FIRST TIME HEARING The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby REACTION

[@danacasey8543]

It made me cry when it came out. There was nothing else like it and it spoke to me. I was a lonely kid, since my dad was career military and we moved every 3 years. It still touches my heart, all these decades later. The Beatles were groundbreaking and paved the way for music to evolve. The best.

[@mysterymac38]

i know how you feel. I never wanted a girlfriend in school because I knew we would be moving every three years. It sucked. :)

[@brianbell3836]

Still lonely?

[@StephenSeabird]

Always gives me the chills. Stunning on every level, and very intense.

[@nathan43082]

Paul McCartney wrote and recorded this just before his 24th birthday. The guy is a modern Mozart.

[@sanafabich2184]

Are you comparing Paul with Mozart? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

[@nathan43082]

@@sanafabich2184 Yes. It's an apt comparison.

[@kellysargent1116]

I agree with Nathan. 😊

[@josefinelagerstrom2643]

I'm 24 and accomplished nothing so far 😂

[@RossM3838]

I suspect that George Martin had a big hand in creating the sophistication of this song.

[@queenrosered]

Your reaction to this masterpiece of music is as wise as the piece itself. It's incredibly insightful of you my friend. ❤ The Beatles compositions are taught in colleges around the world and performed by symphonic orchestras. Particularly Eleanor Rigby. It will definitely stand the test of time. Thank you for this awesome reaction! 👏 👍

[@michaelwduffy]

Thank you so much that means a lot my friend!! 😁🙏

[@BobKovacs]

I consider this song to be a masterpiece, and there was *nothing* like it on the radio at the time (1966). Only the Beatles, a rock and roll group and the biggest entertainment act in the world at the time, could release a song with no guitars and no drums, and have it be listened to and appreciated musicians today. Prior to 1966 and the Beatles, rock and roll was considered by serious musicians and serious music lovers to be "children's music" with little or no musical value. It was a passing fad, throwaway entertainment for the uneducated. With the release of "Yesterday" and "Eleanor Rigby," the musical intelligentsia sat bolt upright and recalculated what they said. There was no mistake that these songs were sophisticated and filled with musical value. It was at this point in the 1960s that pop/rock music pivoted from being "children's music" into "an art form." And it was the Beatles that caused the shift... that is why they are revered by so many today.

[@fredbloggs6080]

Yes, the Beatles has some serious and philosophical songs like Eleanor Rigby, The Long and Winding Road, Penny Lane, In My Life, Yesterday, -Why Don't We Do It in the Road- , She's Leaving Home, For No One, and A Day in the Life, among others. They paved the way for songs like Yummy Yummy Yummy, Loving You Has Made Me Bananas, and MacArthur Park.

[@jabberbone1]

@@fredbloggs6080 I appreciate your wit and humor. You obviously cavort in a psychic sea of depth and salinity. I agree with your assessment, though let me suggest that you may want to reconsider your reconsideration of Why Don't We Do It in the Road. (Also, I give you high Marks for mentioning Bananas.)

[@fredbloggs6080]

@@jabberbone1 Thank you. Oh, I just reread your comment and see you say "reconsider my reconsideration", meaning that you think Why Don't We Do It In the Road is actually a serious and philosophical song.

[@papercup2517]

@@fredbloggs6080 It does ask a valid philosophical question. After all, why DON'T we do it in the road? Apparently it was inspired by seeing monkeys expressing their ahem.. love for each other out in the open, without fear or shame, when the Beatles were in India.

[@fredbloggs6080]

@@papercup2517 Apparently the monkeys had been reading The Playboy Philosophy.

[@cog4life]

The Beatles WERE ahead of their time…..

[@explorer1968]

Yes, if you hear Helter Skelter...

[@marciaramirez3791]

You warm this old lady's heart. Your empathy and kindness comes through every reaction along with your boundless energy. Thanks for making my day. The Beatles were the center of our universe when I was in my teens, so very nice to see the younger generation appreciating their musical gifts to the world.

[@michaelj2528]

Yes time passes so quickly it seems one minute your 20 with life in front of you then suddenly you are 70 and saying we're did my life go . If your young out there make the most of every second.

[@raycornford283]

Along with "She's leaving home", this was social commentary at its best. Brilliant songwriting and way ahead of its time.

[@paulgallacher5384]

Elranor kept her jar by the door. You keep yours at the back of the couch😂

[@patticrichton1135]

@Paul Gallacher....GOOD ONE!!! you BEAT me to it! I was going to say the SAME thing!! LOL!

[@daveman_50]

It's all about the mayo!

