Oasis: Top 20 Songs

First posted 9/10/2019.

Alternative rock group from Manchester, England at the helm of the Britpop movement. Active: 1991-2009 Members: Brothers Liam (v) and Noel Gallagher (g/lyrics) with Gem Archer (k/g: 99-09), Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs (g: 91-99), Andy Bell (b/k/g: 99-09), Tony McCarroll (d: 91-95), Paul McGuigan (b: 91-99), Alan White (d: 95-04).

For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

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Top 20 Songs

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Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards.

May include notations about songs which hit #1, are in the DMDB top 1000, songs which have more successful versions in the DMDB, and notes about songs recorded by the act under other names.

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Wonderwall (1995) #1 MR, #1 AU
2. Live Forever (1994)

DMDB Top 5%:

3. Don’t Look Back in Anger (1996) #1 UK
4. Champagne Supernova (1996) #1 MR

DMDB Top 20%:

5. Supersonic (1994)
6. Whatever (1994)
7. D’You Know What I Mean (1997) #1 UK
8. Cigarettes and Alcohol (1994)

Outside the DMDB Top 20%:

9. Lyla (2005) #1 UK
10. All Around the World (1998) #1 UK
11. Go Let It Out (2000) #1 UK, #1 CN
12. Don’t Go Away (1997)
13. Some Might Say (1995) #1 UK
14. Morning Glory (1995)
15. The Shock of the Lightning (2008)
16. Roll with It (1995)
17. Acquiese (1995)
18. The Hindu Times (2002) #1 UK
19. Little by Little (2002)
20. Stop Crying Your Heart Out (2002)

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Awards:

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The Best Frontmen and Women of All Time

Note: This blog entry was modified on 7/2/11. Click here to see the original post, now archived on the DMDB Facebook page in the Notes section.



Wow. The latest list from Q Magazine (think British Rolling Stone – if RS actually devoted all their attention to music) is maddening. As a music list fanatic, I frame each list in context. It is important to know that Q debuted about the same time as the Britpop movement (helmed by acts such as the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays) in the late ‘80s. As a result, they have an understandable bias toward the acts that helped them establish their cred and, perhaps even more importantly, sell magazines.

Hence it is no surprise that the mag salivated over the Blur vs. Oasis rivalry of the ‘90s like the National Enquirer drools every time Brad and Angelina break wind. Q is similarly giddy over every noise that Thom Yorke and Radiohead fart out. I’m not a big fan, but there is no arguing with the success and influence they’ve mustered and Q embraces that like a proud parent.

It also is forgivable that Q has wet themselves all over again, thanks to the new breed of Britpop faves in the last decade. The over-hyped Coldplay leads the pack, but other bands, including Keane, Kasabian, Muse, and Razorlight also figure prominently.

This is all well and good when reporting on new music – what’s hot, what’s going to be hot, and what won’t really be hot at all. However, when making big and bold proclamations like “the best ever” or “greatest of all time,” biases should be set aside. Some of the aforementioned bands might merit inclusion on best-of lists somewhere. Even the best of these, however, don’t belong at or close to the top – not in the context of ALL TIME. Those lofty heights should be reserved for the established giants.

In this case, the list is for the greatest frontmen of all time. Even the title is a misnomer since it implies that 1) everyone on the list is male, and that 2) these males all front bands. The presence of both solo stars and female singers invalidates the term. Granted, “singer” is too simplistic – the term “frontman” suggests a quality beyond vocal talent; it is also about a stage presence that captivates an audience. I don’t have a better term yet; “singers who know how to command an audience” seems a bit too wordy, but I’m working on it.

Anyway, without further ado (‘cause God knows I’ve overloaded with you “ado”), here’s their list:




Q Magazine’s “Top 100 Greatest Frontmen” (May 2010 issue)


Liam Gallagher “picked” as the best frontman of all time.


1. Liam Gallagher (Oasis)
2. Bono (U2)
3. Freddie Mercury (Queen)
4. Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz)
5. Chris Martin (Coldplay)
6. Jim Morrison (The Doors)
7. Bob Marley
8. Matt Bellamy (Muse)
9. John Lennon/ (The Beatles)
10. Paul McCartney (The Beatles)


Q readers says Matt Bellamy is better than the Beatles’ John Lennon AND Paul McCartney. So there.


