Talk:Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da/Archive 1

Archive 1

Different Beatles Version

I'm adding a section at the end of the information about the beatles version as there was another released version of the song which is non-reggae and doesn't include John Lennon's piano riff. I have this version and all music recognition devices used say that it is indeed The Beatles and Ob La Di, Ob La Da, I also love the beatles and can tell it is them singing. I am unsure as to the point of release, but my guess is with a later album that contains initial recordings of songs including recordings where band members have stuffed up(it includes Maxwell's Silver Hammer where Paul sings 'shminking of gin' and then laughs about it as well as no metallic hammer sound, if anyone has this album and could double check, it would be appreciated)

I undid your revision. Your entry needs work before it can be included. First, it's not useful without more release details. Second, you need to cite sources. Third, the entry should present the material in a more formal way. As it was written, it wasn't encyclopedic and without sources it's not verifiable. Lastly, please refrain from adding personal attacks to my talk page; they don't help your cause because the issue is not what I know or don't know, the issue is the quality of what you add to the article. — John Cardinal (talk) 04:00, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

The second version in question is definitely the version on Anthology 3. I'll try to get some sources and add some information on it if no one beats me to it.Brettalan (talk) 09:23, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

Barrow

Anyone know what they're saying by "Desmond has a barrow in the market place"?

• A barrow is a cart for carrying small loads; has handles and one or more wheels, like a wheelbarrow, the kind you might see at a farmer's market. It's unclear exactly what he sells, but he's a vendor of some kind. --DropDeadGorgias (talk)

Yoruba?

I once read that the phrase "ob-la-di ob-la-da" comes from the Yoruba language. Can anyone verify that? --Metropolitan90 07:32, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

The phrase Ob-la-di ob-la-da is indeed a phrase from the Yoruba language. When Paul used this phrase in the song Jimmy Scott was annoyed because he wanted a cut for coming up with the phrase. Scott was born in Sapele, Nigeria and went on trial in around 1969. He wanted Paul to foot the legal bill, which he did on condition that Scott dropped his case against the him and the song. Bobo. 15:57, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

Bobo's account is interesting because I've always been aware of the link with Nigeria and Yoruba, although the only proof I can offer is this anecdote. At some time between January and September 1967 I bought an album of Nigerian High Life music. Although I 'lost' the LP at some time in the early 1980's, I can still recall one of the tracks: a song entitled "Ob-La-Di Bla-Da" (perhaps without the dashes). When the Beatles' song was released more than a year later, I made the connection. The Beatles' title had an extra "Ob ", and the melody was entirely different. I have never heard any of the Beatles publicly acknowledge its origins, although George Harrison's Savoy Truffle on the same album does include the words "Ob la di bla da" as a reference to the song. It wasn't the only time that the Beatles were very obviously inspired by a work that already existed (e.g. Golden Slumbers). Twistlethrop (talk) 01:47, 22 March 2010 (UTC)

What ?

"* After Paul makes his slip of the tongue by swapping the Molly and Desmond characters, we hear either a surprised John, George, or Ringo say "what?!""

Are you sure of this ? I hear "Foot !" at the end of the swapped sentence.In the previous normal sentence , you hear "Arm! Leg!" after "lend a hand";so the "foot" is normal.

82.124.6.86 18:45, 12 January 2006 (UTC)

• I listened to this song last night on my local adults hits radio. And yes, I did hear the words "Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face." But I believe that a lot of inventive ideas came from mistakes. Maybe this little "mistake" ended up being prophetic - there are more househusbands in the 2010s than during the decade in which the Beatles originally made this song. In a way, I find the phrase "Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face" to be prophetic (and a side effect of the marijuana that the Beatles were into during their heyday as a rock and roll band). GVnayR (talk) 19:20, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

A single?

Wouldn't it make sense that the cover for the single should appear at the top instead of the album cover? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Garsha (talk • contribs) 03:19, 9 March 2007 (UTC).

the list?

Why is this song part of List of "songs with questionable lyrics" following the September 11, 2001 attacks ?

