Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Paul McCartney wrote Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da during the Beatles' stay in Rishikesh, India, in early 1968. Prudence Farrow recalled McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison playing it to her in an attempt to lure her out of her room. The song emerged when reggae was becoming popular in Britain. Author Ian MacDonald describes it as McCartney's rather approximate tribute to the Jamaican ska idiom. Desmond in the lyrics references reggae singer Desmond Dekker who had recently toured the UK. The tag line Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, brah came from Nigerian conga player Jimmy Scott-Emuakpor. As part of his stage act with his band Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Scott would call out Ob la di, to which the audience would respond Ob la da. He would then conclude: Life goes on.
The formal recording of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da took place in July and involved several days of work. The first completed version recorded between 3 and the 5th of July featured Jimmy Scott playing congas and a trio of saxophonists. At McCartney's insistence, the band remade the song to capture the performance he was aiming for. Work began on the new version on the 8th of July. In Geoff Emerick's recollection, John Lennon openly and vocally detested the song calling it more of Paul's granny music shit. Lennon appeared enthusiastic at times acting the fool and doing his fake Jamaican patois. Out of frustration at being made to continually work on the song, Lennon went straight to the piano and played the opening chords louder and faster than before. This became the version that the Beatles ended up using despite further attempts to remake it once more.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da was released on The Beatles on the 22nd of November 1968. As one of the most popular tracks on the album, it was issued as a single backed by While My Guitar Gently Weeps in many countries. It topped singles charts in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and West Germany over 1968, 69. When belatedly issued as a single in the United States in 1976, it peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. McCartney had wanted the single released in the UK and US but his bandmates vetoed the idea. In November 1976 Capitol Records issued the song as a single in the US with Julia as the B-side. The sleeves were white and individually numbered as copies of the White Album had been. In Australia where the song was part of a double A-side single the record achieved sales of over 50,000 copies being eligible for the award of a Gold Disc.
After the release of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da in November 1968, Jimmy Scott tried to claim a writer's credit for the use of his catchphrase. McCartney said that the phrase was just an expression whereas Scott argued that it was not a common expression and was used exclusively by the Scott-Emuakpor family. McCartney was angry that the British press sided with Scott over the issue. According to researchers Doug Sulpy and Ray Schweighardt in their study of the tapes from the Beatles' filmed rehearsals at Twickenham Film Studios in January 1969, McCartney complained bitterly to his bandmates about Scott's claim that he stole the phrase. Later in 1969 while in Brixton Prison awaiting trial for failing to pay maintenance to his ex-wife, Scott sent a request to the Beatles asking them to pay his legal bills. McCartney agreed to pay the amount on the condition that Scott abandon his attempt to receive a co-writer's credit.
In his contemporary review of the White Album for Rolling Stone Jann Wenner called Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da fun music for a fun song about fun adding Who needs answers? Record Mirrors reviewer said it was the album's most pleasant and best recorded track praising the chuck-chuck piano and drum sound. Nik Cohn writing in The New York Times gave the double LP an unfavourable review criticising the Beatles for resorting to musical pastiche. He said that Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da was mock-West Indies and that like the album's other examples of mock-music none of it works it all loses out to the originals it all sounds stale. Ian MacDonald described Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da as one of the most spontaneous-sounding tracks on The Beatles as well as the most commercial but also a song filled with desperate levity and trite by McCartney's standards. In 2012 Tom Rowley of The Daily Telegraph said the track was a reasonable choice for derision following the result of the Mars poll.
The Beatles' decision not to issue Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da as a single in the UK or the US led to many acts rushing to record the song hoping to achieve a hit in those countries. A recording by the Scottish pop band Marmalade released in November 1968 became the most commercially successful of all the cover versions of songs from The Beatles. It reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in January 1969 making Marmalade the first Scottish artist to top that chart. Marmalade's recording sold around half a million in the UK and a million copies globally by April 1969. During the group's TV appearance on BBC One's Top of the Pops to promote the track four of the five band members wore kilts their English-born drummer instead dressed as a redcoat. In 1968 a recording by the Bedrocks a West Indian band from Leeds peaked at number 20 on the Record Retailer chart. Also in 1968 the Spectrum reached number 19 on the German singles chart with their cover.
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Common questions
Who wrote Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da and when was it written?
Paul McCartney wrote Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da during the Beatles' stay in Rishikesh, India, in early 1968. The song emerged when reggae was becoming popular in Britain.
When did the formal recording of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da take place?
The formal recording of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da took place in July and involved several days of work. Work began on the new version that the band used on the 8th of July.
What date was Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da released as a single in the United States?
Capitol Records issued the song as a single in the US in November 1976 with Julia as the B-side. It peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 when belatedly issued as a single in the United States in 1976.
Why did Jimmy Scott-Emuakpor claim writer credit for Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da?
Jimmy Scott tried to claim a writer's credit for the use of his catchphrase after the release of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da in November 1968. McCartney said that the phrase was just an expression whereas Scott argued that it was not a common expression and was used exclusively by the Scott-Emuakpor family.
Which cover version of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da reached number one in the UK Singles Chart?
A recording by the Scottish pop band Marmalade released in November 1968 became the most commercially successful of all the cover versions of songs from The Beatles. It reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in January 1969 making Marmalade the first Scottish artist to top that chart.