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6.20pm
1 November 2012
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In the comments section to the song info on “Savoy Truffle ” in the Songs section up top (not the forum), someone effused that George’s mention of “Ob-La-Di” is the only time any musician has ever referenced another song on the same album.
However, Paul did that in his Band On The Run album — three times!
1. “Helen Wheels”, the lyrics reference the song “Band On The Run “: “and Sailor Sam, he came a burning down, but he never will be found”
2. “1985” also references “Band On The Run ” by simply breaking into the chorus at the very end then fading out.
3. “Picasso’s Last Words” at one point breaks out into a repetition of “Ho! Hey Ho!” — a reference to “Mrs. Vanderbilt”.
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9.14pm
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14 April 2010
Offline Perhaps they meant on a Beatles album? 
Just guessing.
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10.08pm
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1 May 2011
Offline Well John referred to a handful of songs in Glass Onion (eg Fool on the Hill, Fixing A Hole , Lucy In The Sky) on The White Album so there’s another one. And if you want to be incredibly anal over it you can hear John refer to Tell Me Why on What Goes On (“i’ve already told you why”) and Ringo calls out “I Feel Fine ” when singing Honey Don’t on Beatles For Sale which is almost certainly a reference to the song I Feel Fine , there may even be a few others.
Just remembered She Loves You and Yesterday are referred to in All You Need Is Love .
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3.31am
1 November 2012
Offline No, the challenge is “any musician” not just the Beatles; and it has to be a reference in one song on an album to another song on the same album.
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12.37pm
19 April 2010
Offline I believe I may be the “effusser” from the Savoy Truffle comment and if so, then my point was really this. Well,
first it’s not bringing back a musical theme back from one song into another song, such as the recurrent themes referenced in Band On The Run , or the off-the cuff ad-lib moments on All You Need Is Love ending, or side two of Abbey Road , but George referencing as a part of the official lyric a song on the very same album: “We all know Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da ” – which of course we didn’t really know (at least know well) because you’d only heard it once as you listened through the LP the first time.
And yes John does make those references to other Beatle tunes in Glass Onion – but they are not songs from the very same album.
And finally, my real point was that the Beatles were now acknowledging their own cultural iconic status (IMHO) by being able to reference their own work in such a matter of fact manner.
Clear as mud?
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12.51pm
20 January 2012
Offline I’m not coming up with many such in-album self-references, but the Who did make the “Reign O’er Me” reference at least a couple of times through Quadrophenia. As this was a “rock opera,” I guess that “Reign” was a recurring theme and therefore may not officially count here.
And of course, the Beatles dropped that second bit of “You Never Give Me Your Money ” into “Carry That Weight .”
Both of which are decidedly different from George’s lyrical reference.
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3.34pm
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1 May 2011
Offline Well i get a big fat F grade for not answering the actual question. Need to read the paper properly next time.
I have a feeling that Queen may have made references to other songs on the same lp however i cant think which songs or albums off the top of my head. More of that Jazz on their ’78 Jazz album has actual parts of the other songs on the album towards the end but thats not whats really the same thing.
Wait Bicycle Race (“Fat bottomed girls they’ll be riding today”) and to a different aspect Fat Bottomed Girls (“Get on your bikes and ride”) (its not a direct title but its an obvious reference as they were a double a-side single) both reference each other and both are on Jazz. Maybe thats still in keeping with the Band On The Run thing.
Unless you are looking a for a band/artist who says “we told you about song x 5 minutes ago” or words to that effect.
And heading back to Band On The Run Picasso’s Last Words also heads back to Jet . That album has quite a few tracks that nod to other tracks on the album.
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6.50am
1 November 2012
Offline robert said
I believe I may be the “effusser” from the Savoy Truffle comment and if so, then my point was really this. Well,first it’s not bringing back a musical theme back from one song into another song, such as the recurrent themes referenced in Band On The Run , or the off-the cuff ad-lib moments on All You Need Is Love ending, or side two of Abbey Road , but George referencing as a part of the official lyric a song on the very same album: “We all know Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da ” – which of course we didn’t really know (at least know well) because you’d only heard it once as you listened through the LP the first time.
And yes John does make those references to other Beatle tunes in Glass Onion – but they are not songs from the very same album.
And finally, my real point was that the Beatles were now acknowledging their own cultural iconic status (IMHO) by being able to reference their own work in such a matter of fact manner.
Clear as mud?
Thanks robert, your argument makes sense, though it seems rather narrow in its parameters. Also, you are kind of depending on your interpretation of the meaning of George’s lyric to be correct — perhaps Paul helped George at that juncture in the song and said “Laddie, why not just throw in ‘Ob La Di’ at this point?” That line seems the weakest in the whole song, and perhaps George had run out of clever desserts at that point…
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1.43pm
26 March 2012
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Paul had the band run through Ob-La-Di to the point of sickness, right? In light of that, it seems pretty clear to me that George was taking a minor swipe at the tribulations of practicing such a chocolatey song so many times- “what is sweet now, turns so sour.”
