Episode 2: Eleanor Rigby – The Counter-Narrative!
In our second chapter in this podcast series, we explore the creation myth surrounding this famous song, Eleanor Rigby. Travel with us, back in time, to the very moment of formation, of… the Beatles.
Why this moment in time?
Well, because it provides one of several clues we unearth regarding the creation of this song. Join us in our forensic investigation, as we discover what, in the world, a psychological ‘phenomenon,’ known as cryptomnesia, has to do with the creation of Eleanor Rigby.
Buckle up, for we are going to visit a very specific graveyard in Woolton, just outside Liverpool. And there — everything will be revealed. Well, almost everything. Try to figure out now, in advance, if you can … what the film, Psycho!, has to do with this song, Eleanor Rigby!
Songs
Eleanor Rigby, Lennon and McCartney;
performed by Joe Anastasi, Mike Sugar, and Winter, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Yesterday, Lennon and McCartney;
performed by Joe Anastasi, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Ola-na Tung-eee, Paul McCartney;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
A Day in the Life, Lennon and McCartney, ‘outro;’
performed by Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Mellow Yellow, Donovan;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Da-Zi-Di-Da-Zu, Paul McCartney;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
A Hard Day’s Night, Lennon and McCartney; ‘intro’;
performed by Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30, Richard Strauss
“Think!,” Merv Griffin; original recording cue;
mangled by Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Twilight Zone Theme, Bernard Herrmann and Marius Constant;
original recording cue, mangled by Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; Lennon and McCartney;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
1985, Paul McCartney: ‘outro’;
performed by Stroll Down Penny Lane (Joe Anastasi, Mike Sugar, Winter, Mark Abbott, and Matt Twain)
The Girl Can’t Help It, Bobby Troup;
performed by Little Richard
Twenty Flight Rock; Ned Fairchild and Eddie Cochran;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Penny Lane, Lennon and McCartney;
performed by Stroll Down Penny Lane (Joe Anastasi, Mike Sugar, Winter, Mark Abbott, and Matt Twain)
Cry Me a River, Arthur Hamilton;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Shake It Off, Taylor Swift, Max Martin, and Shellbac;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Moonlight Sonata, Piano Sonata No. 14, Ludwig van Beethoven;
performed by Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Easier Said Than Done, William Linton and Larry Huff;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Barracuda, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Roger Fisher and Michael DeRosier; performed by Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Maniac, Michael Sembello;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
String Concerto, Vivaldi;
performed by Baroque Band
Bad Idea, Ariana Grande, Peter Svensson, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh;
performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Psycho!, Bernard Herrmann, original recording cue;
mangled by Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
The End, Lennon and McCartney;
performed by Stroll Down Penny Lane (Joe Anastasi, Mike Sugar, Winter, Mark Abbott, Matt Twain)
Sources
- McCartney, Christopher Sandford; Carroll and Graf Publishers; 2006
- Paul McCartney, the Life, Philip Norman; Little Brown and Company; 2016
- Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles, Dominic Pedler; Omnibus Press; 2003
- This is Your Brain on Music, The Science of a Human Obsession; Daniel J. Levitin; Plume; 2007
- Recording the Beatles, Kevin Ryan & Brian Kehew, Curvebender Publishing; 2006
- The Beatles Anthology; Chronicle Books; 2000
- www.merriam-webster.com/medical/cryptomnesia
- www.wikipedia.org/wiki/ice calving
- Sunbeams Music Trust; private communication with Annie Mawson, Director; by Mike Sugar of Stroll Down Penny Lane
- The Girl Can’t Help It; produced and directed by Frank Tashlin, with a screenplay adapted by Frank Tashlin and Herbert Baker; 1956
- Psycho! directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock; written by Joseph Stefano; 1960
Voice Actors
Joe Anastasi
Mike Sugar
Annie Mawson — as herself.