[@MisterWondrous]

Two-minute masterpiece. The story of the Beatles. To steal an appropriate quote, this song was like reading Shakespeare by flashes of lightning. Epic reaction! New subscriber.

[@Hippychic723]

That is the best line! I have a face in a jar by the door 😌😌😌😌😌

[@javadan]

I have been a Beatle fanatic for decades (I'm 71), and this is by far my favorite ever song of theirs. Thanks for doing this reaction. It brings back a lot of memories.

[@javablanca547]

Senior ap english class 1982-83. In poetry section, this was required reading. Treated with same weight, respect as Keats, Shelley, Yeats...

[@paddysworld3978]

I like the way this guy thinks. Very perceptive!

[@ajruther67]

You should go through their ENTIRE catalog. But I suggest starting with their first album and go through the catalog chronologically so you can hear how their sound changed over time.

[@mgonzales56]

The Beatles were always ahead of their time, and everyone else were struggling to keep up. That's how it was in the 60's. The Beatles are amazing. And your reaction was very wise itself.

[@scottgorski7931]

The Beatles were so ground breaking. They started as the hot new Pop group from England and as they grew so did their music. While they evolved musically they took the rest of the music world with them. It was a great time to grow up in. Probably why a lot of my generation spent a lot more money on our stereos and got by with a second hand black and white television.

[@jaxstuff898]

this song for me with the Beatles is the point where they passed from a great band to legendary status.

[@michaelt6218]

"Way ahead of its time." You're absolutely right, that's very insightful. Of course that's true of a LOT of Beatles songs. Great reaction!

[@michaelwduffy]

Thanks for listening

[@bobv586]

I love your reaction to this song. You got the message instantly. This is how we gain wisdom in life..

[@donnamoskowitz4978]

"She's Leaving Home" is a must to react to!!!!

[@ianstrange5674]

This is my favourite Beatles recording. It's nothing short of sensational.

[@dagmar.6954]

"Eleanor Rigby" is from the Beatles 1966 album "Revolver". I had this album. It has a lot of great songs on it such as "Yellow Submarine", "Taxman", "Here, There & Everywhere", "Good Day Sunshine", "Got To Get You Into My Life" etc.

[@jeffmorse645]

They were starting to shift from early Beatles to later Beatles with Rubber Soul, but Revolver was the big change in that direction.

[@tricko8000]

It's my favorite Beatles album

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

I still all my original 1960s Beatles albums. Nothing like hearing music on vinyl. I love the face in a jar line as well. Interestingly, there is a gravestone in a church in Liverpool bearing the name Eleanor Rigby.

[@polkhigh2317]

revolver was a masterpiece... personally better than peppers

[@RossM3838]

Yes revolver was a game changer Even the cover art was a game changer.

[@johnandrews3151]

This video clip is from the 1967 animated movie called Yellow Submarine which is among the finest animated movies ever made. Well worth a watch!

[@labajadaman]

1968

[@johnandrews3151]

@@labajadaman Thanks for the correction!

[@michaelsidkyphd]

More than just ahead of its time. Its Timeless.

[@stephenamy6305]

You gave an insightful analysis of this great track. As for me, I still get goose bumps hearing it and I saw "Yellow Submarine" right when it came out.

[@douglaspensack3499]

The Beatles recorded this song with an assist from part of the London Symphony Orchestra.

[@TryingToBeKind]

It seems so simple and so short, but it’s just so beautiful, poignant and insightful with incredible lyrics and groundbreaking sound…it’s my favorite Beatles song! Great, intelligent reaction too, bravo! ❤️✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻❤️

[@sourisvoleur4854]

You totally resonate with this song, and bring out stuff I hadn't thought of before, and I've been listening to it since it came out in 1966. Well done.

[@douglaspensack3499]

John Lennon and Paul McCartney together were two of the best songwriters of the 20th Century.

[@davidalexander2607]

I will correct you ..not two of the best. They were THE BEST.

[@antarcticorb9197]

You're correct Michael! There are an enormous amount of lonely people today, in fact, the medical profession has deemed it a national hazard. Loneliness is killing people, even though they're supposedly "connected" via technology. Superb reaction!

[@randallschroeder8993]

Thee greatest band of all time

[@karen848]

This is a song which transcends the word classic.

[@WinteryMix84]

I’m glad you have such astute observations and appreciation for the depth of these lyrics. I used this song when I was teaching an interpersonal relations class at a community college. It stimulated lots of insights!

[@celinhabr1]

Brilliant song! One of my favorites!