11. Robbie Williams (Take That)
12. Debbie Harry (Blondie)
13. Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)
14. Morrissey (The Smiths)
15. John Lydon (Sex Pistols/Public Image Ltd.)
16. James Brown
17. Bruce Springsteen
18. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
19. Tom Meighan (Kasabian)
20. Joe Strummer (The Clash)


Robbie Williams is prepared to challenge Mick Jagger to a sing-off any day, any time.


21. Chuck D (Public Enemy)
22. Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)
23. Ian Curtis (Joy Division)
24. Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses)
25. Jarvis Cocker (Pulp)
26. Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon)
27. Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode)
28. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
29. Roger Daltrey (The Who)
30. Thom Yorke (Radiohead)


Even Thom Yorke can’t get his head around the idea of being ranked higher than Elvis Presley.


31. Jack White (The White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather)
32. Mark E. Smith (The Fall)
33. Iggy Pop (The Stooges)
34. Elvis Presley
35. Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/Nirvana)
36. Ian Brown (Stone Roses)
37. Nick Cave
38. Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine)
39. Paul Weller (The Jam/Style Council)
40. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)

41. Keith Flint (Prodigy)
42. Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music)
43. Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
44. Jon Bon Jovi (Bon Jovi)
45. Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys)
46. Michael Stipe (R.E.M.)
47. Bon Scott (AC/DC)
48. Michael Hutchence (INXS)
49. Sly Stone (Sly & The Family Stone)
50. Eminem

51. Rod Stewart
52. Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders)
53. Julian Casablancas (The Strokes)
54. Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
55. David Bowie
56. Shane MacGowan (Pogues)
57. Prince
58. Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays)
59. Jay-Z
60. Richard Ashcroft (The Verve)


Yes! Chris Martin says that I, Richard Ashcroft, am the best singer of all time. He should know what he’s talking about – he’s ranked #5 while nobodies like Elton John are ranked below me.


61. James Hetfield (Metallica)
62. Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie & The Banshees)
63. Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)
64. Courtney Love (Hole)
65. James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers)
66. Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd)
67. Lou Reed (Velvet Underground)
68. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)
69. Joey Ramone (Ramones)
70. Peter Gabriel (Genesis)

71. Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips)
72. Terry Hall (The Specials)
73. Elton John
74. Lemmy (Motorhead)
75. George Clinton (Funkadelic/Parliament)
76. Marc Bolan (T-Rex)
77. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
78. Kelly Jones (Stereophonics)
79. Little Richard
80. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)

81. Alice Cooper
82. Pete Doherty (The Libertines)
83. Kevin Rowland (Dexy’s Midnight Runners)
84. Ian McCulloch (Echo & The Bunnymen)
85. Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist (The Hives)
86. Bjork (Sugarcubes)
87. Mike Patton (Faith No More)
88. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
89. Gene Vincent
90. Brandon Flowers (The Killers)


I’m Kevin Rowland and I’m a better frontman than David Lee Roth.


91. George Michael (Wham!)
92. Noddy Holder (Slade)
93. Johnny Borrell (Razorlight)
94. Andre 3000 (Outkast)
95. Black Francis (Pixies)
96. Henry Rollins (Black Flag)
97. David Lee Roth (Van Halen)
98. Ian Dury (The Blockheads)
99. Howard Devoto (Buzzcocks)
100. Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction)


I’m not sure what planet Q lives on where Liam Gallagher outrates Freddie Mercury and James Brown is inferior to Chris Martin, but there you have it. In Q’s world, seeing Mick Jagger prancing about singing “Satisfaction” holds less appeal than seeing Robbie Williams (America can now sigh a collective “who?”). And who the hell would pay to see Robert Plant front Led Zeppelin when they can see Matt Bellamy with Muse? And don’t you really want to see Kasabian’s Tom Meighan instead of Roger Daltrey belting out Who songs? And let’s face it, if you gotta choose, aren’t you gonna opt for the Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones over Ozzy Osbourne and Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell over David Lee Roth?