And to come to Funny Paper’s original challenge, there must be countless albums which reference the same song: any album with any kind of reprise or recurring musical or lyrical theme would be doing so. If you knew where to look, you could list hundreds. Although the instance in Savoy Truffle is slightly random and anachronistic, it wouldn’t seem to be anything groundbreaking.
One striking instance I can think of is Marvin Gaye’s 1971 record What’s Going On, where the title track is repeated as a kind of socially-motivated denouement at the end of “Inner City Blues.”
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8.31pm
26 July 2011
Offline Yeah, I’ve always figured George was venting a little frustration over having to do and re-do “ObLaDi, ObLaDa” over and over again with that line… then again, it may have simply been a placeholder line (kind of like “attracts me like a cauliflower” in “Something “) which George decided he liked and kept in the final recording. I don’t know that George ever commented about it himself.
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9.09pm
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1 May 2011
Offline I think that line has been discussed here before, not that i know which thread. Personally ive always thought it was a dig at how many hours they spent recording it, a sardonic comment.
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5.17pm
3 March 2012
Offline Funny Paper said
No, the challenge is “any musician” not just the Beatles; and it has to be a reference in one song on an album to another song on the same album.
“Tommy” anyone?
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12.19am
1 November 2012
Offline …ontherun said
Funny Paper said
No, the challenge is “any musician” not just the Beatles; and it has to be a reference in one song on an album to another song on the same album.
“Tommy” anyone?
Well, being in the genre of a “rock opera” it would be strange for the different songs NOT to reference each other.
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8.16pm
1 December 2009
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Funny Paper said
No, the challenge is “any musician” not just the Beatles; and it has to be a reference in one song on an album to another song on the same album.
The main example I can think of is Can, from their 1971 double album “Tago Mago”. “Halleluwah” covers all of Side 2 and features the lyric “I was singing
Mushroom head, Oh yeah, Paperhouse”, which are the titles of all three tracks on the previous side. I know there are other examples, but I can’t think of any offhand that aren’t off concept-type albums, such as those already cited by the Who and Paul McC.
(Beatles example that could’ve been: The full length version of “Dig It “, in which John just reads “Get Back ” and all the other rehearsed song titles from a possible set list.)
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1.12am
22 December 2013
Offline meanmistermustard said
Well i get a big fat F grade for not answering the actual question
Not at all… In fact, your example of ‘Honey Don’t ‘ referencing ‘I Feel Fine ‘ applies for they are both on the ‘Beatles ’65’ album…:-)
IMDeWalrus said
I’ve always figured George was venting a little frustration over having to do and re-do “ObLaDi, ObLaDa” over and over again with that line…
Paul was a favourite target of George’s frustration creatively ’round this time… A more graphic example would be ‘Not Guilty ‘ which is why, I felt, that it was left off of the ‘White Album ‘… It certainly wasn’t for lack of musical inventiveness… with the ‘Savoy Truffle ‘ quip, he was able to slip one in there… possibly without Paul even realizing it at the time… the song’s lyrics were built around Eric Clapton’s sweet tooth after all… ‘Not Guilty ‘, on the other hand, appears to center around his attitude towards Paul McCartney in 1968:
Not guilty
For getting in your way
While you’re trying to steal the day
Not guilty
And I’m not here for the rest
I’m not trying to steal your vest
I am not trying to be smart
I only want what I can get
I’m really sorry for your ageing head
But like you heard me said
Not guilty
No use handing me a writ
While I’m trying to do my bit
I don’t expect to take your heart
I only want what I can get
I’m really sorry that you’re underfed
But like you heard me said
Not guilty
Not guilty
For looking like a freak
Making friends with every Sikh
Not guilty
For leading you astray
On the road to Mandalay
I won’t upset the apple cart
I only want what I can get
I’m really sorry that you’ve been misled
But like you heard me said
Not guilty
The ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da ‘ reference almost seems tame by comparison… George doesn’t get enough credit for his lyrics… outstanding… and such stark contrast to ‘The Inner Light ‘ released earlier in 1968…:-)
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15 February 2015
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When I first saw this thread come up, I thought it was titled ‘Savoy Truffle renouncing Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da ‘. Which is also somewhat accurate.
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6.47am
26 January 2017
Offline What about Here Comes The Sun and Sun King ?
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11.05pm
14 December 2009
Offline Seems like it’s a grey area regarding that one…
I feel like Zappa has done this a lot. Self-referential was a big part of his shtick
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6.07am
14 June 2016
Offline QuarryMan said
What about Here Comes The Sun and Sun King ?
Back in 1969, if you put the vinyl on and didn’t look at the track list, and John started singing “Here Comes The Sun ….king” you’d possibly think he was doing a variation of the previous Harrison song. Interesting. 
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17 December 2012
Offline @Timothy said
Back in 1969, if you put the vinyl on and didn’t look at the track list, and John started singing “Here Comes The Sun ….king” you’d possibly think he was doing a variation of the previous Harrison song. Interesting.
When they started recording it on 24 July 1969, as a medley with Mean Mr. Mustard, it was actually with the working title Here Comes The Sun -King…
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