[@XMan-tu4iu]

When I was at school in Scotland in 2969 or 1970 (aged 11 or 12) our English teacher played this to us and we did a breakdown of the lyrics. I didn’t really appreciate how good a song it was back then, but one of my Beatles favourites - top three!

[@joelilley6603]

There are so many great Beatles songs they can keep you busy for months. Lennon and McCartney wrote over 300 songs together, and they were every one "ahead of their time." Plus, they all had great solo careers. 😉

[@javablanca547]

Notice how, after a Beatles tune, you start philosophizing. Few groups: Jethro Tull, Yes, Traffic, RUSH are among those very few.

[@BluesImprov]

Your take on this piece is unique among most people your age (and especially younger). . .Many much younger people don't really like or "get" this kind of thing. They barely know of the Beatles and consider them "Mom and Dad's" kind of music. Therefore they don't even want to try to get into or understand the nuances of the lyrics. They also wouldn't really appreciate the "strings" as you did in this one. I was a teenager when the Beatles hit it big in America. I liked the Rolling Stones because you always pretty much knew what you were getting from them. But I loved the Beatles because you never knew what kind of thing they were going to come up with next. The variety of their musical "adventures" and the sophistication of their compositions as they matured is what made them special. Nice reaction. . .

[@markwillmott9670]

The face at the door to me means her make up that she doesn't go out with without putting on.

[@davesheppard8797]

@markwillmott9670. That's well thought out! I always thought it was her "Brave face" that she put on if anyone came to the door. It was actually a jar of Nivea face cream that old ladies used to apply to help them look younger. This came from a Paul McCartney interview. When I was a kid, I actually saw in my mind, a face in a jar. 😂😂. As I grew up, I still saw that in my head but took it to mean a brave face as I said. Fantastic song!! Dave.

[@zseven7845]

Your thoughts and commentary to this deep song was wonderful. Keep up your excellent work, Michael!

[@Alfredo-xf3ml]

String classical music quarter mixed with pop, another genious Beatles song

[@johnkayak5488]

I think this was a String 'Octet ' (violins cellos and viola) not a String 'Quartet ' such as was performed to YESTERDAY.!

[@megagodzilla4567]

For early Beatles songs I would recommend “I saw her standing there” it’s my personal favorite

[@snowbirdlady8496]

One of Paul's best. So deep, so beautiful, so creative.

[@dafmor]

You might recognise the style of 'stabbing' playing - it was reportedly influenced by the music for Psycho.

[@debjorgo]

Psycho being a horror movie from 1960, directed by one of the all-time greats, Alfred Hitchcock. The shower scene stabbing is considered one of the most iconic and scary scenes ever film. The screeching violins in the scene sealed the deal.

[@leahdoerr731]

Hello from Cody Wyoming! You're awesome keep it up... I'm glad you've entered the rabbit hole all are welcome😊

[@michaelwduffy]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@jefffoster7105]

First rock n roll or pop song without guitars drums bass ... All strings and violins ... The Beatles done everything first and gave permission for others to follow.. if the Beatles can do it we can... Trail blazers ... GOAT

[@explorer1968]

Eleanor is the name of a Paul's aunt, Rigby is the name of a London street, the tombstone of a Eleanor Rigby actually exists (is depicted in the Free as a Bird video). Everything about the Beatles is holding more surprises than many people know!!

[@richardrobinson4020]

This is the beginning of the period when the Beatles began to move away from simple love songs for teenagers.

[@bluelionvintage8134]

Super impressed with your understanding of the lyrics!! One of my favorite Beatles songs. Props, Ginger!!

[@ArniePorter]

Great insights from a great song.

[@Oldschoolnana]

You finally get The Beatles. Four musical geniuses just happened to meet. RIP JOHN & GEORGE ✌️

[@grego934]

As I have gotten older I appreciate this music more . Life goes by so very fast , and these songs start to resonate even more with time . Enjoy your videos thanks for the honest reactions ✌️

[@gkiferonhs]

Whether you do it as an on-air review or not, you want to listen to Sargent Pepper's and Abby Road as full albums. Not only is each song epic, but each album fits together as a work.

[@Cynthia...]

I love that line also. Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door.

[@martinwragg8246]

I always thought it was referring to face cream or such, before she met the " who was it for" in her life.😉

[@glenndespres5317]

It’s actually shocking to find someone who’s reaction is so spot on insightful. I am usually disappointed by reactors who struggle to grasp the meaning of these kinds of masterpieces. Not so with this one my friend. Well done! People did find this song and a few others by the Beatles to be so good as to use them as teaching tools in classes I attended. The song I have in mind is Nowhere Man. My English teach played it in class and we all discussed it. It’s where I first learned about the ‘Universal Everyman’. “Isn’t he a bit like you and me?” So with that, we now SMASH the subscribe button!