That’s right. I’m Tom Meighan and I beat Roger Daltrey on the Q poll. Screw your generation! We’re talkin’ ‘bout my generation now!


For those unfamiliar with Dave’s Music Database, let me clue you in to what happens next. It goes something like this – I find a list like the one above. Its imperfections spark frustration and I seek out other similar-themed lists. Then I average these lists together to create a still-imperfect list, but one which weeds out some of the most glaring errors. The end result is featured as a “best of…according to Dave’s Music Database.”

Note: that list was originally part of this blog entry. The DMDB list of The Top 100 Singers of All Time has now been updated and appears on the DMDB Facebook page. Click here to see the original post as archived on the DMDB Facebook page in the Notes section.

Here’s the commentary that followed the DMDB list and the differences between it and the Q list:

So just how flawed is the Q list? Well, more than half the Q list got bumped from the DMDB list. You’ll just have to contend with a list that opts for Aretha Franklin, Roy Orbison, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles instead of Damon Albarn, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams, and Tom Mieghan. If that has you singing the blues, well, at least try to do it with stage presence.



Aretha Franklin got no “respect” on the Q list.

The DMDB list still absurdly short changes any singer who dared utter a note before Elvis came along – apparently Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole, Etta James, and many others existed before time began, at least according to some of the lists gathered by the DMDB. What other explanation is there for these vocal greats missing the cut on so many of these “all time” lists?

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Links:

DMDB Facebook page

Original post for The Best Frontmen and Women of All Time (5/13/10)

The Top 100 Singers of All Time (updated version)

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Q Magazine – The 100 Greatest Stars of the 20th Century

image from angelfire.com

Toward the close of the 20th century, British music magazine Q asked its readers to vote on the greatest stars of the 20th century. Here were the results:

1. John Lennon
2. Paul McCartney
3. Kurt Cobain
4. Bob Dylan
5. Elvis Presley
6. David Bowie
7. Madonna
8. Noel Gallagher
9. Liam Gallagher
10. Michael Stipe

11. Keith Richards
12. Bob Marley
13. Freddie Mercury
14. Frank Sinatra
15. Jimi Hendrix
16. Thom Yorke
17. Aretha Franklin
18. Bono
19. James Brown
20. Brian Wilson

21. Robert Johnson
22. Mick Jagger
23. Iggy Pop
24. Joe Strummer
25. Marvin Gaye
26. Ringo Starr
27. Little Richard
28. Chuck D
29. Joni Mitchell
30. George Michael

31. Richard Ashcroft
32. Richey Edwards
33. Kate Bush
34. Patti Smith
35. Bruce Springsteen
36. George Harrison
37. Stevie Wonder
38. Jarvis Cocker
39. Marc Bolan
40. Dr. Dre

41. Morrissey
42. Cerys Matthews
43. Nick Drake
44. Charlie Parker
45. Neil Young
46. Debbie Harry
47. Pete Townshend
48. John “Johnny Rotten” Lydon
49. Ray Davies
50. Captain Beefheart

51. Paul Weller
52. Miles Davis
53. Ian Curtis
54. Brian Eno
55. Rod Stewart
56. Nicky Wire
57. Hank Williams
58. Jimmy Page
59. Lou Reed
60. Duke Ellington

61. Phil Spector
62. Paul Simon
63. Woody Guthrie
64. Ralf Hutter
65. Sam Cooke
66. Jim Morrison
67. Prince
68. Shaun Ryder
69. Lee “Scratch” Perry
70. Syd Barrett

71. Brian Jones
72. Keith Moon
73. Youssou N’Dour
74. Roger Waters
75. Buddy Holly
76. Billie Holiday
77. Robert Plant
78. Bez
79. Diana Ross
80. Sting

81. Louis Armstrong
82. Igory Stravinksy
83. Eric Clapton
84. John Squire
85. Liam Howlett
86. Lauryn Hill
87. Fela Kuti
88. Serge Gainsbourg
89. Damon Albarn
90. Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart

