Jobriath was born Bruce Wayne Campbell and was signed with Elektra Records … Read Full Bio ↴Jobriath was born Bruce Wayne Campbell and was signed with Elektra Records which, according to legend, had high hopes of turning him into 'the great American glam singer.' His debut album Jobriath (released in 1973) was hyped heavily, including the purchase of an immense billboard in New York's Times Square to advertise it. While the album was well-received by some critics who cited a distinct show tunes and/or vaudeville influence, despite the album intentionally being produced to sound like David Bowie, the American public was reluctant to give such a hyped-up recording artist even half a chance...especially as he was the first openly gay mainstream rock musician. (While queer musicians of any variety definitely existed before 1973, such as Noel Coward, it is contextually important to note that Jobriath was always very public about being gay, whereas Coward et al. proceeded as though no one knew about them besides their lovers. Even Freddie Mercury posed as merely bi-curious for most of his career.)

Jobriath's second album Creatures of the Street was released in 1974, and consisted of the remaining session recordings that weren't used for the first album. Jobriath's career was regarded as Elektra's (and the entire recording industry's) biggest faux pas and most expensive advertising failure. He was quickly dropped by Elektra. Although he briefly toured with his band after that, even he soon distanced himself from the Jobriath image and performed a cabaret act under the name Cole Berlin.

Pre-Jobriath, Campbell played the presumed-gay character Woof in the Broadway musical HAIR, and was a member of the folk-rock band Pidgeon (one album for Decca, 1969).

In 1983, on August 3rd, he died at his apartment in New York's Chelsea Hotel from AIDS-related complications. His death pre-dated Klaus Nomi's by three days, making him the first known recording artist whose death was AIDS-related.

The posthumous retrospective Lonely Planet Boy was released in 2004.

Ooh La La
Jobriath Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What you want? Baby you can have
What you need? Honey it's all yours for just one night
Hello how are you do you live by yourself?
Could I come and keep you company?
Let's see!

What you need? Maybe what I got
But I could tell by the way your eyes were turned away

Would you be kind enough to thrill me with a line?
Even though I've heard the words before

I'm so glad I saw your ad in every glance you threw
I'm so glad I got you bad now what you gonna do?
So glad
Yeah I'm so glad I saw your ad in every glance you threw
I'm so glad I got you bad now what you gonna do?
Ooh la la la la la la la la uhh [x3]

What you...
God bless you...
Thank you...
Hello how are you do you live by yourself?
Can I come and keep you company?
I'm so glad I saw your ad in every glance you threw
I'm so glad I got you bad now what you gonna do?
Yeah I'm so glad I saw your ad in every glance you threw
I'm so glad I got you bad now what you gonna do?

Ooh la la la la la la la la uhh [x3]
One, two...
Huh!... Aye!... What you...
Ooh la la la la la la la la uhh [x3]

...Oh you're so pretty

Oh look at this!
Keep my tips.

Overall Meaning

The song "Ooh La La" by Jobriath is a seductive and flirty tune where the singer expresses his desire for someone he has just met. He starts by asking what the person wants and needs and offers everything he has for just one night with them. He then asks if the person lives alone and if he could come over and keep them company. The singer believes he has what the other person needs, but he can tell by the way their eyes are turned away that they are hesitant.

Despite the hesitation, the singer asks the person to thrill him with a line, even though he has heard the words before. He expresses his excitement about seeing the person's ad and getting them "bad." The chorus of "Ooh la la la la la la la la uhh" is repeated throughout the song, adding to the seductive and flirtatious tone.

Overall, the song is about the thrill of meeting someone new and wanting to explore those feelings of desire and attraction, even if it's just for one night.

Line by Line Meaning

What you want? Baby you can have
I am offering you anything you desire

What you need? Honey it's all yours for just one night
I am willing to provide whatever you need for one night

Hello how are you do you live by yourself?
May I inquire how you are doing and if you live alone?

Could I come and keep you company?
May I offer to come and spend time with you?

Let's see!
Let us explore the possibilities

What you need? Maybe what I got
Perhaps I have what you are looking for

But I could tell by the way your eyes were turned away
I can sense you may not be interested

Would you be kind enough to thrill me with a line?
May I ask you to say something to excite me?

Even though I've heard the words before
Even if your words are familiar to me

I'm so glad I saw your ad in every glance you threw
I am grateful to have noticed your interest in me

I'm so glad I got you bad now what you gonna do?
I am pleased to have captured your attention, what will you do now?