ABSTRACT
'Eleanor Rigby' is surprisingly dark and cynical for a McCartney song as well as being more self-consciously literary in its tone than was usual for the composer – Lennon later claimed that he provided substantial assistance with the lyrics, a claim disputed by McCartney. The good-natured, old-time quality of the verse would be echoed in his much simpler 'Yellow Submarine', these being the only two McCartney songs to resemble each other closely in terms of mood. But it is clear that the relationship between Lennon and McCartney was beginning to change prior to and during the recording of Sgt. Pepper. The Beatles were to combine their efforts with great success on a number of occasions after Sgt. Pepper, but the album nevertheless represents a critical point in their history in terms of the development of the unique and fully personal aesthetics of both Lennon and McCartney.