[@elizabethfranco1284]

This is from a scene from 1968 animated movie Yellow Submarine

[@dobythedog]

Probably the greatest song ever written.

[@speedoflight9005]

You nailed it! The first line was Paul, the rest was John's lyrics. Deep, deep song like a knife in soft meet. The Beatles did the most happy songs and the saddest ones. STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER and PENNY LANE impossible to forget

[@wallybeecher3799]

I'm 82 and have been listening to this since the vinyl was pressed. I've grown up with it and grown with it.

[@brentfreeland5834]

You can find the strings only version of the song in The Beatles Anthology series. ✌️

[@JeffMartinEquinox]

Our elementary school music class had a choir section so I was singing this song and "When I'm Sixty-Four" in 3rd or 4th grade 40+ years ago.

[@ukesrule58]

The ONLY HIT record to have ONLY a string quartet as accompanyment

[@rjross1087]

This song is a masterpiece, I agree. The whole Revolver album is one great song after another. And yes, the Beatles were often ahead of their time. Not to mention scoring it for a double string quartet. GREAT reaction. I hope you continue your journey with the Beatles. (Also looking forward to your next reaction to the incredible Dan Vasc.) Subbed.

[@donmooradian2526]

I really enjoyed your reaction to this great song. So glad you had a personal reaction to it. All the best.

[@paullilley3879]

Every time you open your mouth to speak the listener is rewarded with your insightfulness!

[@edjasper92]

Great reaction! May be my favorite Beatles’ song.

[@diane39istockphoto]

"Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door" is one of the Beatles greatest lyrics...and that's saying a lot.

[@candybanks8717]

This song hurt my heart when I was a little boy. I hated seeing lonely people.

[@Beatles4Sale.]

Best reaction I’ve heard from this song. Great job! ❤❤❤

[@thereisnospoon52]

Paul McCartney and the Beatles were in their mid-20s when they created this. Astonishing wisdom, insight and sensitivity for young adults. Two other great examples are For No One and She's Leaving Home.

[@wpollock1]

Pretty deep for a band with four guys in their early to mid 20's.

[@cog4life]

Great great! Well they’re always great!!! 😊❤🎶

[@lingoman1]

One of my favorites, Mayoman. 👍

[@stanleynykaza9042]

I always liked the story of where the name Eleanor Rigby came from ?: as noted: It’s 6th July 1957 when two lads called John and Paul are first introduced by tea-chest bass player Ivan Vaughan at a summer fete at St Peter’s Church, Woolton. While John’s a former member of the church choir, Paul would often cycle up to St Peter’s Churchyard to sunbathe - and it’s in that same churchyard where the headstone of Eleanor Rigby is found.

[@photo161]

The instrumental ensemble used in this recording is the classic string quartet: two violins, a viola, and a cello. There is nothing else: no bass guitar, no percussion, no brass, no keyboard, only a string quartet. It is incredible that the Beatles and no other group before or since made a top 40 pop hit with only a great song accompanied by four acoustic string instruments.

[@christhornycroft3686]

This to me is one of those songs that signalled the true beginning of the Beatles’ psychedelic era. This and the entire Revolver album. Obviously Day Tripper was obviously about acid, but this was Paul launching into socially conscious music, obviously inspired by his use of cannabis. Just listen to Got To Get You Into My Life. It has an incredible horn section and it’s basically about Paul getting baked.

[@danlefou]

"Day Tripper" is about casual sex, not acid, which was not yet on the scene when this came out. "She only played one-night stands" is pretty self explanatory, I think.

[@thereisnospoon52]

" Father McKenzie darning his socks." Today when our socks get holes we throw them out, back then they used to sew or darn the holes closed. Back then socks weren't sold in cheap 10 packs and a pair of socks were quite expensive compared to average income.

[@jeandoten1510]

Great thoughts. I recommend "Nowhere man" -it's a similarly thoughtful lyric in an entirely different style.

[@a.larson2777]

Great recommendation, Jean!

[@photo161]

Can you imagine four world-famous young men still in their 20s revealing such kindness and compassion as to devote a song to the plight of "the least of these..." to the forgotten, lonely people who remain entirely overlooked by society and their community? Lonely souls are wholly ignored, except by four remarkably caring guys called the Beatles.

