On Tuesday 9 July 1968, The Beatles worked through the night at Studio Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road – a session that began at 4pm and did not end until 3.30am the following morning. In those eleven and a half hours, they recorded two more takes of 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da', decided to abandon them in favour of a take from the previous night, added overdubs, and then – before the session closed – began work on a new version of 'Revolution'. The producer was George Martin. The engineer was Geoff Emerick.
It was a night that encapsulated the White Album sessions in miniature: enormous effort, circular decision-making, creative tension, and – eventually – a result. The 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' that appeared on the White Album in November 1968 was built on a foundation laid in this session.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da: Takes 20 and 21
The session began with 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da'. The song had already been through a tortuous recording process. The first attempts had been made on 4 July 1968, and further work had been done on 5 July and on 8 July, when a remake had been recorded. By 9 July, the song was on its third complete version.
Paul McCartney led the group through two new takes – numbered 20 and 21 – in the first five hours of the session. Then, after an hour's break, he made a decision that rendered those five hours redundant: he wanted to go back to take 13, recorded the previous night on 8 July.
Take 13 became the basis for the master version. The lead and backing vocals that had been recorded on it were wiped and re-recorded in this session – though these too would be replaced by further recordings made on 15 July 1968. A reduction mix of take 13 was made, numbered take 22 to account for the earlier takes. Handclaps and vocal noises were added, along with piano in the final verse.
The song was not yet finished – that would happen on 15 July – but the shape of the released version was now established. The master was take 13, dressed with overdubs from 9 July and completed a week later.
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The Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Recording History
'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' was one of the most laboured recordings of the White Album sessions – a fact that caused considerable friction within the band. John Lennon, in particular, had little patience for the song, which he regarded as lightweight. He reportedly referred to it with contempt during the sessions. George Harrison and Ringo Starr were similarly unenthusiastic.
McCartney, however, was determined to get it right. The song had been written in the style of Jamaican ska – a genre McCartney had encountered through his friendship with Jimmy Scott, a Nigerian conga player who performed in London clubs. The 'ob-la-di, ob-la-da' phrase was one Scott used, meaning roughly 'life goes on'.
The recording process reflected the song's troubled gestation. Multiple complete versions were attempted and abandoned. The final master – take 13 from 8 July, overdubbed on 9 and 15 July – was the third complete version of the song. The piano introduction, played by Lennon at a faster tempo than McCartney had intended, was added in a later session and gave the released version its distinctive opening energy.
The full recording chronology:
- 4 July 1968 – First attempts
- 5 July 1968 – Further work
- 8 July 1968 – Remake; take 13 recorded (master basis)
- 9 July 1968 – Takes 20–21; return to take 13; overdubs added (this session)
- 15 July 1968 – Final overdubs; song completed
Revolution: The Rehearsal
Before the session closed at 3.30am, The Beatles turned to a different song entirely: 'Revolution'. The circumstances were significant.
John Lennon had written 'Revolution' as a response to the political upheavals of 1968 – the student protests in Paris, the anti-Vietnam War movement, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. The original recording, 'Revolution 1', had been made during the White Album sessions beginning on 30 May 1968 and continued on 31 May. It was a slow, bluesy version – the version that would appear on the White Album.
But Paul McCartney and George Harrison had decided that 'Revolution 1' was not commercial enough to be a single. They wanted a faster, harder version for the b-side of 'Hey Jude'. Lennon was annoyed – he had wanted 'Revolution 1' to be the a-side of the single, not the b-side of something else – but he agreed to record a new version.
The 9 July performances were not a proper recording session. They were a rehearsal: the band working out the arrangement of the new, faster 'Revolution' before committing it to tape properly. The session featured lead and rhythm guitars, bass guitar, drums, and Lennon's lead vocals. The tape was recorded but later wiped – the proper takes were made on 10 July 1968.
The 'Revolution' that appeared as the b-side of 'Hey Jude' – released in August 1968 – was a different beast from 'Revolution 1': faster, louder, distorted, and unmistakably a rock and roll record. It was one of the most powerful things The Beatles ever recorded. The rehearsal on 9 July was where it began to take shape.
George Martin and Geoff Emerick
The session was produced by George Martin and engineered by Geoff Emerick – the team that had been central to The Beatles' studio work since 1962 and 1966 respectively. Emerick had been the engineer on Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and his relationship with the band was close and sometimes difficult.
The White Album sessions were particularly demanding. The band's internal tensions – the arguments, the long hours, the competing visions for the record – made the studio atmosphere uncomfortable. Emerick would eventually walk out of the sessions in late July 1968, unable to continue working in the environment. Ken Scott took over as engineer for the remainder of the White Album.
On 9 July, however, Emerick was still present, recording the circular progress of 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' and the first tentative steps of the new 'Revolution' into the early hours of the morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many takes did it take to record Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da?
The recording of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da went through at least 22 numbered takes across multiple sessions in July 1968. The master version was based on take 13, recorded on 8 July 1968, with overdubs added on 9 and 15 July. Two further complete versions (takes 20 and 21) were recorded on 9 July but abandoned in favour of take 13.
When was Revolution recorded?
The original slow version, Revolution 1, was recorded from 30 May 1968. The faster version released as the b-side of Hey Jude was rehearsed on 9 July 1968 and properly recorded on 10 July 1968. It was released in August 1968.
Why did The Beatles record a new version of Revolution?
Paul McCartney and George Harrison felt that Revolution 1 – the slow, bluesy version recorded in May 1968 – was not commercial enough for a single. They wanted a faster, harder version for the b-side of Hey Jude. John Lennon, who had wanted Revolution 1 to be the a-side, agreed reluctantly. The new version was rehearsed on 9 July and recorded on 10 July 1968.
Who engineered the White Album sessions?
Geoff Emerick was the engineer for the early White Album sessions, including 9 July 1968. He walked out of the sessions in late July 1968 due to the difficult atmosphere, and was replaced by Ken Scott for the remainder of the album.
What is the meaning of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da?
The phrase 'ob-la-di, ob-la-da' was used by Jimmy Scott, a Nigerian conga player who performed in London clubs and was known to Paul McCartney. It means roughly 'life goes on'. McCartney wrote the song in the style of Jamaican ska, inspired by Scott's phrase and musical style.
More from On This Day in Beatles History
- Recording: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – 4 July 1968
- Recording: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – 5 July 1968
- Recording: Revolution 1 – 30 May 1968
- Recording: Revolution 1 – 31 May 1968
- Recording: Revolution 9 – 10 June 1968
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps: George Harrison's White Album Masterpiece
- Where Was Hey Jude Recorded?
- On This Day in Beatles History – full archive
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