Singled Out: Kjersti Long's Eleanor Rigby

Keavin Wiggins | 01-29-2021

Kjersti Long just released her cover of the beloved Beatles classic "Eleanor Rigby" and to celebrate we have asked her why she decided to take on the song. Here is the story:

My dad had been trying to get me to sing a Beatles cover for a long time. We tried a bunch of their songs, but none of them really stuck until my dad brought me to see Yesterday in the theaters. It was 11 at night and I was basically falling asleep, but one thing that really stuck out to me was the song "Eleanor Rigby." I thought it was such a pretty song.

The next day I printed out the piano chords for the song. (It's a super-easy song to play on the piano - only two chords over and over again.) As I was playing it, I got some musical ideas and I scribbled along the side of the sheet music what the drums, bass, guitar, and violins would sound like during that part of the song. After I was finished, I showed my dad. He had some pretty cool ideas to add to it. Then my band got a hold of it and we made some magic.

Another cool thing that happened during recording was that I got strep throat the week before we were going to fly out to Nashville. When we got there, I drank a whole lot of honey, lemon, and cayenne tea. Since I was sick, it actually made it easier to hit the low notes that most of the time were out of my range.

When we were sent the final mix of the song, my dad and I got in his car (because car speakers are the best speakers) and I started to cry because of what an amazing job everyone did on it and how incredible it sounded... and I never cry. :)

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself below or stream/purchase here