[@tapduff]

Love your reaction as usual!

[@Efferpheasants]

Originally the throwaway B side to the Yellow Submarine 45 disc - amazing!

[@betsyab121]

This song was on the album Revolver, which was released in 1966. This video was from the cartoon movie Yellow Submarine, which was released in 1968. Paul McCartney was only 23 years old when he wrote this song about the isolation of the elderly.

[@reallymysterious4520]

For about the last 10 years this has been my fav Beatles tune

[@garylee3685]

This video is from the movie Yellow Submarine.

[@libertyresearch-iu4fy]

This has been my favourite Beatles song since I first heard it in the 60s.

[@archereegmb8032]

I'm now 70. Two minutes ago, I was your age, listening to these records as they first came out. Live large. It will be over before you know it.

[@alanr4447a]

The video images are the song's scenes from the cartoon movie (or "animated film" if you're highfalutin') _Yellow Submarine,_ where the animators created the imagery without the Beatles' input, but clearly appreciated the material.

[@greenjedi8]

Coincidentally, in the graveyard of the church were Paul and John first met, is the grave of Eleanor Rigby.

[@TrapperC2112]

I'm a bartender. I wear any mask you want. But I'm always true to myself. I LOVE that you picked up on and understood that line. ❤

[@peterblood50]

Father McKenzie was a very lonely man but, underneath his frock and pious profession, he was still a man with a physical need to, once in a while, wrestle with the one-eyed trouser snake. He would wait until night as he couldn't risk being caught, slip a sock over it and fantasize about whatever made his motor run in order to forget about his situation for a brief period. He used a sock because he had to keep from touching himself so as to remain "clean" for his congregation. As a man myself, this seems much more plausible than waiting to the middle of the night to actually darn a hole in your sock, in truth, it seems like the worst time to do that job. Both John and Paul had the English habit of hiding their true meaning behind an innocuous phrase or word and this seems like one of those times to me. This was also the general consensus of my associates (musicians and artists) at the time of it's release. Your explanation of the face in the jar by the door was a good one and spot on I think. 👍 FUN FACT!!! Eleanor Rigbys' name was on a headstone in St. Peters' Churchyard in Woolton England. The quarrymen played a number of gigs at the church and is, no doubt, where it entered into their memory, only to be dragged up later for this incredible song.

[@hudahekizzy8402]

One of my favourites, More people = more lonely people. The human condition. Thanks for the reaction.

[@chris...9497]

Release date 1966, 4 years after first stepping into a recording studio. Paul wrote and sang this. This song was released as a single (paired with Yellow Submarine) and as a selection on the album Revolver. The visuals in the music video is a clip out of the film "Yellow Submarine". The song "Yellow Submarine" was release in 1966. The FILM was released two years later as a production of an animator and produced by United Artists and King Features; it was an animated art fantasy inspired by and based upon Beatles songs. The Beatles had very little to do with the production, other than the use of their recorded songs, the authorization to use their images and personas as the basis for the central characters, and a short bit of live action at the end of the film. It's NOT a Beatle production, but it's based on the Beatles.

[@hungfao]

This was originally put together by Paul McCartney and he brought to John's house in it's early stages to demo it for the rest of the band and finish it up. He didn't have all of the lyrics but I believe the music was pretty much all there though not entirely arranged. Paul has typically stated that John helped finish it, but for those present it is said that George and Ringo actually contributed more than John. George contributed the 'Ah, look at all the lonely people' bit and Ringo suggested Father McKenzie 'darning his socks'. In the studio, even Beatles' friends Pete Shotton, Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans were asked for input. Though credited as Lennon/McCartney, this one was very much a collaborative effort. Your point about how young these guys were when this was written has been mentioned in other videos. They're only in their 20s but they seem to get very deep with their lyrics. Another great example is 'In My Life'. Why does someone only 25 write lyrics like that?

[@adapa22]

The Beatles are legendary! Imagine in those time we listened 12 songs in an album … we had at least a year to process all that until the new album.

[@LadyIarConnacht]

You are a rich young man - not only are you possessed of analytical ability and the power to understand great music, but you also own a large jar of Helman's Mayonnaise.

[@MARKBUZZ1]

Great song...Do you always keep your mayo behind the sofa?

[@richtensail]

masterful songwriting frm a realtivly young bloke n his awarness.

[@danielyefet4757]

love your comments 100% Love from England 🇬🇧

[@juliewaterfield1804]

hi michael, hope you're good. this is just such a beautiful song, so wise and profound. i knew you would love this song. imagine dragons bones. great song, live in vegas.