Changes: List of characters in The Beatles songs

Revision as of 00:56, 16 July 2020

The following is a (hopefully) complete list of fictional and real characters referenced by the musical group The Beatles in their songs. If adding a name, make sure that the character isn't already listed and that you are putting him/her in the correct section (e.g. Julia from the song of that name is Julia Lennon, and Lucy in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is most likely Lucy O'Donnell, a classmate of Julian Lennon; likewise the entire cast of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is believed to be real).

Fictional characters

Fictional: A

Anna (in "Anna (Go to Him)")

Fictional: B

Bungalow Bill (in "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill")

Fictional: C

Carol (in "Carol")
Chuck (in "When I'm Sixty-four")
Clarabella (in "Clarabella")

Fictional: D

Daniel (a.k.a Dan or Danny Boy) (in "Rocky Raccoon")
Dave (in "When I'm Sixty-four")
Dennis O’Dell (in "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)")
The Doctor (in "Rocky Raccoon”)
Doris (in "Two of Us")

Fictional: E

Maxwell Edison (in "Maxwell's Silver Hammer")
The Eggman/Eggmen (in "I am the Walrus") (given the context, almost certainly nursery-rhyme character Humpty Dumpty)^[1]

Fictional: F

The Fool (in "The Fool on the Hill" and "Glass Onion")
Father McKenzie (in "Eleanor Rigby")

Fictional: G

Girl with Kaleidoscope eyes (in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds")

Fictional: H

Her Majesty (in "Her Majesty") (Almost certainly fictional, as the identity of the character is unclear)

Fictional: J

Joan (in "Maxwell's Silver Hammer")
Jojo (in "Get Back")
Mr. Jones (in "Yer Blues", referencing a character in a Bob Dylan song)
Desmond Jones (in "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da")
Molly Jones (in "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da")
Junior (in "Bad Boy")

Fictional: K

Father McKenzie (in "Eleanor Rigby")
Duchess of Kirkcaldy (in "Cry Baby Cry")
The Duke (from the context, clearly the Duke of Kirkcaldy) (in "Cry Baby Cry")
Madmoiselle Kitty (in the Wings song "Rock Show")

Fictional: L

Miss Lizzy (in "Dizzy Miss Lizzy")

Fictional: M

Lady Madonna (in "Lady Madonna")
King of Marigold (in "Cry Baby Cry")
Queen of Marigold (in "Cry Baby Cry")
Loretta Martin (in "Get Back")
Captain Marvel (in "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill")
Martha (in "Martha My Dear")
Mary Jane (in "What's the New Mary Jane")
Michelle (in "Michelle")
Mr. Mustard (in "Mean Mr. Mustard")

Fictional: N

Nancy (a.k.a. McGill or Lil) (in "Rocky Raccoon")
Nowhere Man (in "Nowhere Man")^[2]

Fictional: P

Sergeant Pepper (in "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and the movie Yellow Submarine)
PC 31 (as in "Police Constable 31" in "Maxwell's Silver Hammer")
Polythene Pam (in "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam")^[3]

Fictional: R

Eleanor Rigby has been moved to Unclear. See the reference for that entry for the reason.

Rita (in "Lovely Rita")
Rocky Raccoon (in "Rocky Raccoon")
Rose (in "Maxwell's Silver Hammer")

Real characters

Beatles members and associates:

Jane Asher (alluded to in many early Paul McCartney songs, such as "Here, There and Everywhere")^{[citation needed]}
Peter Brown (in "The Ballad of John and Yoko")
Paul McCartney (in "Glass Onion")
George Harrison (in "Honey Don't")
Julia (Julia Lennon)(in "Julia" — although this song also alludes to Yoko Ono, whose name is Japanese for "ocean child")
Jude (Julian Lennon) (in "Hey Jude")
John Lennon (in "The Ballad of John and Yoko")
Yoko Ono (in "The Ballad of John and Yoko", and alluded to in "Julia")
Ringo Starr (in "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)")
Maureen Starkey (a.k.a. Mo) (in "Get Back")

Historical figures and other famous people:

Real: B

Ludwig van Beethoven (in "Roll Over Beethoven")
Tara Browne (alluded to in "A Day in the Life")
Matt Busby (in "Dig It")

Real: C

Melanie Coe (alluded to in "She's Leaving Home")

Real: D

Doris Day (in "Dig It")
Bob Dylan (in "Yer Blues")

Real: F

Pablo Fanque (in "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!")^[5]

