For trivia buffs only
They stole the strings on this song from Bernard Herrmann’s music for Psycho.
Except that, when you read the article there is no basis for this except the theory that the headstone was seen by Lennon and affected his subconscious. The article says McCartney has given various other explanations over the years.
When the song came out, I thought it sounded Eastern European—certainly not like anything else the Beatles had done.
I figured that Eleanor Rigby was a Soviet espionage agent who might have been the case officer for Father McKinsey, an American Communist who had infiltrated the Catholic Church. Eleanor was probably killed by the KGB when they learned that she was about to testify before HUAC.
I love this kind of stuff...fascinating.
Same thing with the Allman Brothers’ “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” They just saw the name on a headstone and used it in a song.