The article says it's because of the "life goes on" lyrics, but I always thought it was because of the title's similarity with "Osama bin Laden" or something like that. I wonder if I can find a source. 160.39.152.201 (talk) 22:54, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Vinyl Record 7"

Redundant? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jimmyupt (talk • contribs) 00:28, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:BeatlesObLaDiObLaDaJulia.png

Image:BeatlesObLaDiObLaDaJulia.png is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

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BetacommandBot 21:23, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

Only example of three versions of same song in chart at same time?

When I was a kid I loved this song - you could hardly avoid it on the radio because there were three versions around.

Is it the only example of three versions of same song in chart at same time?

I think the obscure group The Bedrocks had a hit with it first (anyone know how they came to get this Beatles song first?) then it was Marmalade who'd already had hits of their own but I suspect this was their best. My recollection is that EMI decided to release the Beatles' own version to cash in and that went up the charts too though I don't think it was Number One, ironic or what?

Do the versions of the song differ lyrically?

I also reckon that there is little point in analysing the lyrics as they are McCartney 'nursery rhyme' stuff. Brilliant but shallow. Royzee (talk) 14:34, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

What country are you referring to? EMI did not release the single in the US or UK at the time, but as the succession boxes at the end of the article show, it was released in other countries. I know that in the 50s it was quite common in the US to have multiple versions of a song on the charts at the same time. It's possible this was a unique feat somewhere, I suppose.Brettalan (talk) 09:23, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

Mars poll

Just wondering whether this deserves its place in the article. Who are Mars (they don't appear to have a WP page); what is their credibility (compared to pollsters such as Rolling Stone magazine for example)? I noticed an edit to another article that referenced a poll was reverted with the justification that polls can be rigged. And of course it's subjective but "the worst song ever"? It's not even the worst song on side 1 of the White album (Wild Honey Pie anyone?). Wrapped in Grey (talk) 08:14, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Dead external links to Allmusic website – January 2011

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Key

The article currently says "The song is in the key of B flat and written in 4/4. The alternative version on Anthology 3 is in the key of A major.". It also says a citation is needed. It's easy to pick up a tuned guitar and verify these things - much harder to find an article on the internet where someone states the actual key of the song...77.99.98.37 (talk) 10:46, 18 May 2011 (UTC)

See WP:CITE. Hyacinth (talk) 00:42, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Additional citations

Why and where does this article need additional citations for verification? What references does it need and how should they be added? Hyacinth (talk) 09:12, 10 March 2012 (UTC)

This one seems to be reasonably well sourced. I've removed the template. Inline {{cn}} tags can be used for any remaining problems. - SummerPhD (talk) 17:23, 10 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. Hyacinth (talk) 00:41, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Life Goes On and On? Bra?

The Beatles were fond of mild sexual innuendo, such as in "Girl", the backup vocals "She's the kind of girl..." are "Tit, tit, tit..." (according to the Beatles Anthology book). In Ob-La-De, Ob-La-Da ("life goes on, bra"), I assumed Paul was making a double entendre with the old 60s commercial for The Playtex Living Bra, "whose life goes on and on". I checked this song here in Wiki to see if it confirmed the Playtex reference, but perhaps it's just not known. I no longer have a Beatles Anthology to see if he verifies it there. Anyone know? WikiPetePZ (talk) 01:23, 12 June 2012 (UTC)

Cool story, brah. 193.63.174.211 (talk) 13:01, 28 March 2014 (UTC)

“Desmond” and Desmond Dekker?

The article says that the use of the name “Desmond” was a nod to the singer Desmond Dekker,and includes a link to the NY Times obit for him as a citation. However the obit itself gives no source for the claim (it doesn’t quote McCartney, any of the other Beatles or their circle such as Sir George Martin, etc., and nor does it say that Dekker said it was so), which makes it seem entirely anecdotal. Surely there has to be a primary source for the information to make it encyclopædic, and make it suitable for inclusion here? I can’t say that it isn’t true, but there isn’t anything here which shows the truth of the claim. Does anyone have a more solid reference for the names being linked? Jock123 (talk) 14:11, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Good question. I'm doing some searching, and have found a scattering of published books calling this song a reference to Dekker; the earliest I've found so far is The Lennon Companion: Twenty-five years of Comment, 1987, Elizabeth Thomson, David Gutman eds, p. 153, which identifies the song as an "overt reference" to Desmond Dekker and the Aces (they were a somewhat competitive act on the charts in those days!) Til Eulenspiegel /talk/ 14:41, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Did this song influence John Cougar Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane"?