Real: G

Gideon (publisher and provider of motel-room Bibles) (in "Rocky Raccoon")

Real: H

Charles Hawtrey (in "Two of Us")
Edward Heath (in "Taxman")
The Hendersons (acrobatic troupe) (in "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!")^[5]
Henry The Horse (in "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!")^[5]^[6]

Real: J

Elmore James (in "For You Blue")

Real: K

BB King (in "Dig It")
Mr. Kite (in "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!")^[5]

Real: L

Timothy Leary (alluded to as the "he" of "Come Together"; "Think for Yourself" may have been inspired by one of his catchphrases)^[7]
Lucy [O'Donnell] (in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "I am the Walrus")^[8]

Real: M

Chairman Mao (in "Revolution" and "Revolution 1")
Mother Mary (in "Let It Be")

Real: P

"Semolina Pilchard" (Det. Sgt. Norman Pilcher)(in "I am the Walrus")
Edgar Allan Poe (in "I am the Walrus")
Prudence [Farrow] (in "Dear Prudence")^[9]

Real: R

Sir Walter Raleigh (in "I'm So Tired")
Doctor Robert (in "Doctor Robert")^[10]

Real: S

Jennifer Saunders, an Apple Scruff (in "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window")^[11]

Real: T

Tchaikovsky (in "Roll Over Beethoven")^[12]

Real: W

Harold Wilson (in "Taxman")

Unclear whether real or fictional

Unclear: D

The Devil (in "Devil in Her Heart" and the George Harrison song "Devil's Radio")

Unclear: L

"A man named Lear" (in "Paperback Writer"; this could be a reference to Edward Lear, although he wasn't a novelist)

Unclear: M

Maggie May (in "Maggie May") (as this is a folk song, the subject may have been a real person)
An unnamed Mother Superior (in "Happiness Is a Warm Gun")

Unclear: Q

The Queen (in "Mean Mr. Mustard") (it is not clear whether this is Queen Elizabeth II, or a fictional queen)

Unclear: R

Eleanor Rigby (in "Eleanor Rigby")^[13]

References

↑ Both the poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter", which inspired this song, and Humpty Dumpty, appear in Lewis Carroll's Alice Through the Looking-Glass. Note that this character is not related to The Eggman in Sonic the Hedgehog nor to Eggman Movers in Toy Story.
↑ The movie Yellow Submarine gives his name as Jeremy Hillary Boob, Ph. D.
↑ Pam is Mister Mustard's sister.
↑ From Lewis Carroll's poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter". John Lennon was under the impression when he wrote this song that the Walrus was the hero and the Carpenter the villain; he was upset to learn that they were both villains.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" was a Victorian circus poster set to music, so everyone mentioned was real.
↑ although the real-life horse was called Zanthus.
↑ When Leary contested the 1968 US Presidency, John Lennon wrote "Come Together" as his campaign song.^{[citation needed]}
↑ Lucy O'Donnell was a classmate of John Lennon's son Julian, whose school's artwork served as inspiration for his father's song.^{[citation needed]}
↑ Prudence Farrow is Mia Farrow's sister.
↑ Dr. Roberts was a New York physician who would prescribe any drug for money.
↑ Although most of the song is fictional, Paul McCartney did supposedly have Jennifer Saunders break into his London house through the bathroom window, and she inspired the song.
↑ In reality, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven were not contemporaries; the latter died long before the former was born.
↑ The name is a compound of "Eleanor Bron" and the sign of a Bristol shop, "Rigby & Evens Ltd." However, the graveyard of St Peter's Church in Liverpool contains the tombstone of a real-life Eleanor Rigby, and Paul has admitted that this may be an example of cryptomnesia.

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 ===Fictional: E===
-*Eleanor Rigby (in "[[Eleanor Rigby]]")
 *Maxwell Edison (in "[[Maxwell's Silver Hammer]]")
 *The Eggman/Eggmen (in "[[I am the Walrus]]") (given the context, almost certainly nursery-rhyme character [[wikipedia:Humpty Dumpty|Humpty Dumpty]])<ref>Both the poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter", which inspired this song, and Humpty Dumpty, appear in [[wikipedia:Lewis Carroll|Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[wikipedia:Through the Looking-Glass|Alice Through the Looking-Glass]]''. Note that this character is not related to The Eggman in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' nor to [[w:c:pixar:Eggman Movers|Eggman Movers]] in ''[[w:c:pixar:Toy Story|Toy Story]]''.</ref>