# Oohgha Chaka, oohgha oohgha...(song filler in thingys) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 26, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685 "2023-03-26T19:59:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/81 "2023-03-27T19:20:45Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I can’t say whether they got better at English over the ~50 years since, whether the story from their early days was just puffery to increase their perceived exoticness, or whether I’ve just been confused all these years. Poking around on Google, it seems that Benny and Bjorn were both somewhat fluent in English even before the formation of ABBA. Bjorn had studied English in school and better English skills than Benny, so Bjorn wrote most of the English lyrics to their songs. Often their lyrics would be given to their manager who would make corrections and suggestions. Agnetha and Anni-Frid did not speak English initially, and sung the English lyrics phonetically. They both learned to speak English reasonably well, though Agnetha is often cited as having the most difficulty with it. By the mid 1970s (maybe late 1970s for Agnetha) they all spoke English fairly well. If you listen to more recent interviews, they still speak English well, though you can easily tell that English is not their native tongue. So, to say that the entire group spoke no English at all at first is clearly wrong. It was basically true for Agnetha and Anni-Frid, but not for Benny and Bjorn. I watched a 1975 Bandstand interview and Dick Clark only asked Agnetha one question, and she was clearly struggling a bit. The other three spoke English very well by then. I also watched a 1977 interview and Agnetha was much more comfortable and was speaking quite well. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/82 "2023-03-27T19:24:04Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > As I understood it, back in the early days of their rise to popularity they spoke no English at all. So _to them_ they were singing gibberish phonetically, even though _to us_ it sounded like Swedish-accented English delivering typical pop lyrics. > > I recently saw a video interview with all four of them talking about the virtual ABBA revival tour going on now-ish. In the interview they all spoke English skillfully. I can’t say whether they got better at English over the ~50 years since, whether the story from their early days was just puffery to increase their perceived exoticness, or whether I’ve just been confused all these years. Of course they spoke English back in the mid 70’s. Back when they went to primary school it was mandatory from 5th grade. When I started school 15 years later, it was mandatory from 3rd or 4th grade (transitional period, for those a few years younger it was from 3rd). Now it’s mandatory from 1st grade. Another factor is that we never dubbed movies (except animated for kids) or TV here in Sweden. Only subtitles. So every kid heard English from a very young age. Now this doesn’t mean they spoke English fluently, but Björm and Benny had people around them to help out. For them, as it is with many people writing lyrics, the percussive value/impact is the main thing. If it’s supposed to rhyme things might get a bit complicated (even for native English speakers), so we end up with things like: 🎶 _The winner takes it all_ _The loser’s standing small_ 🎵 Which are words. That rhyme. And the meaning is clear. But elegant it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/83 "2023-03-27T19:58:27Z")
How about a…god knows. The internet says it’s Doo lang doo da lang a lang doo lang Doo lang doo da lang a lang doo lang - but I swear there are some "f"s in there. Google says it was a minor US hit. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pF0wKy_9_q0/hqdefault.jpg "fox imagine me imagine you") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF0wKy_9_q0) Weird aside: [that’s Ben Goldacre’s mum, that is](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Goldacre#Early_life_and_education). j ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/84 "2023-03-27T20:02:20Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It’s properly “Inna gadda da vida”. THE ultimate hard rock song. By which all others are judged inadequate. It’s the song Wolfman Jack would play when he wanted to leave early. I heard it a _lot._ ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/85 "2023-03-27T20:12:20Z")
I was in 5th grade when this came out and we called it “The Caveman Song.” I would have loved to have been there when the record producer said, “Guys, I’ve got an idea for how you should cover this BJ Thomas song.” ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/86 "2023-03-27T20:23:59Z")
Wow ! That took me back ! And there’s always … Rubber Biscuit :- [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Q6irTTfR2ss/maxresdefault.jpg "Rubber Biscuit") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6irTTfR2ss) ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/87 "2023-03-27T20:34:07Z")