Slice of life stuff about ordinary people and the refrain "life goes on" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.196.253.54 (talk) 11:25, 16 November 2013 (UTC)

Who did the la la la la la la la la la la la la la?

You can la la la la during certain bits of the song. I was just wondering which Beatle it was that did it. C.Syde (talk | contribs) 10:21, 12 May 2014 (UTC)

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Writing in India

The Writing section is still a bit scarce. According to the Beatles Anthology book, Paul wrote first drafts of the song in the meditation retreat (Jimmy Scott-Emuakpor was with them there), and then one day, a group of the Maharishi's followers formed to walk down into the village to go see a film at the local cinema. Paul had his wooden guitar with him, and while they were walking down the mountain, he completed the song and they were all singing it together before they reached the village. --79.242.222.168 (talk) 08:44, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

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Infobox single

No songs from the "White Album" were released as singles. While "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" was released as a single in many other countries, it wasn't it in the UK or the US. Many of their song pages use infobox song while displaying a non-UK or non-US single, which I think should apply here as well. Only "Revolution" and "Hey Jude" were official singles, but no tracks from the actual "White Album" were singles, so I think the infobox should be changed to song and not single (the first infobox at least). Anyone else object? JG66? BeatlesLedTV (talk) 21:29, 9 March 2019 (UTC)

Well, this is the only non-UK/-US contemporary single release that I thought we should make an exception for, because it was issued in almost all other countries of the world and, by the sound of it, the single was considered for a US release in 1968/69 also. To my mind, that makes it far more of a bona-fide contemporary Beatles single than, say, "Girl", "Norwegian Wood" or "Back in the USSR". But I'm not too bothered, and anyway, one thing I've noticed here is that a release date of 22 Nov 1968 for the single is unsupported by any source, and I'd say it's highly unlikely.

I'm more bothered about the treatment given to the 1970 Japanese single release at "Oh! Darling" and "Here Comes the Sun", where it appears as a separate infobox. And again, no reliable source I've found supports the release date for that one.

I might leave a note at the Beatles project page, to get some more input. I think your approach and mine are pretty similar, but I have found a divergence of opinion on this issue over the years. For instance, it wasn't so long ago that one or two editors wanted to see "Don't Pass Me By"/"Back in the USSR" treated as a single, with a Scandinavian singles chronology included in the infobox (which, once again, was original research). JG66 (talk) 03:41, 10 March 2019 (UTC)

JG66 I think the separate infoboxes for "Oh! Darling" and "Here Comes the Sun" should be deleted, as honestly only the UK and US singles should be main priority. With this song, I bet the single wasn't released on 22 November 1968 because that's the day the White Album itself was released, so it's probably just the White Album release date, further justifying removing the single infobox and just having a sheet music image. I think the second infobox is fine, as well as putting the French single cover somewhere below, but not in an infobox.

If it was released in almost every country except the UK and the US I think that could be mentioned later on and have the French cover there. Other than that, I think sheet music covers fit better for the White Album tracks, which is why I removed the 45" image on "Birthday" and replaced it with sheet music. The fact is, the only "singles" during this time were "Lady Madonna"/"The Inner Light" and "Hey Jude"/"Revolution", no tracks from the White Album itself were released as singles in the UK or the US. BeatlesLedTV (talk) 06:19, 10 March 2019 (UTC)

BeatlesLedTV, here we are discussing this issue, and I've put the word out at the Beatles project talk page. It's also further to an issue raised at Talk:The Beatles#Non-UK/US and mock-up single covers in song articles (Beatleswillneverdie), which I meant to take up at project level a while back. So, since we've started this, would you mind refraining from replacing images at Beatles song articles as you have been? I'm sure some of your choices are correct, but it would make sense to establish some sort of general approach first.

