Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, the co-musicians behind the hit song 'Ooh La La', discuss their creative process in making one of their most beloved tracks.
For Goldfrapp, inspiration came from her older sister's passion for Marc Bolan and the glam rock sound of that era. She wanted to capture this essence in the lyrics and music, but couldn't think of a chorus at first. The famous "Ooh la la" phrase was born after their trip to France and stuck due to its catchy nature. Adding vocoder voices to the natural voice created an interesting synthetic feel.
The song's lyrics were personal for Goldfrapp, exploring themes of relationships and feelings through visual metaphors. One memorable line about breaking a heel on a shoe came from an old 1950s film she had seen. This quote was also influenced by her knowledge of Baudelaire poems.
Gregory, who co-wrote the track with Goldfrapp, notes that the simplicity of 'Ooh La La' is what makes it stand out. Despite its basic structure, the song relies heavily on claps and bassline for emotional impact. The duo was careful to avoid overcomplicating their production, instead opting for lo-fi holiday homes as a creative space.
Gregory's comments about the 60s and 70s music evoke nostalgia, but Goldfrapp educated him well in this regard, introducing him to Joan Jett, who helped shift his perception of rock music. Gregory reveals he would have looked out of place in the 'Ooh La La' video due to his minimalist style.
In collaboration with renowned mixer Mark "Spike" Stent, the song took shape during a whirlwind writing session while they camped in his studio. The end result is a timeless track that blends various elements without sticking too closely to any particular genre.
Their story highlights Goldfrapp and Gregory's creative chemistry, how their individual styles blended together to create something truly unique, making 'Ooh La La' an enduring classic of 90s electronic rock music.
For Goldfrapp, inspiration came from her older sister's passion for Marc Bolan and the glam rock sound of that era. She wanted to capture this essence in the lyrics and music, but couldn't think of a chorus at first. The famous "Ooh la la" phrase was born after their trip to France and stuck due to its catchy nature. Adding vocoder voices to the natural voice created an interesting synthetic feel.
The song's lyrics were personal for Goldfrapp, exploring themes of relationships and feelings through visual metaphors. One memorable line about breaking a heel on a shoe came from an old 1950s film she had seen. This quote was also influenced by her knowledge of Baudelaire poems.
Gregory, who co-wrote the track with Goldfrapp, notes that the simplicity of 'Ooh La La' is what makes it stand out. Despite its basic structure, the song relies heavily on claps and bassline for emotional impact. The duo was careful to avoid overcomplicating their production, instead opting for lo-fi holiday homes as a creative space.
Gregory's comments about the 60s and 70s music evoke nostalgia, but Goldfrapp educated him well in this regard, introducing him to Joan Jett, who helped shift his perception of rock music. Gregory reveals he would have looked out of place in the 'Ooh La La' video due to his minimalist style.
In collaboration with renowned mixer Mark "Spike" Stent, the song took shape during a whirlwind writing session while they camped in his studio. The end result is a timeless track that blends various elements without sticking too closely to any particular genre.
Their story highlights Goldfrapp and Gregory's creative chemistry, how their individual styles blended together to create something truly unique, making 'Ooh La La' an enduring classic of 90s electronic rock music.
it's like they distillled all the magic into a few basic beats and that vocoder thingy is still giving me chills lol 
I've always been fascinated by how Goldfrapp's sister's love for Marc Bolan influenced her songwriting style - it's like she tapped into this whole retro vibe that's just so infectious 
. And Gregory's humility about not fitting in with the 90s rock scene is refreshing, I think he's right though, sometimes less is more 
, i mean the idea of the ooh la la phrase being born after a trip to France is pretty cool, and I love how Alison Goldfrapp got inspiration from her sister's passion for Marc Bolan. That 1950s film quote she used was so random but it works! 
what im most impressed by is how they created this timeless track without overcomplicating the production, its just a great example of simplicity and creative chemistry 
its like alison's sister had this massive influence on her and will just brought that to life in a way that still makes you wanna move your body 
. I mean, don't get me wrong, Goldfrapp's vocals are iconic and all that jazz 
, but the song itself? It's just a bunch of catchy phrases strung together with some basic instrumentation. And don't even get me started on the vocoder voices - they're soooo 90s 
. Where's the real substance? The lyrics are just a bunch of vague metaphors that don't really mean anything 
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, but his comment about looking out of place in the video? Totally true 
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. What struck me about this track is how simple yet effective the instrumentation is - those claps and bassline just give the song that extra oomph! And Goldfrapp's lyrics are so poetic, it's no wonder they're timeless. I think what makes their creative process so interesting is how they balanced simplicity with personal touches... like that "heel on a shoe" line