


At the time, Lennon rejected the idea out of hand, but McCartney said nothing and used the idea, later acknowledging Shotton's help.
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McCartney could not decide how to end the song, and Shotton suggested that the two lonely people come together too late as Father McKenzie conducts Eleanor Rigby's funeral. It was then that Shotton suggested that McCartney change the name of the priest, in case listeners mistook the fictional character for McCartney's own father. Starr contributed the line "writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear" and suggested making "Father McCartney" darn his socks, which McCartney liked.

Harrison came up with the "Ah, look at all the lonely people" hook. Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Lennon's childhood friend Pete Shotton all listened to McCartney play his song through and contributed ideas. McCartney wrote the melody and first verse alone, after which he presented the song to the Beatles when they were gathered in the music room of John Lennon's home at Kenwood. McCartney said, "just hearing her stories enriched my soul and influenced the songs I would later write." He also confirmed that the woman's name was Daisy Hawkins, but her name did not work in the lyrics. He would go shopping for her and sit in her kitchen listening to stories and her crystal radio set. In an October 2021 article in The New Yorker, McCartney wrote that his inspiration for "Eleanor Rigby" was an old lady who lived alone and whom he got to know very well. I was looking for a name that sounded natural. He recalled in 1984: "I just liked the name. McCartney noticed the store while visiting his girlfriend of the time, actress Jane Asher, during her run in the Bristol Old Vic's production of The Happiest Days of Your Life in January 1966.

McCartney said that the idea to call his character "Eleanor" was possibly because of Eleanor Bron, the actress who starred with the Beatles in their 1965 film Help! "Rigby" came from the name of a store in Bristol, Rigby & Evens Ltd. So I went through the telephone book and I got the name McKenzie. But I thought people would think it was supposed to be my dad, sitting knitting his socks. Then the name "Father McCartney" came to me – and "all the lonely people". I couldn't think of much more so I put it away for a day. And I got this name in my head – "Daisy Hawkins picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been." I don't know why . In 1966, McCartney recalled how he got the idea for his song: The name of the protagonist that McCartney initially chose was not Eleanor Rigby, but Miss Daisy Hawkins.
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At this point, the song reflected an Indian musical influence and its lyrics alluded to drug use, with references to "blowing his mind in the dark" and "a pipe full of clay". Donovan has recalled hearing McCartney play an early version of the song on guitar, where the character was named Ola Na Tungee. Paul McCartney came up with the melody for "Eleanor Rigby" as he experimented on his piano.
