Oh No!

The opening lines of this ode to the career of Marina Diamandis, a.k.a. Marina and the Diamonds are, "Don't do love, don't do friends, I'm only after success. Don't need a relationship, I'll never loosen my grip." They appear to be Diamandis mocking fellow artists for their ambition, however she admitted to Spinner UK that the actual meaning is somewhat different. "That's definitely a part of me, but I hate that part, it's not healthy," she said. "I think every song on the album is part fantasy and part truth. I didn't want people thinking I don't know who I want to be, and that song expresses that," she added. "It's just about fear of feeling that you're not going to achieve the things you want, and that you'll do anything to get there, no matter what.
I'm very aware of that side of personality, but realising it's there is a good thing. Getting it out there in a song is me dealing with it and now I've done this, the feeling is gone. I'm already on my next album."

This song was written by Diamandis during a trip to Los Angeles, a week after The Family Jewels was mastered. The Greek-Welsh singer explained in press materials that the song encompasses all of her fears and aspirations for the future. "The song was written in response to be terrified of not achieving what I say I want to achieve every time I open my big mouth. It's my part ii to 'Mowgli's Road.' I was paralyzed by fear before my trip to the States and couldn't stop thinking about being a failure and was convinced that I'd become a self-fulfilling prophecy if my brain didn't shut up and stop being so negative. So I put it in a song. Mowgli's questioned who I want to be, 'Oh No!' confirms it. It made me feel confident again after a shaky 6 months. Life is just a barrel of laughs at end of day, anyway!"

Diamandis co-wrote the song with Kylie Minogue and Lily Allen collaborator Greg Kurstin, who also produced the track. She said of working with the Californian musician in a podcast. "I had really admired his work for a long time. Seeing as I was in L.A., I asked if he wanted to write together and [the song] came out really well. He's great actually, very easy to work with. I really like his production style as well."