Ooh La La (Faces song)
| "Ooh La La" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Borstal Boys" |
"Ooh La La" is a 1973 song by the band Faces, written by Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood. It was the title song for the band's last studio album, Ooh La La.
The lead vocals were provided by Wood, a rarity in the band's catalog, as most lead vocals were by Rod Stewart or less often by Ronnie Lane. Stewart and Lane recorded lead vocals for it; however, their producer suggested Wood give it a try, and that was the version that was used for the track which appeared on the record.
Lane recorded his own version after leaving the Faces in 1973 with his new group, Slim Chance. Lane's version featuring lyrics slightly altered from those he wrote for the Faces. Although Lane's version was never released during his lifetime, it appeared as the title track of the 2014 Slim Chance compilation Ooh La La: An Island Harvest. Lane performed his version of the song right up until he retired from the music business in 1992.
Wood performed the song in his solo concerts between 1987–2012.
Content
The lyrics describe a dialogue between a grandfather and grandson, with the elder man warning the younger about the perils of relationships with women: "Poor old granddad, I laughed at all his words / I thought he was a bitter man; he spoke of women's ways." The chorus laments, "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger."
Personnel
- Ronnie Wood – vocals, acoustic lead guitar
- Ronnie Lane – bass, resonator rhythm guitar, tambourine
- Ian McLagan – piano, organ, Mellotron
- Kenney Jones – drums, maracas
Releases
In addition to being the closing title track of the Faces' final studio album, the song also appeared as a US single in May 1973. The first compilation the song appeared on was the album Snakes and Ladders / The Best of Faces, and was one of the few songs that represented Ronnie Lane's songwriting. It appeared again on the 1999 Faces retrospective Good Boys... When They're Asleep and another time on the four-disc Five Guys Walk Into A Bar.... It even appeared on the Ronnie Wood greatest hits compilation Ronnie Wood Anthology: The Essential Crossexion, where Wood stated in the liner notes that he always thinks of Lane when he plays it.
Covers
Rod Stewart covered the song himself on his 1998 solo album When We Were the New Boys in tribute to the recently deceased Lane. It was released as the first single from the album and became a top 40 hit in the US and top 20 in the UK.
Indie rock band Silkworm covered the song for their 2000 LP Lifestyle.[2] Banjo player Danny Barnes covered the song on his 2003 release Dirt on the Angel.[3] The song was covered by Counting Crows as a B-side for their 2003 single "If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel Is Dead)" and re-released on their 2012 studio-album "Underwater Sunshine". In late 2012, punk rocker Tim Armstrong, best known as frontman of Rancid, recorded a ska-flavored cover of the song under the moniker Tim Timebomb and Friends. Included in the recording, and featured in the video, were drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182, bassist J Bonner, and keyboardist Kevin Bivona of The Transplants.[4] American indie rock band Manchester Orchestra performed a version of the song in July 2013 for The A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series.[5] Canadian band Hey Rosetta! recorded a version in 2014. Folk act Redbird included a version on their Live at the Cafe Carpe album.[6]
In popular culture
"Ooh La La" was featured in the 1998 film Rushmore, played over the film's final shot and closing credits. It was also included in the film's 1999 soundtrack album. It was also used as the theme song for the 2003 BBC sitcom Grass. It was also featured in the 2004 movie Without a Paddle. "Ooh La La" was performed live by Ronnie Wood at the 50th birthday celebration of the Fender Stratocaster in 2004. Episode 4 of the 2004 BBC miniseries Blackpool featured the Faces recording, accompanied on screen by the singing and dancing of the characters, as part of the story. The song is used in the HBO series Entourage in the fifth-season episode "ReDOMption". It is used in the Showtime series Californication in the third-season finale "Mia Culpa". It is the favorite song of Red Hot Chili Peppers' vocalist Anthony Kiedis.[7] It was played at the funeral of FBI Agent Elizabeth Keen, on the NBC series The Blacklist, season 3, episode 20 "The Artax Network". Used as background music during the "fish" scene of season 1 episode 20 Young Sheldon.
References
- ^ Uli Twelker; Roland Schmitt (1 December 2010). The Small Faces & Other Stories. Bobcat Books. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-85712-451-7.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. Ooh La La at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
- ^ "Dirt on the Angel". Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ^ Sterling, Scott. "Rancid's Tim Armstrong Releases New 'Tim Timebomb' Video Featuring Travis Barker". KROQ. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ "Manchester Orchestra covers Faces". Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ Ruhlman, William. "Redbird > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ MyTunes: Kiedis's Top 5 tracks, Mojo