91. Muddy Waters
92. Claudy Debussy
93. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
94. Elvis Costello
95. Johnny Marr
96. Ozzy Osbourne
97. Frank Zappa
98. Ian Brown
99. Bryan Ferry
100. Ravi Shankar

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Resources:

• rocklistmusic.co.uk: The 100 Greatest Stars of the 20th Century

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Oasis chart with “Wonderwall”

Wonderwall Oasis

Writer(s): Noel Gallagher (see lyrics here) Released: October 30, 1995 First Charted: November 11, 1995 Peak: 8 US, 6 CB, 9 RR, 33 AC, 30 A40, 5 AA, 9 AR, 110 MR, 2 UK, 5 CN, 11 AU, 8 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 3.0 UK, 4.2 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 955.0 video, 1732.78 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The English rock band “Oasis had a lot of shining moments, but ‘Wonderwall’ was their brightest.” CT They burst out of the gate with their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe, racking up four top-40 hits in the UK. While they charted a few songs on the Billboard alternative chart, they didn’t make the Hot 100 until “Wonderwall,” the third single from sophomore album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The song reached the top 10 in the U.S. and ten other charts. The band’s guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher wrote the song, but his brother Liam sang it. The song’s worldwide success made him “to many the frontman of the decade.” CT Originally titled “Wishing Stone,” the final title was inspired by George Harrison’s solo album Wonderwall Music. WK “Wonderwall” refers to “a schoolboy’s wall to which posters of footballers and pop stars are attached,” SF but also creepily references a ‘60s movie called Wonderwall: From Psychedia to Surrealism in which a voyeur makes holes in his wall to watch his neighbor. SF Noel initially said he wrote it for his then-girlfriend and later wife Meg Mathews but later claimed it was about “an imaginary friend who’s gonna come and save you from yourself.” WK All Music Guide’s Chris True called it “one of the best love songs ever written” CT and Shawn M. Haney called it “a British rock anthem resonating with hope.” SH British fans agreed, naming it the best British song of all time in Virgin Radio poll in 2005 and again in 2016 in a Radio X poll. WK U2’s The Edge and Blur’s Alex James have both said they wish they’d written the song. WK Two different videos were made for the song. The first won the British Video of the Year at the 1996 Brit Awards. The song was also nominated for Grammys for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Vocal Performance. Resources: SH All Music Guide review by Shawn M. Haney CT All Music Guide review by Chris True SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/27/2021; last updated 8/24/2023.

Oasis released (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Oasis

Released: October 2, 1995 First Charted: October 14, 1995 Peak: 4 US, 110 UK, 12 CN, 15 AU Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 5.1 UK, 22.4 world (includes US and UK) Genre: Britpop

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Hello [3:21] [Noel Gallagher, Gary Glitter, Mike Leander] Roll with It [3:59] (8/14/1995, 2 UK, 48 CN, 26 DF) Wonderwall [4:18] (10/30/1995, 8 BB, 6 CB, 5 GR, 9 RR, 33 AC, 9 AR, 1 MR, 2 UK, 5 CN, 1 AU, 8 DF) Don’t Look Back in Anger [4:48] (2/19/1996, 55 BB, 41 BA, 33 CB, 24 GR, 32 RR, 10 MR, 1 UK, 24 CN, 19 AU, 13 DF) Hey Now! [5:41] Untitled (aka “The Swamp Song – Excerpt 1”) [0:44] Some Might Say [5:29] (5/6/95, 1 UK) Cast No Shadow [4:51] She’s Electric [3:40] (28 DF) Morning Glory [5:03] (9/18/1995, 24 AR, 25 AU, 19 DF) Untitled (aka “The Swamp Song – Excerpt 2”) [0:39] Champagne Supernova [7:27] (2/24/96, 20 BA, 10 GR, 9 RR, 8 AR, 1 MR, 11 CN, 26 AU, 7 DF) All songs by Noel Gallagher unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 50:06 The Players: Liam Gallagher (vocals) Noel Gallagher (guitar, backing vocals, etc.) Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs (rhythm guitar, keyboards) Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan (bass) Alan White (drums, percussion)

