The character of Desmond in the lyrics, from the opening line 'Desmond has a barrow in the market-place', was a reference to reggae singer Desmond Dekker, who had recently toured the UK. McCartney wrote the song when reggae was becoming popular in Britain author Ian MacDonald describes it as 'McCartney's rather approximate tribute to the Jamaican ska idiom'. Prudence Farrow, one of their fellow Transcendental Meditation students there, recalled McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison playing it to her in an attempt to lure her out of her room, where she had become immersed in intense meditation. Paul McCartney began writing 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' during the Beatles' stay in Rishikesh, India, in early 1968.

From 2009, McCartney has regularly performed the song in concert. Despite the song's popularity, 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' has been ridiculed by some commentators for its plain lightheartedness, and appeared in some lists of worst songs ever. Of these, Marmalade became the first Scottish group to have a number 1 hit in the UK when their version topped the Record Retailer chart in late 1968. The Beatles' decision not to release the single in the UK or the US led to several cover recordings by other artists, who sought to achieve a chart hit with the song. A discarded early version of the track, featuring Scott on congas, was included on the band's 1996 compilation Anthology 3. The song was especially disliked by John Lennon, and a heated argument during one of the sessions led to Geoff Emerick quitting his job as the Beatles' recording engineer. The recording sessions for the track were marked by disharmony as McCartney's perfectionism tested his bandmates and their recording staff. Following its release, Scott attempted, unsuccessfully, to receive a composing credit. McCartney wrote 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' in a cod Jamaican ska style and appropriated a phrase popularised by Jimmy Scott, a London-based Nigerian musician, for the song's title and chorus. When belatedly issued as a single in the United States in 1976, it peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following the album's release, the song was issued as a single in many countries, although not in the United Kingdom or the United States, and topped singles charts in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and West Germany.

It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the LennonвЂ“McCartney partnership. ' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as 'the White Album').

Oh na na na reggae song