporary of the Beatles - possibly one of the Beatles themselves - about being at a wedding for another contemporary and queueing at the smorgasbord and noticing a stage full of musical equipment at the end of the venue. And Paul McCartney joins the queue and says "who's the band?" and the narrator says "I think it's us". He continues the narrative, saying "of course, you know Paul, give him a push and he will play everything he knows" and, sure enough, Paul puts down his plate and heads for the stage.
Sir Paul McCartney wrote by ear, had very little music theory training, and could not read music. These songs, these haunting memorable melodies, just popped into his head. Genius.
In 1966 he learned to write the score for the movie The Family Way with the help of George Martin.
If I Fell, Nowhere Man, She’s Leaving Home, A Day in the Life, Something, Here Comes the Sun, Rain
And the rest!!!!!! Brilliant. Incomparable.
Great react tnx, been beatles fan since 13yo 1982 mybe earlier their songs always on radio in Philippines, almost every station devote an hour or two every sunday
Some songs I love from The Beatles are "Help"(also a movie), "Helter Skelter", "Hard Day's Night", "Hey Jude", "Taxman", "She Said She Said", "Yesterday", "Paperback Writer", "Penny Lane", "Lady Madonna", "Get Back", "Something", "Let It Be", for a start, anyway. I probably will get flack for saying this, but, there are two bands though my 68 years on this planet that I like every song they did or have done to this point and they are The Beatles and Band-Maid! Don't get me wrong, there are songs I love from tons of other bands through the years in many genres, but no other bands have captured me like those two.
Wayne ... I know you and you don't live on a plant :p .
@@PANIC_aka_PinD Good catch, corrected. Maybe in a tree house, lol.
@@waynebenedict5785 You just gave me a good laugh is all ... imagining you being a full sized person sitting on a small house plant ... in a scrunched up sitting position with your feet up on the leaves too :p .
@@PANIC_aka_PinD I feel sorry for the plant, lol!
Imagine how sad it would be if there weren't new songs and bands to enjoy? I hope that you enjoy all the new Beatles songs you've yet to discover! (and phhhttt!!! to anyone climbing on their high-horse about knowing Beatles songs)
NO ONE will criticise SOMEONE new joining the Beatles’ army!
I am so happy that UA-cam suggested this video! I much prefer reaction videos by musicians to "ordinary" people. I love that you talk about chord structure, instrumentation, etc. I am a former band and choir director and really geek out on this stuff! (I am also a long-time drum corps instructor and high school marching band adjudicator.) My suggestion for the next Beatles song is "Think For Yourself," a George Harrison song. There are actually 2 simultaneous bass lines that Paul plays.
I’m glad this video is finding my music family here on UA-cam and thank you!
I wish I could’ve marched drum corps! I didn’t have the funds when I was younger. 🥹
I’m very glad you enjoyed! 🥰
@@NittPicc I didn't get to march DCI because I discovered Drum Corps my senior year in college. I marched and taught Senior Drum Corps for 10 years.
Are you familiar with Blast! - an all brass marching band on a stage with color guard and percussion? If you haven't, please do a reaction on them doing Malaguena! You will be astonished! ua-cam.com/video/lGkhiiM-KRg/v-deo.htmlsi=Jr972Qn43i-uUpR0
The genius of The Beatles.
Eleanor Rigby is just one of fourteen tracks on the classic album Revolver.
Check it out in full!
Great! The Beatles are the first band I can consider myself a fan of, more than forty years ago, and it is one of the few complete discographies I have. You have just listened a song from 1966, played exclusively with string instruments, written by a rock band that was rapidly transitioning to another genre (one yet to be discovered or defined) and that would mark the future decades of music to be written. Revolver is a tremendously eclectic album where this song shares space with Yellow Submarine or And Your Bird Can Sing or the fantastic Taxman. What are you missing with the Beatles? In my opinion, the best song in the history of rock music, which is A Day in the Life (from the Sgt Pepper's album from... 1967!). That song alone makes The Beatles the most original and daring band in history. Thanks! I didn't expect to have such a nostalgic time today.
I was a teen in the '60s and loved the Beatles (and all the other amazing bands) but it wasn't until later that I started to learn of and understand the absolute genius of John, Paul and George. They found entirely new ways of combining sounds to create music that is so unique and original. They get 5 stars for originality when most composers only deserve one or two.
I wouldn't leave Ringo Starr off the genius list. He always played "to the song." Top drummers have said that the Beatles' songs wouldn't have been what they turned out to be without his creative drumming.
I enjoyed your reaction. I've only been listening to The Beatles for 60 years. Well, songs by them include, Penny Lane with a piccolo trumpet, For No One has a french horn, She's Leaving Home has a harp & strings, etc. etc. etc. Within You Without You has eastern Indian instruments, and Tomorrow Never Knows is totally unique.
Never saw that video someone decided to attach to this song, but the constant violin image in your face over and over really makes the point. There are lots of violins in this song!
The more you will discover The Beatles, the more your mind will be blown. I was 14 in '64 and grew up with The Beatles and the British invasion.