Re your point about including the French cover for Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da "later on" – we can't, it has to appear in an infobox, unless there's third part commentary discussing the image (which there isn't). I'll write more later. JG66 (talk) 07:36, 10 March 2019 (UTC)

Back again. I believe the first infobox here at "Ob-La-Di" definitely warrants a 1968–69 single sleeve image. I'm all for the sheet music images appearing in infoboxes at the majority of Beatles song articles (could be wrong, but I think it was me who started uploading them from collectors' sites – I've certainly added a good many over the years), but it's not a case of one-size-fits-all. It's a general approach, and there can be exceptions.

I've worked on this article a bit just recently and have read plenty about the song's place in the Beatles' history. Once the lead is expanded to a couple of paragraphs, to reflect the additions I've made to the text, I think the inclusion of the sleeve image will be perfectly logical to readers. Among other things, the lead would say how the single was a big hit for the Beatles around the world, number 1 in several countries, but McCartney's bandmates vetoed its release in the US. (I mean, if you looks at the Charts section here, even with the absence of any UK, US and Canadian chart peaks, it's not far off "Lady Madonna"'s.) This status as a worldwide hit single puts it way above the average White Album track in terms of (populist) notability, where the sheet music image usually suffices. I think we could probably do better than the French sleeve, admittedly, but as mentioned above, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is definitely not a straightforward album track. Off the top of my head, only "Rock and Roll Music" comes close as a non-UK and non-US single that achieved such major success elsewhere in the world. Oh, hang on: "Michelle" also ... and please see the lead text there for an example of what I mean about the infobox image corresponding with the lead. JG66 (talk) 15:36, 10 March 2019 (UTC)

And a bit more: I agree with the idea of removing the single infoboxes at "Oh! Darling" and "Here Comes the Sun". One of Kenneth Womack's books supports mention that the two songs were issued as a single in Japan in 1970, but no more than that – eg, there's no mention of the month of release or whether the single was a hit. What I'd do at "Oh! Darling", in line with other examples I've mentioned (Norwegian Wood, Girl, Rock and Roll Music, Michelle), is move the Japanese picture sleeve up to the first infobox, replacing the sheet music image, and also ensure that the 1970 single is mentioned in the lead. But I wouldn't bother with either measure at "Here Comes the Sun", since it was only the B-side. (The single release is discussed briefly in the Release section there, though.) JG66 (talk) 16:03, 10 March 2019 (UTC)

JG66 Based on what you're saying, if the single really was that successful everywhere else, then maybe the infobox should remain as is. I do agree that the lead should be greatly expanded upon, especially since this song is one of the more notable Beatles songs you hear on a regular basis (I actually heard it in a supermarket the other day). A little off topic but I also think many songs off the White Album and Revolver should be expanded upon, and I've been doing my best to expand upon some, but many could still use expansions. Anyways, in the case of "Oh! Darling" and "Here Comes the Sun", I think the infobox singles for those could be removed, since Womack's book doesn't go greatly into detail. But since I'm only one person, I'd love to hear others' opinions on the subject. BeatlesLedTV (talk) 17:22, 10 March 2019 (UTC)

Update on this: I have changed the first infobox type to "song" after all. This is because, in my opinion, the most significant original release was unquestionably on the White Album (in line with template documentation: "If an album track was later released as a single, use the most notable or best known"). Not only that, but any attempt at providing a release date for the 1968–69 non-UK/US single would be original research – I've never been able to find any date, vague or precise, in any of the many relevant sources. JG66 (talk) 04:17, 13 August 2019 (UTC)

JG66 I totally agree. As I said before when I first brought this topic up, no singles were released from the White Album itself in the UK and the US, rather "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" (and not "Revolution 1"). And if you've searched everywhere and can't find a release date for the French single, there's no point in having an infobox single, so infobox song is the best way to go. – zmbro _(talk) 14:50, 13 August 2019 (UTC)

"Nonsense song"

Is "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" really a nonsense song? It's described as such in the opening sentence, but I think it tells a pretty coherent story, especially compared to some of the Beatles' other songs.

Yours sincerely, "spectreoflieftism". 04:22, 18 July 2019 (UTC)