OOH LA LA (SONG)

"'Ooh La La'" is an electronic–dance song performed by British group Goldfrapp. The song was written and produced by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory for the duo's third album ''Supernature'' (2005). The song is based around a synthesizer and guitar arrangement and was inspired by the disco era.^[1]
The song was released as the album's lead single in August 2005 to positive reviews from music critics. It was a commercial success, reaching the top forty on the majority of the charts it entered, and topped the U.S. dance chart. The song has been remixed a number of times and was nominated for "Best Dance Recording" at the 49th Grammy Awards in 2007.^[2]

Contents

Background and writing

Music video

Critical reception

Marketing and release

Chart performance

Formats and track listings

Personnel

Charts

Notes

Background and writing

Goldfrapp began work on "Ooh La La" in late 2004 in a small rented house in the countryside of Bath, England."Goldfrapp Unleash ''Supernature''". ''Rolling Stone''. March 7, 2006. Retrieved May 31, 2007. The song was composed as a collaborative effort between Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory while jamming in the recording studio, bouncing song ideas off each other.Michael Gallant. "Retro Disco Ooh La La". ''Keyboard Magazine''. Retrieved March 25, 2006. Goldfrapp contributed the song's lyrics, and has described the song as being "sulky, sexual and a bit ambiguous".^[3] In "Ooh La La", she confesses to wanting only a sexual relationship without romance.^[4] She also mentions nineteenth century French poet Charles Baudelaire in the first verse.
"Ooh La La" was Goldfrapp's first song to feature the electric guitar, an instrument that they had avoided due to its overly recognizable rhythm.Michael Gallant. "Retro Disco Ooh La La". ''Keyboard Magazine''. Retrieved March 25, 2006. The song is written in the common verse-chorus form and features additional instrumentation from synthesizers and a bass guitar.^[5]

Music video

The music video for "Ooh La La" was directed by Dawn Shadforth and filmed in London, England in mid-2004.^[6] Inspired by "glam rock 70's TV", the video features Goldfrapp and their band performing in a large green room.^[7] Scenes of Alison Goldfrapp riding on a digital sparkling horse are intercut toward the end of the video. Alison Goldfrapp has described the video as "harking back to Eno era Roxy Music and old Top of the Pops".
The video premiered in the UK in late August 2005. The complete version of "Ooh La La" featured in the music video has been released commercially through CD singles and digital downloads, and some include remixes by Benny Benassi and Tiefschwarz.

Critical reception

"Ooh La La" received positive reviews from music critics. MusicOMH.com reviewer Michael Hubbard described the song as "sensational", writing that "Ooh La La" "will spawn a million remixes, and deservedly so".^[8] Heather Phares of All Music Guide named "Ooh La La" as the best song from ''Supernature''.^[9]
Jessica Suarez of ''Spin'' magazine compared "Ooh La La" with ''Black Cherry's "Strict Machine", saying that the song sounds "so simplistic that [its] minimalist repetition occasionally teeters over into redundancy".^[10] PopMatters also compared the two songs, but wrote that the "gimmick remains something they do incredibly well, and when the chorus kicks in, Alison lala-ing away, it's impossible not to give in".^[11]
''Rolling Stone'' magazine included the song in its list of the top hundred songs of 2006, ranking it at number ten.^[12] At the 2007 Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for "Best Dance Recording", losing to Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack".

Marketing and release

"Ooh La La" was chosen as the album's lead single "because it was up and in your face and it carried on the theme of the glammy, discoey beat from the last album". In 2006, the song appeared on several television programs in the United States including the crime drama series ''Bones''.^[13]
"Ooh La La" was released as a various formats throughout the world. While most territories received a CD single and digital download release, the single was released as a limited edition vinyl single in August 2005 in the UK.^[14] A DVD single was also issued and included the music video for "Ooh La La" and a short documentary titled "Little Pictures".^[15]

Chart performance

"Ooh La La" entered the UK Singles Chart on August 15, 2005 at number four, remaining on the chart for thirteen weeks.^[16][17] Outside of the UK, the song was also successful. It reached number sixteen in Ireland and the top forty in Australia.
In North America, "Ooh La La" was released as the album's second single in February 2006. In the United States, the song became Goldfrapp's third consecutive release to reach the top of the ''Billboard'' Dance Chart. The song also reached number three on the Hot Dance Airplay chart.^[18]

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Ooh La La".

;'UK CD single 1' # "Ooh La La" (Single version) — 3:00 # "All Night Operator (Part 1)" — 4:00 ;'UK CD single 2' # "Ooh La La" (Benny Benassi remix extended) — 6:52 # "Ooh La La" (Phones re-edit) — 6:31 # "Ooh La La" (Tiefschwarz dub) — 6:38 ;'DVD single' # "Ooh La La" music video # "Ooh La La" - Little Pictures # "Ooh La La" (When Andy Bell Met Manhattan Clique mix - audio) — 6:20

;'Australian CD single' # "Ooh La La" (Radio version) — 3:00 # "Ooh La La" (Benny Benassi remix extended) — 6:52 # "Ooh La La" (Phones re-edit) — 6:31 # "Ooh La La" (Tiefschwarz dub) — 6:38

Personnel

The following people contributed to ''Ooh La La'':

★ Alison Goldfrapp – lead vocals, backing vocals, synthesizer

★ Nick Batt – synthesizer, programming

★ Will Gregory – synthesizer

★ Adrian Utley – guitar

★ Charlie Jones – bass

★ Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing

★ Ted Jensen – mastering

Charts

Chart (2005)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	4
Irish Singles Chart	16
Australian Singles Chart	36
German Singles Chart	82
Swiss Singles Chart	97
Chart (2006)	Peak position
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play	1
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Airplay	3

Notes

1. Kate van den Boogert. "Ooh La La!". GoGo Paris in English. August 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
2. 2007 Grammy Award Nominations. Grammy Awards. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
3. Goldfrapp - Ooh La La. Mute Records. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
4. "Ooh La La" lyrics and song meaning. songmeanings.net. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
5. ''Supernature'' (CD liner notes). Mute Records. August 2005.
6. Goldfrapp "Ooh La La" music video. mvdbase.com. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
7. ""Ooh La La" Special". goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
8. Michael Hubbard. "Ooh La La" single review. musicOMH.com. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
9. Heather Phares. Supernature (Goldfrapp). All Music Guide. March 7, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2006.
10. Jessica Suarez. Goldfrapp, ''Supernature''. ''Spin'' magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2005.
11. Adrien Begrand. ''Supernature'' album review. PopMatters. September 19, 2005. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
12. "The 100 Best Songs of the Year". ''Rolling Stone''. December 8, 2006. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
13. Bones Weekly Soundtrack. Fox Broadcasting Company. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
14. "Ooh La La" Vinyl Single. eil.com. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
15. "Ooh La La" DVD Single. eil.com. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
16. UK Singles Chart (August 15, 2005). acharts.us. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
17. World Chart Positions. acharts.us. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
18. U.S. Billboard Chart History. Billboard.com. Retrieved July 15, 2007.