“Eleanor Rigby” and Life in 60s
“Eleanor Rigby” and life in 60s
The Beatles, one of the most famous bands in the world, have many great songs. “Eleanor Rigby” is definitely one of them. The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney. There are only two characters mentioned in the song, and Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, and the entire story happens in the church. Eleanor Rigby picks up rice after a wedding and wearing a face the she “keeps in a jar”. Father McKenzie always writes boring words at his sermon and darns his socks in the night, day and night to repeat. They all live in their own world. Finally Eleanor Rigby died in the church and nobody will remember her, Father McKenzie is the only guy who comes to her funeral and hosts the ceremony. Besides the great contributions on the music side, “Eleanor Rigby” also provides us a gate way to learn the life in 1960s, and those behaviors in 60s affect our modern society.
First of all, from the song we can have general knowledge about the living conditions in the 60s. The song published on the Beatles 1966 album Revolver. At that time, people were under the post war depression of the World War II, the economics grew slowly and the unemployed rate was high [1]. The song was written under such circumstances, it reflects the people’s feelings and behaviors at that time. At the beginning and the end of the song ask the same question “All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All the lonely people, where do they all belong? ” (The Beatles, Line 7, 8, 21 and 22). This kind of question is always asked by people in 50s or 60s generations, we call it the Beat Generations, the answer is they all live in our own world; they belong to them and them all “liv [ed] in a dream.” (The Beatles, Line 4). That 's why Eleanor has “a face that she keeps in a jar by the door.” (The Beatles, Line 5). People wear a face do not let others to see the real side of them, so that they can hide their real emotions. And she “waits at the window” (The Beatles,
The Beatles, one of the most famous bands in the world, have many great songs. “Eleanor Rigby” is definitely one of them. The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney. There are only two characters mentioned in the song, and Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, and the entire story happens in the church. Eleanor Rigby picks up rice after a wedding and wearing a face the she “keeps in a jar”. Father McKenzie always writes boring words at his sermon and darns his socks in the night, day and night to repeat. They all live in their own world. Finally Eleanor Rigby died in the church and nobody will remember her, Father McKenzie is the only guy who comes to her funeral and hosts the ceremony. Besides the great contributions on the music side, “Eleanor Rigby” also provides us a gate way to learn the life in 1960s, and those behaviors in 60s affect our modern society.
First of all, from the song we can have general knowledge about the living conditions in the 60s. The song published on the Beatles 1966 album Revolver. At that time, people were under the post war depression of the World War II, the economics grew slowly and the unemployed rate was high [1]. The song was written under such circumstances, it reflects the people’s feelings and behaviors at that time. At the beginning and the end of the song ask the same question “All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All the lonely people, where do they all belong? ” (The Beatles, Line 7, 8, 21 and 22). This kind of question is always asked by people in 50s or 60s generations, we call it the Beat Generations, the answer is they all live in our own world; they belong to them and them all “liv [ed] in a dream.” (The Beatles, Line 4). That 's why Eleanor has “a face that she keeps in a jar by the door.” (The Beatles, Line 5). People wear a face do not let others to see the real side of them, so that they can hide their real emotions. And she “waits at the window” (The Beatles,
Bibliography: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rjackson/webbibl.html