Matthew Trzcinski
“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by the Beatles has
divided fans and critics alike since it was first released in 1968. Some
listeners feel that the song is a fun foray into Jamaican music. Others feel
that it’s one of the kitschiest songs that the Beatles ever wrote. The
controversy surrounding the song extended beyond that; Paul McCartney was
accused of plagiarizing the song’s lyrics.
According to AllMusic, Jimmy
Scott was a Nigerian congo player who worked with both Stevie Wonder and the
Rolling Stones at the height of their fame. In the 1960s, Scott became
acquainted with Paul McCartney. During this time, Scott had a band called the
Ob-la-di Ob-la-da Band. The band’s name came from the Yoruba phrase “ob-la-di
ob-la-da,” which translates to “life goes on.”
Scott’s use of the phrase
inspired Paul McCartney to write “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” Although the Beatles
were an essential part of the 1960’s counterculture, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
celebrates traditional domestic bliss.
The track is a ska song about a
singer named Molly who falls in love with a man named Desmond Jones that she
meets in the marketplace; the two get married and have children as Molly
continues her musical career. Spin claims that Desmond Jones’ name is a
reference to Desmond Dekker, a ska and reggae musician whose work influenced
the song.
After the song was recorded,
Scott came to believe that he deserved a co-writers’ credit for introducing
Paul to the phrase “ob-la-di ob-la-da.” Paul disagreed; he felt that since
Scott did not coin the phrase, Scott did not deserve a writing credit on the
song.
A short while after, Scott was
thrown in jail for failing to pay alimony. McCartney agreed to pay for Scott’s
legal bills under the condition that he would no longer pursue a co-writers’
credit on “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” Scott would go on to join a punk rock band
called Bad Manners. He died in 1986.
‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’: John Lennon
and Others Hated the Song
Perhaps, in retrospect, Scott
wouldn’t have wanted a co-writers’ credit. In 2004, the BBC reported that a
Mars poll of 1000 people selected “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” as the worst song ever
written. The poll’s list of the worst songs ever included Meat Loaf’s “I’d Do
Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” and 5ive’s cover of Queen’s “We Will
Rock You.”
The poll’s findings mirror John
Lennon’s feelings about the song. Spin reported that John Lennon disliked the
song when he first heard it. Midway through its recording, John left the studio
in frustration. He then smoked cannabis and returned to the studio. When he
returned, he decided he liked the song. Ultimate Classic Rock said that John
later dismissed the song as “granny s ***.”
George Harrison disliked the song
as well. He criticized it in another song from The White Album, “Savoy
Truffle,” which features the lyrics “You know that what you eat you are/But
what is sweet now, turns so sour/We all know Ob-La-Di-Bla-Da/But can you show
me, where you are?”