ELEANOR RIGBY
(words and music by John Lennon & Paul McCartney) 

Look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice
in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window
Wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong

Father Mackenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working
Darning his socks
In the night when there's nobody's there
What does he care

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong

Ah, Look at all the lonely people
Ah, Look at all the lonely people
Ah, Look at all the lonely people

Oh, Look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came

Father Mackenzie wiping the dirt from his hands
As he walks from the grave
No one was saved

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong

Oh, look at all the lonely people
Oh, look at all the lonely people
Oh, look at all the lonely people
Oh, look at all the lonely people

 (total playing time: 4:24)

Song Facts: This appears on Zoot Out, Zoot Locker and Anthology (import) and Anthology (written in rock).  Rick sings lead vocals on the Anthology (import) version.
Rick performed part of this song in Milwaukee on 5/11/05.  He said "I bastardized this when I was 19"  (we disagree). For more information, visit the cover page.

Footnote - background photo was taken in Milwaukee, WI on 5/11/05 by Renata Hearn during the performance of this song.

According to US

Okay - so let's begin by saying that for me the WIR (Zoot) version is not going to win my vote. Don't like it - nope nope nope! NOW - would I have liked it had I heard it before I heard and fell in love with the one from the Anthology import I have been playing for a couple of years - maybe...but I STILL don't think I'd LOVE it.

I do, however, LOVE the version on the import - it is the polar opposite of what The Beatles did but still has the same message. I'll explain...

Where the Eleanor Rigby of John, Paul, Ringo, and George was a morose, melancholy song of mourning, longing, and despair, Rick's version is a full frontal assault on pain and loneliness with guitar as weapon. I love Rick's voice - he is using his mushy lips voice, his throaty voice, his pissed off voice, and a bit of Australian accent thrown in for good measure. Favorite lyrical/singing moments - angry voice on LOOK AT HIM WORKING and almost frustrated throaty voice on NO ONE WAS SAVED. God he sounds good in this song.

But let's forget about the lyrics - I mean he sings them incredibly well and brings a dimension to the song I had never considered before...heartbreaking
melody turned into a driving anthem for the injustice of pain. HOWEVER - what makes this version for me - what is incredible about this version - and what makes me want to kiss him for covering it so well is the music.

Let's just say it one more time in case the people in the back missed it - RICK SPRINGFIELD IS A GUITAR GOD! This is the best guitar work I have ever heard from him outside of Red House...and it MAY even be better than that - it is that good. All at the same time, it reminds me of the big rock operas (Tommy, The Wall), the wailing yet crying sounds of David Gilmore's (Pink Floyd) guitar solos, and The Doors (I think that has something to do with that cool organ music towards the end.) From the intro to the last note - Rick is such a part of this song - he feels this song and its pain and is using his voice and guitar to convey the angst that the lyrics must pull out in him. Rick's voice and his driving guitar complement each other so well, this could easily be considered a duet he is doing with himself.

And who is that on drums? I LOVE him whoever he is! I want to kiss him too!

This is just Rick kicking ass and taking names, and like much of SDAA, it just makes me want to jump in a mosh pit, flail about, and tell Rick just how cool I think he really is.

As for the WIR version -  I have been so stuck on this part of the review because I don't have anything intelligent to say. I don't like the slower tempo, I don't like that Rick is not singing, I don't like the fact that the singer almost sounds like a crack happy game show host on some lines (no one was SAY-ved), and I don't like that a song I love does so little for me when turned into some thing slightly more hostile than the original but way less docile than Rick's cover. So - I guess I just don't like it. What I DO like is that the guitar overpowers the lyrics - so that is at least a
bonus - because despite it all - Rick is still back there playing the heck out of that guitar...and that, I LOVE! - Anna C.

As a child raised on the music of the Beatles, I knew this song well and loved it - before I even knew Rick had covered it in a band named Zoot. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the 'outcast' be it a person or an animal. This song appealed to that part of me. 

To be honest, I prefer Paul McCartney's melancholy voice the best if truth must be told. 
I was rightfully shocked the first time I heard Rick's version which appeared on (the 1st) Anthology CD. I wasn't too sure I liked it. However, me being the Rick fan that I am, I gave it the good ol' college try -and that version started to grow on me. There's something about this choice of song being so appropriate for Rick to perform. I can't say that it's a better song than the original, but it fits Rick to a T. Little did I know then that I was getting the first peek at a song Rick Springfield wished he had written. ;-)

Then, this new version of the song appeared on the Written in Rock anthology. I remember the first time I breezed through this one, the music started up and all was right with the world. Then someone started singing. Right away alarms went off in my head, sounding something like, "that's not Rick". I stopped the track. Went fishing for the other CD. Popped that in. Aha! Confirmation. That wasn't Rick. Whew! I then contemplated for a few moments, after returning WIR to the player, why Rick would include this version here rather than the one with his vocals. Was the guitar playing better? My novice ears could never tell the difference anyway. My lack of taste in musicians (well, according to music critics) preferred Rick on vocals. So I'm shallow.... it's my dollar buying that CD and dammit, I want Rick Springfield singing it.

I've always wondered if John or Paul heard this remake of their song. Now I know there's been tons and tons of artists performing lots and lots of Beatles songs over the years. They couldn't have possibly heard them all. It would just be nice if they had though, and if they themselves thought it was done properly so. I'm not sure it would change my feelings for this one at any rate. I do have an Uncle that's a certified Beatlemaniac. He's heard it and thinks it rocks. I'll just have to live with that judgment.

I've certainly wished for Rick to play this cover live more than any other cover song I have heard him do live. I guess that ranks it up there highly in my list of "songs Rick has covered, but didn't write." See, one more thing to prove I'm pathetic (a "Rick-y-maniac"?? LOL). I've got my favorite Rick songs categorized. - Michelle P.

Hopefully there won't be any Beatles fans throwing things at me for what I'm about to say, (I'm a Beatles fan too!) but I really like this rocked up version of Eleanor Rigby MORE than the original. There, I said it. I can't believe it. LOL But I truly do like it better. Now, I haven't heard the version on the Anthology (bad fan, I know…I reallllly need to order that collection, if nothing else, for that song), so I can't compare it to that one at all in this review. 

I recently read where Rick said that he felt he "bastardized" this song. I totally disagree with him! I think he gave it a `metal' hard-rocking sound that is a lot different than the original. He rewrote this song with a whole new edge. Rick sounds awesome on guitars in this one. The guitars are have a deep tone to them that really jams! I can also hear Rick in the background vocals. Daryl sounds pretty good here too. I enjoy his Aussie accent as well and I like Daryl's voice in most all of the Zoot songs. He was a good singer, but naturally I like Rick's voice much better. I bet if Paul McCartney has heard Rick's versions of the song, he would say it rocks out! 

I have loved the Beatles' songs since I was a young girl, and this song is no exception. Many of their songs have hidden meanings and various interpretations, just as Rick's music does. This is a rather sad song in my opinion. I found it interesting how this cover is one of the songs that really set Zoot apart and became one of their more popular songs. Covers can go either way. Usually people either love it or they hate it. And when you're covering a band who's as popular and loved as the Beatles, I think you need to be careful with the process. I truly think he did the song a lot of justice. 

I like this song coming at the end of the CD too. It's like a grand rocking finale to the last of nine songs by Rick on the Zoot Locker. Every time I listen to this song, I am `forced' to drag out a Beatles CD and listen for awhile! - Kelley Pearson