The title comes from a Reggae band called Jimmy

Scott and his Obla Di Obla Da Band. Says McCartney, "A

fella ho !sed to hang aro!nd the cl!bs !sed to say in a
Jamaican accent, "Ob"la"di, ob"la"da, life goes on," and he
got annoyed hen # did a song of it, $ca!se he anted a
c!t. # said, $Come on, Jimmy, it$s %!st an e&'ression."
(than)s, Chiara " *est +anco!,er, Canada-
*hen Jimmy Scott needed money for bail (he as
%ailed for missing alimony 'ayments-, McCartney had his
friend Alistair Taylor '!t !' the money in e&change for
Scott dro''ing rights to the name. Taylor had to get the
money from a friend, since no one in the Beatles cam'
carried m!ch cash. (than)s, Bertrand " .aris, /rance-
.a!l McCartney rote this and The Beatles s'ent a
great deal of time recording and o,erd!bbing it. John,
0eorge, and Ringo became ,ery annoyed. 1arrison hinted
at his fr!stration on "Sa,oy Tr!ffle," hich as recorded
three months later. #n the song he rote2 "B!t hat is
seet no, t!rns so so!r3 *e all )no Ob"4a"Di, Ob"4a"
Da3 B!t can yo! sho me, here yo! are5"
John 4ennon hated this song. 1e didn$t li)e a lot of
McCartney$s later songs ith The Beatles, feeling they
ere trite and meaningless. Ringo and 0eorge disli)ed
this too and all three of them ,etoed .a!l$s ish that this
be released as a single.
This as a 67 hit in 8ngland for Marmalade in 79:;.
*ith this song, Marmalade became the first Scottish gro!'
to to' the <= charts (lea,ing little do!bt abo!t their
origin, they 'erformed the song on Top Of The Pops
earing )ilts-. #t also co!ld be considered the first <= 67
to be done in a Reggae style. Marmalade$s bassist 0raham
=night recalls in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon =!tner and
S'encer 4eigh, "The Beatles$ m!sic '!blisher, Dic) James,
'layed !s the acetate of The Beatles$ Ob"4a"Di Ob"4a"Da
and e tho!ght it as great. 1e said, $>o! can ha,e it, #
on$t gi,e it to anyone else,$ b!t of co!rse he 'assed it to
another ?@ acts. *e r!sh"recorded it in the middle of the
night d!ring a ee) of cabaret in the north"east. O!r
manager, ho as in America at the time, )e't sending !s
telegrams not to do it. 1e didn$t thin) e sho!ld record a
Beatles song. *e e&'ected it to do ell, b!t e didn$t
thin) it o!ld go to 67. *e got no feedbac) from The
Beatles at all. There had been so many co,ers by that
time that # sho!ldn$t thin) they$d ha,e been ,ery
interested." (than)s, 8dard .earce " Ashford, =ent,
8ngland-
The g!itars ere o,er"mod!lated on '!r'ose to get
the desired effect.