… Read Full Bio ↴Blossom Dearie (1924-2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist.
Born on 28th April 1924 in East Durham, New York, of mixed Scottish and Norwegian ancestry, Dearie began her career in vocal groups in New York. In the early 1950s she moved to Paris, forming her own vocal group, The Blue Stars, later to become the Swingle Singers.
After signing to Verve, Dearie returned to the U.S. where, despite developing a successful career and achieving international fame, by 1974 the lack of interest from major labels led her to start her own label, Daffodil Records. She continued performing into her eighties.
Blossom Dearie died on 7th February 2009, at her apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City
Give Him the Ooh La La
Blossom Dearie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Diamond clips and emerald rings
And you want your man to come through
Give him the ooh-la-la
When your car is asked to stop
By a handsome traffic cop
'Less you want a ticket or two
If Napoleon at Waterloo-la-la
Had an army of debutantes
To give the British the well known, ooh-la-la
He would have changed the history of France
When your favorite Romeo
Grabs his hat and starts to go
Don't reveal the fact that you're blue
Don't break down and start to boo hoo
There's just one thing for you
La, la to la, la do la, la
Like Tallulah just
Give him the ooh-la-la
If Napoleon at Waterloo, la, la
Had an army of debutantes
To give the British the well known ooh-la-la
He'd have changed the history of France
When your favorite Romeo
Grabs his hat and starts to go
Don't reveal the fact that you're blue
Don't break down and start to boo hoo
There's just one thing for you
La, la to la, la do la, la
Like Tallulah just
Give him the ooh-la-la
The ooh-la-la
The ooh-la-la
You'd better be like Tallulah
Don't be a fool, ah
Give him the ooh-la-la
Blossom Dearie's song "Give Him the Ooh-La-La" is a playful and catchy tune that offers some humorous advice to women on how to keep their men happy. The song begins with Dearie suggesting that women who like fancy things such as diamond clips and emerald rings should give their men the "ooh-la-la" to get them to come through. The phrase "ooh-la-la" is used throughout the song as a kind of shorthand for flirting and seduction.
Dearie goes on to offer other examples of situations where giving the "ooh-la-la" might be useful, such as when being stopped by a traffic cop or when trying to keep a departing boyfriend from feeling guilty. The song is full of wordplay and light-hearted humor, and the chorus, which urges listeners to be like Tallulah (a reference to actress Tallulah Bankhead), adds to the song's whimsical tone.
The song's refrain, which invokes Napoleon at Waterloo and an army of debutantes, is particularly silly and shows Dearie's playful sense of humor. The song's overall message is clear - if you want to keep your man happy, give him the "ooh-la-la."
Line by Line Meaning
Say you're fond of fancy things
If you have a taste for expensive, luxurious items
Diamond clips and emerald rings
Like jewelry and other valuable possessions
And you want your man to come through
And you want your partner to buy them for you
Give him the ooh-la-la
Use your feminine charms to convince him to give you what you want
When your car is asked to stop
If a police officer stops your car
By a handsome traffic cop
And the officer is good looking
'Less you want a ticket or two
If you don't want to get a ticket or fines
Give him the ooh-la-la
Flirt with him to avoid getting into trouble
If Napoleon at Waterloo-la-la
If Napoleon had been at the Battle of Waterloo
Had an army of debutantes
If he had an army of young women making their debut into high society
To give the British the well known, ooh-la-la
To seduce and distract the British soldiers with their charm
He would have changed the history of France
He may have won the battle if he had done so
When your favorite Romeo
If your favorite man
Grabs his hat and starts to go
Puts on his hat and leaves
Don't reveal the fact that you're blue
Don't show that you're sad or upset
Don't break down and start to boo hoo
Don't cry and become emotional
There's just one thing for you
The only thing to do in this situation
La, la to la, la do la, la
Do the ooh-la-la like Tallulah Bankhead did
Like Tallulah just
Do it the way Tallulah Bankhead did
Give him the ooh-la-la
Use your feminine wiles to prevent him from leaving
The ooh-la-la
This seductive action
You'd better be like Tallulah
You should try to be as seductive and charming as Tallulah Bankhead
Don't be a fool, ah
Don't be foolish and miss the opportunity to get what you want
Give him the ooh-la-la
Use your charm to make him stay and give you what you want
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marmee Cruz
Love my newly discovered song! So suggestively wicked and witty!
2HP
Criminally underrated
n00se
Say you're fond of fancy thing
Diamond clips and emerald rings
And you want your man to come through
Give him the ooh-la-la
When your car is asked to stop
By a handsome traffic cop
'Less you want a ticket or two
Give him the ooh-la-la
If Napoleon at Waterloo-la-la
Had an army of debutantes
To give the British the well known ooh-la-la
He would have changed the history of France
When your favorite Romeo
Grabs his hat and starts to go
Don't reveal the fact that you're blue
Don't break down and start to boo hoo
There's just one thing for you
La, la to la, la do la, la
Like Tallulah just
Give him the ooh-la-la
If Napoleon at Waterloo, la, la
Had an army of debutantes
To give the British the well known ooh-la-la
He'd have changed the history of France
When your favorite Romeo
Grabs his hat and starts to go
Don't reveal the fact that you're blue
Don't break down and start to boo hoo
There's just one thing for you
La, la to la, la do la, la
Like Tallulah just
Give him the ooh-la-la
The ooh-la-la [2x]
You'd better be like Tallulah
Don't be a fool, ah
Give him the ooh-la-la
Vigo Raster
30 years - listening to BLOSSOM.
Album.$ 80.00
Fred Potter
Beautiful and funny
J. W.
Like Tallulah (Bankhead), Give him the Ooh-la-la...to be immortalized in song.
Tamara M
If I get stopped by a cute traffic cop... he gettin' da ooh la la la ;)
08CARIB
fun song
Mental Garden Party
Oolalaaaa
John Hyung
Raise your hand if you come here becoz hearing this song from Starbucks