Written by: Steve Dudas, Mark Hudson, Dean Grakal, Richard Starkey
Recorded: March 1997 – May 1998
Producers: Mark Hudson, Ringo Starr
Released: 16 June 1998 (US), 3 August 1998 (UK)
Available on:
Vertical Man
Personnel
Ringo Starr: vocals, drums, percussion, bongos
Steve Dudas: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Joe Walsh: electric guitar, vocals
Mark Hudson: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Paul McCartney: bass guitar, vocals
Jim Cox: Hammond organ
Steven Tyler, Astrid Barber, Barbara Bach Starkey, Barbara Vander Linde, Blake V Brown, Bruce Grakal, Christina Rasch, Christopher Grakal, Daniel Lanois, Dawn Hoenie, Dean Grakal, Doug Fieger, Elizabeth Parks, Eric Gardner, Eric Greedy, Gabriella Paglia, James Barber, Jean Schmit, Jennifer Sylvor, Jim Cushinery, Joie Calio, Kay Harrison, Keith Allison, Lady Marjorie Rufus-Isaacs, Lee Starkey, Michael Gurley, Nils Lofgren, Phil Leavitt, Ronni Grakal, Sally Parks, Sarah Hudson, Scott Brown, Scott Gordon, Scott Weiland, Steve Greenberg, Stuart Lerner MD, Tatiana Von Furstenberg, Timothy B Schmit, Tina Stern, Tommy Harrison, Van Dyke Parks, Vincent Brown: vocals
‘La De Da’ is the ninth song on Ringo Starr’s 11th solo studio album, 1998’s Vertical Man.
In the studio
It was recorded at Whatinthewhatthe? Studios in Los Angeles on 20 July 1997, along with ‘Mindfield’, and ‘What In The… World’. The following day Joe Walsh added guitar to all three songs.
The recording relocated to England in September 1997. On 29 September Starr and Hudson worked on ‘La De Da’ at Paul McCartney’s Hogg Hill Mill Studio, with the latter playing bass and singing backing vocals. McCartney also added vocals and a bass guitar part to ‘What In The… World’. The session was filmed by Dean Grakal, with footage used in the video for ‘La De Da’.
Additional keyboards were added to ‘I Was Walkin”, ‘La De Da’, and ‘Sometimes’ on 11 and 12 November at Village Recorder Studios in LA.
On 13 November a collection of 45 friends and family gathered at Village to record backing vocals for ‘La De Da’.
The release
‘La De Da’ was released as a CD single on 2 June 1998 in the US. It led with a radio edit lasting 4:14, followed by Starr’s re-recording of ‘Love Me Do’, the non-album track ‘Everyday’, and the 5:41 album version of ‘La De Da’.
People attending the 1998 Beatlefest convention who pre-ordered Vertical Man were also given a 7″ single of ‘La De Da’ with ‘Everyday’ on the b-side.
The single version of ‘La De Da’ does not contain the album’s crossfade into ‘Without Understanding’, making it a slightly different version.