Oh! Darling: Introduction

“Oh! Darling” is a Beatles’ song from their 1969 album, “Abbey Road.”

In Detail

Release Date: September 26, 1969 (UK), October 1, 1969 (US)
Recorded: April 20 & 26; July 17, 18 & 22; August 11, 1969
Genre: Hard rock, swamp pop, rock and roll
Track Duration: 3:26
Record Label: Apple
Songwriter: Lennon-McCartney
Producer: George Martin
Engineers: Jeff Jarratt, Phil McDonald

Performers And Instruments

Paul McCartney: lead and backing vocals, also the bass guitar
John Lennon: backing vocals, also the piano
George Harrison: backing vocals and electric guitar
Ringo Starr: drums

**John Lennon also plays electric guitar on the “Anthology 3” version.

Other Performer

Billy Preston: Fender Rhodes (on the “Anthology 3” version).

Where To Find “Oh! Darling”

You can still buy this song on the following albums:

**We recommend buying the 1978 Abbey Road album if you only need the original version of this song. However, for Beatles fans, all their work is recommended!

Oh! Darling: Background

This rock song has a combination of some interesting individual instrumentation and possibly the biggest strain on Paul McCartney’s voice ever. The track appears to draw inspiration from many unusual sources.

Firstly, there is a deep connection to the New Orleans rhythm and blues sound. African-American musicians from this area, such as Fats Domino, were particularly prominent in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Secondly, there is a strong connection to the Louisiana swamp blues sound. Indeed, Charles Brown‘s “Please Come Home for Christmas” bears a strong resemblance. The similarity continues in Slim Harpo’s “Still Rainin’ in My Heart.”

Thirdly, there is a connection to swamp pop from the Louisiana region. The basic structure of “Oh! Darling” has such a strong resemblance to this genre that some folk in Louisiana originally thought the song came from a local musician!

Swamp pop musician John Fred met The Beatles in London during the 1960s and recalls, “They were very familiar with Louisiana music.” This surprised the singer somewhat. Incidentally, John Fred & His Playboy Band had a massive hit single with “Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)” in 1967. Of course, as we know, this is a play on the title of The Beatles’ song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”

Vocal Ripper

Without doubt, “Oh! Darling” was going to rip Paul McCartney’s voice to shreds due to pushing his screaming to the limit. However, his determination to capture the correct vocals for the song persisted. Indeed, McCartney often arrived in the studio before the rest of the band to record his vocal tracks.

“Paul came in several days running to do the lead vocal on Oh! Darling. He’d come in, sing it and say, ‘No, that’s not it; I’ll try it again tomorrow.’ He only tried it once per day; I suppose he wanted to capture a certain rawness, which could only be done once before the voice changed. I remember him saying, ‘Five years ago, I could have done this in a flash,’ referring, I suppose, to the days of Long Tall Sally and Kansas City.”
Alan Parsons, engineer
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn

Lennon And McCartney Quotes

Although written by Paul McCartney, as ever, the credits go to the songwriting partnership of Lennon-McCartney, of course. However, they did sort of compete at times.

“I mainly remember wanting to get the vocal right, wanting to get it good, and I ended up trying each morning as I came into the recording session. I tried it with a hand mike, and I tried it with a standing mike, I tried it every which way, and finally got the vocal I was reasonably happy with.

It’s a bit of a belter, and if it comes off a little bit lukewarm, then you’ve missed the whole point. It was unusual for me; I would normally try all the goes at a vocal in one day.”
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

“Oh! Darling was a great one of Paul’s that he didn’t sing too well. I always thought that I could’ve done it better – it was more my style than his. He wrote it, so what the hell, he’s going to sing it. If he’d had any sense, he should have let me sing it.” [Laughs.] John Lennon
All We Are Saying, David Sheff

Recording Studio

To begin with, The Beatles began rehearsing “Oh! Darling” on January 27, 1969, during the Get Back sessions. From that day’s session in London’s Savile Row, we get a version that is on their Anthology 3 album. It was also a day of celebration for John Lennon, and he tells us at the end of the jamming session, “Just heard that Yoko‘s divorce has just gone through. Free at last …..I’m free!“

After this impromptu announcement, John Lennon continues to sing in tune with the song:

This morning
Baby told the lawyer, it’s OK
Believe me when I tell you (duet with Paul McCartney)
I’ll never do you no harm (duet with Paul McCartney)

For the official album recording, The Beatles began recording “Oh! Darling” on April 20, 1969, in Studio Three at the EMI Studios in London during the 7.00pm–12.45am sessions. They recorded 26 takes, of which the last one was suitable for the basic rhythm track.

Vocal Overdubbing

Although various overdubs took place to tweak the song, the vocals still proved problematic. Instead of using headphones, McCartney would use the studio speakers in order for him to feel as though he was singing to a live audience. The first attempt by Paul McCartney was on April 26, but this was not suitable. Further attempts on July 17 were no good for the song.

Then, on July 23, Paul McCartney cracked it. This was during the 2.30 p.m.–11.30 p.m. sessions. They now had all the material necessary to mix the song suitable enough to grace the Abbey Road album.

To this date, neither Paul McCartney nor any other band members have ever sang “Oh! Darling” onstage. This is possibly due to the effects the vocal piece would have on their voices.

Take A Listen To “Oh! Darling.”

Finally, listen to the song, then consider leaving your thoughts about this vocal gem. Also, was Lennon jealous that McCartney could come up with this song? After all, he continually talked about Paul and his “granny music,” and this song could not be further away from that!

Below this version, you will find Paul McCartney’s isolated vocals.