Ooh La La (Faces song)

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"Ooh La La"
Ooh La La - Faces.jpg
West German picture sleeve
Single by Faces
from the album Ooh La La
B-side "Borstal Boys"
ReleasedMarch 1973 (1973-03)
RecordedJanuary 1973
Genre Folk rock [1]
Length3:35
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Glyn Johns
Faces singles chronology
"Cindy Incidentally"
(1972)
"Ooh La La"
(1973)
"Pool Hall Richard"
(1973)
Official audio
"Ooh La La" (2004 Remaster) on YouTube

"Ooh La La" is a 1973 song by the band Faces, written by Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood. It is the title song of the band's last studio album, Ooh La La .

Contents

The lead vocals were provided by Wood, a rarity in the band's catalogue; lead vocals were usually performed by Rod Stewart and less often by Ronnie Lane. Stewart and Lane each recorded lead vocals for the song, but reportedly neither was satisfied by their attempt. Their producer Glyn Johns then suggested that Wood give it a try, and this version was used for the track on the album. Rod Stewart recorded a version of the song a quarter of a century later for his album When We Were the New Boys.

In 2021, it was listed at No. 246 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". [2]

Content

The lyrics describe a dialogue between a grandfather and grandson, with the elder man warning the younger about the perils of relationships with women: "Poor old granddad, I laughed at all his words / I thought he was a bitter man; he spoke of women's ways." The chorus laments, "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger."

Personnel

Releases

In addition to being the closing title track of the Faces' final studio album, the Faces version of the song appeared as a US single in May 1973. The first compilation on which the Faces version appeared was the album Snakes and Ladders / The Best of Faces . It appeared again on the 1999 Faces retrospective Good Boys... When They're Asleep and then also on the 2004 four-disc box set Five Guys Walk into a Bar... . It appeared on the Ronnie Wood greatest hits compilation Ronnie Wood Anthology: The Essential Crossexion , where Wood stated in the liner notes that he always thinks of Lane when he plays it.

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [3] Gold400,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Ronnie Lane versions

Lane recorded his own version with his new group Slim Chance soon after leaving Faces in 1973; it featured lyrics slightly altered from those he wrote for the Faces version. Although his studio version was never released during his lifetime, it appeared as the title track of the 2014 Slim Chance compilation Ooh La La: An Island Harvest. Lane regularly performed the song at concerts and on radio shows throughout his solo career until he retired from the music business in 1993, due to bad health.

Rod Stewart version

"Ooh La La"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album When We Were the New Boys
Released18 May 1998 (1998-05-18)
Length4:15
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"
(1997)
"Ooh La La"
(1998)
"Cigarettes and Alcohol"
(1998)

Rod Stewart covered the song on his 1998 solo album When We Were the New Boys in tribute to the recently deceased Lane. It was released in May 1998 as the lead single from the album and became a top-20 hit in the UK as well as a top-40 hit in the US.

Charts

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
Europe11 May 1998Radio Warner Bros. [17]
United Kingdom18 May 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
[18]
United States19 May 1998 Contemporary hit radio [19]
Japan25 May 1998CD [20]

Other covers

Indie rock band Silkworm covered the song for their 2000 LP Lifestyle . [21] In late 2012, punk rocker Tim Armstrong, best known as front man of Rancid, recorded a ska-flavored cover of the song under the moniker Tim Timebomb and Friends. Included in the recording, and featured in the video, were drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182, bassist J Bonner, and keyboardist Kevin Bivona of The Transplants. [22] American indie rock band Manchester Orchestra performed a version of the song in July 2013 for The A.V. Club 's Undercover series. [23] Canadian band Hey Rosetta! recorded a version in 2014.[ citation needed ] Folk act Redbird included a version on their album Live at the Cafe Carpe . [24]

"Ooh La La" was featured in the 1998 film Rushmore , played over the film's final shot and closing credits, and was included on the film's 1999 soundtrack album.

Related Research Articles

Faces are an English rock band formed in London in 1969. It was formed by members of Small Faces after lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces—Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane, and Kenney Jones —were joined by guitarist Ronnie Wood and singer Rod Stewart, both from the Jeff Beck Group, and the new line-up was renamed Faces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Lane</span> English rock musician (1946–1997)

Ronald Frederick Lane was an English musician and songwriter who was the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Small Faces (1965–69) and Faces (1969–73).

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References

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  2. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
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  4. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7903." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  5. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3649." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
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  7. "Rod Stewart – Ooh La La" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  8. "Rod Stewart – Ooh La La" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  9. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  11. "Rod Stewart Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  12. "Rod Stewart Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  13. "Rod Stewart Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  14. "RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98" (PDF). RPM . Vol. 68, no. 12. 14 December 1998. p. 28.
  15. "The Year in Music 1998: Hot Adult Contemporary Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. 26 December 1998. p. YE-95. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  16. "Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor . Vol. 6, no. 52. 25 December 1998. p. 55.
  17. Flick, Larry (16 May 1998). "Stewart Revisits His Roots". Billboard . Vol. 110, no. 20. p. 14. Radio promotion for 'Ooh La La' in the U.K. and throughout much of Europe begins on Monday (11).
  18. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 16 May 1998. p. 35.
  19. "New Releases". Radio & Records . No. 1248. 15 May 1998. p. 41.
  20. "ウー・ラ・ラ 1998 | ロッド・スチュワート" [Ooh La La 1998 | Rod Stewart] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  21. Kellman, Andy. Ooh La La at AllMusic . Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  22. Sterling, Scott. "Rancid's Tim Armstrong Releases New 'Tim Timebomb' Video Featuring Travis Barker". KROQ. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  23. "Manchester Orchestra covers Faces". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  24. Ruhlman, William. "Redbird > Review". Allmusic . Retrieved 30 June 2018.