| "Oh! Darling" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles
from the album Abbey Road |
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| Released | 26 September 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 20 April – 11 August 1969 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll, swamp rock | |||
| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Label | Apple Records | |||
| Writer | Lennon/McCartney | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| Abbey Road track listing | ||||
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"Oh! Darling" is a song of The Beatles composed by Paul McCartney[1] (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and appearing as the fourth song on the Abbey Road album in 1969. Its working title was "Oh! Darling (I'll Never Do You No Harm)".[2]
Contents |
Background
McCartney later said of recording the track, "When we were recording 'Oh! Darling' I came into the studios early every day for a week to sing it by myself because at first my voice was too clear. I wanted it to sound as though I'd been performing it on stage all week."[3] He would only try the song once each day; if it was not right he would wait until the next day. In order to make sure he got every precious first take right, McCartney would practice the song in the bathtub. He once lamented that "five years ago I could have done this in one take".[citation needed]
In a 1980 interview with Playboy magazine, John Lennon said, "'Oh! Darling' was a great one of Paul's that he didn't sing too well. I always thought I could have done it better—it was more my style than his. He wrote it, so what the hell, he's going to sing it."[1]
George Harrison described the song as "a typical 1950s–'60s-period song because of its chord structure."[4]
Let It Be session
After an early attempt at this song on 27 January 1969 during the Let It Be sessions, Lennon announced, "Just heard that Yoko's divorce has just gone through", after which he and the band burst into an improvised version of the song, substituting "I'm free at last" for a part of the lyric.[5] The song and the following improvisation are included on the Anthology 3 CD.
Recording
The basic track was recorded on 20 April 1969, but there were many overdub sessions, including multiple attempts at the lead vocal by McCartney (as described above).[2] According to Ian MacDonald, the backing vocals were "exquisite", but "sadly underplayed in the mix."[6]
Influences
"Oh! Darling" appears to have drawn heavily on the New Orleans rhythm and blues sound popularised during the 1950s and early 1960s by African-American musicians like Fats Domino; it also seems to have drawn on the Louisiana swamp blues sound found in songs like Slim Harpo's "Raining In My Heart." Furthermore, it may have drawn on the related Louisiana genre known today as swamp pop, whose distinctive sound bears an uncanny resemblance to the basic structure of "Oh! Darling" — so much so that some in Louisiana originally thought the song had been recorded by a local musician.[4] (When swamp pop musician John Fred met the Beatles in London in the 1960s, he was shocked to learn that "they were very familiar with Louisiana music.") Fittingly, swamp pop musician Jay Randall eventually covered "Oh! Darling" for the Lanor label of Church Point, Louisiana.[7]
Cover versions
- Robin Gibb recorded "Oh! Darling" in 1977 for the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Released in 1978 as single, it reached #15 on Billboard's Hot 100 in September.
- Huey Lewis recorded a version for the 1995 Beatles tribute Come Together: America Salutes The Beatles.
- George Benson also recorded a version for The Other Side of Abbey Road EP.
- London also recorded a version for the Don't Cry Wolf album.
- It also appears in the movie Across the Universe sung by the characters Sadie (Dana Fuchs) and Jojo (Martin Luther McCoy).
- Etta Scollo recorded an Italian version in 1988
- Bela Fleck and the Flecktones recorded a version for Live Art, with John Cowan providing the vocals
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – vocal, backing vocals, bass, guitar
- John Lennon – backing vocals, piano
- George Harrison – backing vocals, guitar, synthesiser
- Ringo Starr – drums
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald[6]
Notes
References
- Bernard, Shane K. (1993). Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.
- The Beatles (2000). The Beatles Anthology. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-2684-8.
- Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-844-13828-3.
- Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
External links
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