As with many of McCartney's songs, the melody and first line of
the song came to him as he was playing around on his piano. The
name that came to him, though, was not Eleanor Rigby but Miss Daisy
Hawkins. In 1966, McCartney recalled how he got the idea for his
song:
A promotional poster for the single from the UK.“ I was
sitting at the piano when I thought of it. The first few bars just
came to me, and I got this name in my head... 'Daisy Hawkins picks
up the rice in the church'. I don't know why. I couldn't think of
much more so I put it away for a day. Then the name Father
McCartney came to me, and all the lonely people. But I thought that
people would think it was supposed to be about my Dad sitting
knitting his socks. Dad's a happy lad. So I went through the
telephone book and I got the name McKenzie. ”
Others believe that Father McKenzie refers to 'Father' Tommy
McKenzie, who was the compere at Northwich Memorial Hall.
McCartney said he came up with the name Eleanor from actress
Eleanor Bron, who had starred with The Beatles in the film Help!.
Rigby came from the name of a store in Bristol, Rigby & Evens
Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers, that he noticed while seeing his
then-girlfriend Jane Asher act in The Happiest Days Of Your Life.
He recalled in 1984, "I just liked the name. I was looking for a
name that sounded natural. Eleanor Rigby sounded natural." However,
it has been pointed out that the graveyard of St Peters Church in
Liverpool, where John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met, contains
the gravestone of an individual called Eleanor Rigby. Paul
McCartney has admitted he may have been unconsciously influenced by
the name on the gravestone.
[Note: You can get these any time but it will be less busy
after 6pm Mon-Thur and Fri after 6 till 8am Monday.]