Jesse Winchester’s Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding always has me reaching for the Kleenex. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bGabTMx8mOM/hqdefault.jpg "Jesse Winchester - Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGabTMx8mOM) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/88 "2023-03-27T20:37:12Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > Of course they spoke English back in the mid 70’s. Back when they went to primary school it was mandatory from 5th grade. Yeah, most Swedes I run into are surprisingly fluent in English. Well, maybe not exactly surprising. Even the hockey players are quite good … I don’t think most American professional athletes are bilingual. Never heard of either Ben Goldacre or Noosha Fox, but that was a fun little side trip. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/89 "2023-03-27T20:45:58Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Bawitdaba da bang da dang diggy diggy I’d never heard Kid Rock sign that before. It sounds just like The Teddy Bears’ (in my opinion much better) Cobrastyle. [Teddybears - Cobrastyle (feat. Mad Cobra) [Official Video] - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5SA6L722kI) Sure wish I could get Youtube videos to post. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/90 "2023-03-27T20:52:53Z")
Don’t make a Discourse link out of it, just post the bare URL. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/s5SA6L722kI/maxresdefault.jpg "Teddybears - Cobrastyle (feat. Mad Cobra) [Official Video]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5SA6L722kI) ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/91 "2023-03-27T20:56:44Z")
I believe that’s what I just attempted to do. Went on YouTube, highlighted the URL, cut it, and pasted it here. Yet it only shows what appears to be a discourse link here. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/92 "2023-03-27T21:09:02Z")
Me too! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/93 "2023-03-27T21:30:35Z")
Modern browsers support something called “smart copy / pasting” where copying a url captures the page title as well as the url you highlighted. And when you paste that, your browser plus Discourse “helpfully” turns it into a clickable link showing the page title, not the content itself. Try copying the url as you did but instead of Ctrl-V for paste, try Ctrl-Shift-V. That should give you just `https://www.youtube.com/etcetcetc` rather than `[Bob and the BogusTones play Misty - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/etcetcetc)` which is what plain old Ctrl-V “helpfully” gives you. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/94 "2023-03-27T21:38:20Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh. Here’s my favorite version of that: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/friHNUzv-B4/hqdefault.jpg "Boys choir Dagilelis " The Lion Sleeps Tonight "") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=friHNUzv-B4) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/95 "2023-03-27T21:58:08Z")
Really lovely. The jungle noises are awesome. Where is this from? They don’t sound like native English speakers. Eastern Europe??? The rhythmic clapping seems a clue. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/96 "2023-03-28T00:16:41Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Where is this from? They don’t sound like native English speakers. Eastern Europe??? Very good. They’re Lithuanian. [https://dagilelis.lt/en/choras/](https://dagilelis.lt/en/choras/) https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=55.9299413,23.3092969&z=15&output=embed&dg=ntvb&q=Dagilelis,%2Bdainavimo%2Bmokykla ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/97 "2023-03-28T02:01:18Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Anni-Frid My apologies if you think that this is utterly irrelevant, but if you want to learn what a fascinating person Anna-Frid is, you should learn about the lebensborn: > **[Singer From Music Band ABBA Was Born in the Horrific Nazi Project](https://short-history.com/singer-from-music-band-abba-was-born-in-the-horrific-nazi-project-fe6f6ce9af5f)** > > Anni-Frid Lyngstad was born because of the notorious Lebensborn program > **[Lebensborn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensborn)** > > Final solution > Lebensborn e.V. (literally: "Fount of Life") was an SS-initiated, state-supported, registered association in Nazi Germany with the stated goal of increasing the number of children born who met the Nazi standards of "racially pure" and "healthy" Aryans, based on Nazi eugenics (also called "racial hygiene" by some eugenicists). Lebensborn was established by Heinrich Himmler, and provided welfare to its mostly unmarried mothers, encouraged anonymous births by unmarried women at the... ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/98 "2023-03-28T14:02:02Z")
Well, just to cleanse the palate (too much Nazis… and Abba), the boy choir reminded me of another Eastern European a capella choir. You’ve probably seen this (it’s a dozen years old now), but the sounds they can make at the beginning are still awesome. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yjbpwlqp5Qw/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHUBoAC4AOKAgwIABABGHIgRyg-MA8=&rs=AOn4CLCDBt2MuVqs2pAeXuHptHLkS5Q1iA "Perpetuum Jazzile - Africa") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbpwlqp5Qw) ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/99 "2023-03-28T14:16:30Z")
My favorite is from Def Leppard’s high energy “Rock of Ages” - _Gunter gleiben glauchen globen_ Damn I love that song! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685/100 "2023-03-28T16:37:01Z")
While it as never a hit (or even on radio, actually) Jet Screamer singing Eep Opp Ork Ah-ah (on the Jetsons, A Date With Jet Screamer) is kinda catchy. And all the good ones have been mentioned! Shooby-do Ann Landers (well, that’s what I thought Karen was singing) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oohgha-chaka-oohgha-oohgha-song-filler-in-thingys/981685.md?page=6)