Rating: 4.236 out of 5.00 (average of 33 ratings) Quotable: “Quintessential Britpop masterpiece” – Dan Hyman, Rolling Stone Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

The Rise of Oasis The rise of Oasis on the British scene was part nostalgia, part tabloid, and – as is usually the case with album’s that take on iconic status – part timing. They are accused of ripping off the Beatles. The Gallagher brothers (singer Liam and guitarist Noel) were called “tossers, wankers” TL because they “spent the ‘90s getting arrested, yelling at each other and warring with Blur’s Damon Albarn over the very important matter of which band was Britain’s best.” TL Detractors argue that it wasn’t talent that made the band big, but their luck in being at the right place at the right time. Regarding the album’s lyrics, Q magazine said, “They say nothing much about anything.” IN Melody Maker called them “a limited band” who sounded “labored and lazy.” IN FasterLouder’s Max Easton says (What’s the Story) Morning Glory’s “lasting place in ‘90s folklore is less about the quality of the album and more about the celebrity status and faux imagery attached to it.” WK It is an album “full of anthems for the sake of anthems” and that “they’re all variations on only a couple of good ideas.” WK This is all part of the story behind what ranks as one of the most celebrated albums of all time. The Pinnacle of Britpop In the late ‘80s, the UK experienced a “retro-rock renaissance” PF with more guitar-driven bands like the Stone Roses and the La’s. The “Britpop movement” also fit nicely into the American transition from more indie-oriented college rock to the wider audience of ‘90s alternative. At the same time, Britpop separated itself from grunge. When Oasis arrived in 1994 with Definitely Maybe it was a mix of “60s psychedelia, ‘70s glam and punk, Madchester groove.” PF “They cut through the self-loathing that grunge had brought to rock. They were not ironic, they were not trying to reinvent rock & roll.” CM It became the UK’s fastest-selling debut ever. SG By the time of sophomore effort, Morning Glory, Oasis had become the major player of the Britpop movement. Despite all the expectations, the album has come to be regarded as the “quintessential Britpop masterpiece.” RS It was a “significant record in the timeline of British indie music,” WK selling a record-breaking 347,000 copies in its debut sales week. WK The day after the album’s release, central London HMV stores were selling copies at a rate of two albums per minute, WK making it the second fastest-selling album in British history, only behind Michael Jackson’s Bad. IN The album was in the top three on the UK charts for “an astonishing seven months.” WK It went on to become the UK’s best-selling album of the 1990s WK and the third best-selling album in British history WK (behind the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Queen’s Greatest Hits). RS On a global scale, it “propelled Oasis from being a crossover indie act to a worldwide rock phenomenon.” WK The album is “one of the most important British records since A Hard Day’s Night.” CM Beatles Ripoffs? Oasis have been plagued by accusations of “ripping off The Beatles (ok, excellent stealing).” ZS They may be “guilty of some borrowing, or even plagiarism, but [Noel] uses the familiar riffs as building blocks. This is where his genius lies: He’s a thief and doesn’t have many original thoughts, but as a pop/rock melodicist he’s pretty much without peer.” AM “The nagging familiarity of the material and the group’s stroppy self-confidence made criticism redundant.” PR “Oasis are hardly innovators” AM but “this powerhouse sophomore album rocks, end of story.” ZS “They have a majestic grandeur in their sound that makes ballads…or rockers…positively transcendent.” AM Their “songs are flat-out infectious with melodies that capture their passion, sneering arrogance and good chops.” ZS Liam’s “voice is a no-frills vessel for carrying a tune;” TL he shows a knack for “turn[ing] each song into a sing-a-long.” TL Oasis “came as close as anyone to combining the tunefulness of the Beatles with the attitude of the Stones.” TL Sibling Rivalry While the band is musically compared to the Beatles, the relationship of brothers Liam and Noel is more akin to the sibling rivalry of Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks. The “paparazzi-level famous” RS nature of their “bickering and in-fighting would grab most of the subsequent headlines foreshadowed the group’s eventual demise.” RS Less than six months after the album’s release, Liam told The Sunday Times “I’ve been up for leaving for the last couple of months… I reckon I can write better music, a lot better, about 100 times better, than