Goldfrapp on making Ooh La La: glam-rock influences and minimal production

Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory described how they made their song "Ooh La La", saying it began as an ode to glam rock and was built around deliberately sparse elements. Alison said her sister’s interest in Marc Bolan rubbed off on her and that she loved the vocal effects and drum sounds on old glam records.

The refrain grew from a trip to France — hence the “Ooh la la” — and the band layered voices, added vocoder parts and kept a synthetic feel alongside a natural voice. She said the lyrics were personal, that a breakdown about a broken heel came from a 1950s film she’d seen, and that she slipped a reference to Baudelaire into the words.

Portishead’s Adrian Utley played guitar on the track, Alison said, and the video was conceived as an imaginary glam band directed by Dawn Shadforth with the late Cathy Edwards as stylist; she said they had good budgets and time to work on details. Alison said the song has been used in many places and that some requests — she mentioned sex scenes — were amusing; she added they have refused uses many times.

She also recalled performing on US television while feeling nervous and noticing Simon Cowell nearby in a pink jumper. Will said the track is very lean, hinging on claps, a bass line, the vocal and a few synth or guitar stabs.

Key Topics

Culture, Goldfrapp, Ooh La La, Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory, Adrian Utley