TOP 100 SONGS OF THE BEATLES: 67

"Oh! Darling" (McCartney – October 1, 1969)

Abbey Road – Side 1, Track 4 (3:26)YouTube (Sweet Loretta Fat cover)

From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone and About.com –

History –

Fittingly, Paul McCartney introduced this new '50s-style rocker, based heavily on the New Orleans piano and "swamp pop" traditions, to the band in January 1969 during the rehearsals for the Let It Be project. As with all the other songs introduced, the group gamely attempted several variations of the song, most with Paul on piano. (At some point, Billy Preston took over on electric piano and Paul switched to bass.) Why the song never made the final cut is not known, but McCartney knew it had potential and resurrected it for the Abbey Road sessions. On April 20, the band -- now with John on piano -- easily nailed the new arrangement, then went back to work on "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." And that would have been that, except that the romantically tortured vocal called for by the track, clearly more Little Richard than Fats, required quite a bit from Paul.

Paul attempted his first lead vocal on April 26 but was dissatisfied with the results. A full three months later, taking a page from John's past, he decided to keep recording the vocal over and over each day until he achieved the perfect raw mix of ragged and powerful he was looking for. Living just a few blocks from the Abbey Road studios, he could arrive early each morning and make a new attempt. (Lennon had inadvertently accomplished the same thing way back during the day-long sessions for the band's debut album, when he was forced to sing a shredded "Twist and Shout" after a full day's work on the mic.) He finally achieved it on August 5, near the end of the sessions for the album. On the 11th John, George and Paul added the backing vocals, at which point they put some near-finishing touches on "Heavy" and "Here Comes the Sun."

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." 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. He once lamented that "five years ago I could have done this in one take". 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."

George Harrison described the song as "a typical 1950s–'60s-period song because of its chord structure."

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. The song and the following improvisation are included on the Anthology 3 CD.

Influences –

"Oh! Darling" appears to have drawn heavily on the New Orleans rhythm and blues sound popularized 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. (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.

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). According to Ian MacDonald, the backing vocals were "exquisite", but "sadly underplayed in the mix."

Takes: 26

Personnel

John Lennon – Backing vocals, piano (1905 Steinway Vertegrand "Mrs. Mills")

Paul McCartney – Lead and backing vocals, bass guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 4001S)
George Harrison – Backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitar (1968 Fender Rosewood Telecaster), bass guitar (1961 Fender Bass VI)
Ringo Starr – Drums (1968 Ludwig Hollywood Maple)

Trivia –

Engineer Geoff Emerick recalls Paul complaining about losing his vocal prowess by not being on stage every night: "Five years ago," he was heard saying, "I could have done this in a flash."

Lennon, who loved the song, was reportedly upset that he wasn't asked to sing lead, asserting his style was much more suited to the track. This may have been the reason "Oh! Darling" never made the "rooftop concert."

Or perhaps Paul's reluctance to let John sing "Oh! Darling" came from his impromptu performance during the Let It Be sessions. Hearing that Yoko Ono's first husband had finally agreed to grant her a divorce, Lennon joyously belted out his own new lyrics, which can be heard on the outtake preserved on Anthology 3: "I'm free / This morning / Baby told the lawyer it's okay..."Covered by: Steve Martin, Insane Clown Posse, Frankie Laine, Jack Wild, George Hill, Let's Wrestle, Good Ship Lollipop, Format, Jessica Mitford, Brown Hill's Stamp Duty, Gerard Saint Paul.

Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) February 2 – 

1962 – Start of validity of contract with Brian. 

– Performance at the Thistle Cafe, West Kirkby, Wirral. 1st gig under Brian's management.

1963 – Preparation for 1st British tour.
– Three concert promoters, Arthur Howes, Paul Cave and Harold Fielding, contact Brian, vying for the chance to present Beatles shows at seaside resorts in the summer.

1964 – "With The Beatles" number 1, 9th week (UK Record Retailer chart). 
– "I Want To Hold Your Hand" number 1, 1st week; 3rd week in the Top 100 (Billboard). 
– "She Loves You", 2nd week in the Top 100 (Billboard). 
– "Please Please Me", 1st week in the Top 100 (Billboard).– Celebration dinner, with Brian, at the George V Hotel, Paris.

1965 – US EP release: 4 By The Beatles.– Brian announces new plans for Cilla Black: performances on Sunday Night at the London – Palladium and at the Persian Room, at the Plaza Hotel, New York.

1966 – Merger of the Vic Lewis Organization and NEMS Enterprises commences legally. Vic Lewis becomes a director of NEMS Enterprises.

1967 – Studio 2. 7.00pm-2.30am. Recording: "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (takes 1-9). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush. 

– Recording of rythm track of "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". 1st use of DI (Direct Injection) in Beatles recordings: Paul's bass. Start of proper sessions for "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

1968 – John sends his Rolls Royce to USA, for his personal use.
– BBC Television Rehearsal Rooms, Victoria Road, London. Ringo rehearses his appearance on the Cilla TV show.

1969 – Yellow Submarine LP, 3rd week in the Top 30 (Billboard).

1988 – Clive Epstein dies, in Austria.

1990 – Paul's concert in Detroit ("Get Back Tour").

1993 – UK CD release: Off The Ground.