Talk:Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

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

Since Allmusic have changed the syntax of their URLs, 1 link(s) used in the article do not work anymore and can't be migrated automatically. Please use the search option on http://www.allmusic.com to find the new location of the linked Allmusic article(s) and fix the link(s) accordingly, prefereably by using the {{Allmusic}} template. If a new location cannot be found, the link(s) should be removed. This applies to the following external links:

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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)