The band was formed in 1962 by lead singer/organist Larry Tamblyn and guitarist Tony Valentino. The Standells' first hit single was Dirty Water, which reached #11 on the Billboard charts on June 11, 1966.
Other hits included Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White, Why Pick On Me, Riot On Sunset Strip (about the 1966 riots resulting from police attacks on hippies), and Try It.
Singer/drummer Dick Dodd, founding drummer of The Bel Airs, who joined the group in 1964 and sang the lead on "Dirty Water", was a former Mouseketeer, and singer/keyboardist Larry Tamblyn, who sang the lead on many of the other Standells songs, is the brother of actor Russ Tamblyn and uncle of Amber Tamblyn, star of Joan of Arcadia. Dodd replaced original drummer Gary Leeds, who went on to fame as Gary Walker of The Walker Brothers. In 1967 John Fleckenstein (formerly of the group Love), joined the Standells. The group appeared in several low budget films of the 1960s, including "Get Yourself a College Girl" and cult classic "Riot on Sunset Strip", in which they performed the movie's title song. Lowell George, who would go on to play with Little Feat, briefly played guitar in the Standells prior to their breakup in 1969.
The Standells also made an appearance on the 1964-1966 television sitcom The Munsters in the episode "Far Out Munster". The band was an integral part of the show, and performed the songs "Come On and Ringo" and The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Furthermore, the group appeared on the television 1964-1965 sitcom The Bing Crosby Show, in the episode "Bugged by the Love Bugs", portraying the fictional rock group of the same name. They performed the songs "Someday You'll Cry" and "Come Here".
Despite the lyrics of "Dirty Water", which states, "Boston, you're my home." The Standells are not from Massachusetts. However, in 2007 the Massachusetts General Court officially decreed "Dirty Water" to be the "Official Victory Song of the Boston Red Sox" . Since 2004, the Standells have attended most every World Series at Fenway Park, including the final winning game in 2013. "Dirty Water" was written by their producer Ed Cobb. It is played after every home victory by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins.
Dodd and Valentino left the Standells in 2009. Dick Dodd passed away in 2013.
The Standells still are actively performing today, and have been receiving 'rave reviews' from music critics. They recently headlined in 2013 at the Adams Ave. St. Fair, San Diego, CA, and the Ponderosa Stomp, New Orleans, Lousiana. Original Members Larry Tamblyn and John Fleck are still in the group, along with co-lead singer Mark Adrian and drummer Greg Burnham. The group has recently released a new album Bump on GRA Records. They been booked on an extensive East Coast tour from April - May, 2014. Learn more about the Standells by visiting http://www.standells-official.com and http://www.facebook.com/Standells
Eleanor Rigby
The Standells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
In the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face
That she keeps in a jar by the door
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks
In the night when there's nobody there
What does he care
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Ah look at all the lonely people
Ah look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
From his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
The Standells’s song “Eleanor Rigby” is a poignant commentary on the isolation and loneliness that plague modern society. The song begins with the singer commenting on the lonely people he sees in the world around him. He then introduces two characters: Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie. Eleanor is a woman who “picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been” and “waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door.” The singer wonders who this face is for and why she keeps it. Father McKenzie is a priest who writes sermons that no one hears and spends his nights darning his socks in an empty church. The singer asks what Father McKenzie cares about if no one is listening to him.
The song ends with the news that Eleanor Rigby has died in the church and was buried with no one in attendance. Father McKenzie wipes the dirt from his hands as he walks away from her grave, and the singer observes that “no one was saved.” The song suggests that the loneliness and isolation that Eleanor and Father McKenzie experience are not unique to them but are instead part of a larger societal problem. Ultimately, the song raises questions about the nature of human connection and our responsibility to reach out to those around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah look at all the lonely people
The singer is pointing out the many people who are alone in the world.
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
In the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for
Eleanor Rigby is a lonely person who spends her time working in the church, living in a world of imagination and waiting for someone who never comes. She keeps an image of herself that she wants others to see, but no one is there to look.
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
The singer is questioning where all these lonely people come from and where they should belong.
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks
In the night when there's nobody there
What does he care
Father McKenzie is alone and isolated, writing sermons that won't be heard by anyone. He spends his nights darning his own socks, without anyone to keep him company.
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
From his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
Eleanor Rigby dies alone in the church and nobody came to her funeral. Father McKenzie buries her and walks away, lamenting that he wasn't able to change her fate.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Félix A. Peralta
Nice cover from the Beatles