what [Noel] can.” RS Scroll down to comments about the song “Don’t Look Back in Anger” for a more detailed account of one of the brother’s infamous battles. The Recording “Producers Owen Morris and Noel Gallagher created a huge compressed guitar sound that was more forceful than any of their contemporaries. On some tracks it’s like the roar of a jet plane. The group proved itself on its ability to deliver live and the sessions for the album were preceded by two weeks of intense rehearsal. Once in the studio the albums was cut almost live – a track a day for most songs. ‘Roll with It,’ ‘Hello,’ and ‘Morning Glory’ were done in one take each. Only the seven-minute epic ‘Champagne Supernova’ took ‘some thinking’ and stretched to two days.” CM Morning Glory vs. Definitely Maybe Noel said “the first album is about dreaming of being a pop star in a band. The second album is about actually being a pop star in a band,” RS or as AllMusic.com’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine says, “what happens after the dreams come true.” AM Morning Glory had “all the same intense immediacy,” SG “the same swagger, the same self-mythologizing in process, the same take-no-prisoners songwriting,” SG but “more expansiveness and…arguably more longevity.” SG It “feels like the Britpop release that was truly as massive as the movement itself in England.” SG With “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova” becoming chart-topping modern rock hits in the U.S., the band also achieved “the kind of in-the-air ubiquity that makes them undying staples at coffee-shop gigs or in dorm hallways.” SG While it is “a more pop-friendly effort than its predecessor” RS, the second album is also “relatively introspective…filled with big, gorgeous ballads instead of ripping rockers.” AM The tone is “decidedly darker and more reflective.” PF “Unlike Definitely Maybe, the production on Morning Glory is varied enough to handle the range in emotions; instead of drowning everything with amplifiers turned up to 12, there are strings, keyboards, and harmonicas. This expanded production helps give Noel Gallagher’s sweeping melodies an emotional resonance.” AM Noel’s songwriting now had “an expanded palette – more lush, more intricate, even vulnerable in places.” SG Steve Sutherland, the former chief editor of New Musical Express, said Noel “began to take seriously the notion of being the voice of a generation.” WK Meanwhile, “Liam’s sneer had already bloomed into a far-more-assured rock howl. He always had a hell of a voice and was always a consummate frontman, but this is probably the moment where he was at his best as an actual rock singer.” SG The Songs This is an album “with four hit singles that attested to the strength and consistent high quality of the material.” PR However, “the real triumph of Morning Glory is measured not by the tracks that have since become karaoke classics, first-dance wedding standards, and go-to bathtub sing-alongs, but the exceptional album tracks that never got a shot at certain chart supremacy.” PM Here are specific insights into the individual tracks. “Roll with It” The album’s second single, Roll with It, came out six weeks before Morning Glory, a rather “unorthodox method for the time, contrasting the standard industry procedure of releasing the lead single three weeks before its parent album.” WK More important, however, was the song’s place in the “media-fueled and (partially) media-created” SG “Battle of Britpop” – “the greatest pop rivalry since the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.” WK In the “UK chart equivalent of an after-school fistfight,” PF Blur moved up the release of their single “Country House” to directly compete with “Roll with It” instead of getting “lost in the latter’s wake.” SG The two bands symbolized the “battle between the middle class of the south and the working class of the north” WK with Blur serving as “the London art-school yin to Oasis’ Mancunian street-tough yang.” PF.” Blur won, debuting at #1 with 274,000 copies compared to 216,000 copies and a #2 debut for Oasis. Blur won the battle but lost the war. In retrospect, “the decision to go with Morning Glory’s weakest song was..Oasis’ cockiest gesture yet: They were willing to take the first strike…because they knew it was only a matter of time before they’d be delivering the knockout blow.” PF Indeed, that proved to be the case. While Blur’s album, The Great Escape, “garnered critical praise that grew more conflicted in ensuing years” SG while Morning Glory sold twice as many copies over the next two years PF and, despite mixed reviews initially, “became emblematic of the time,” SG serving as “the unofficial soundtrack to England’s imminent changing of the guard.” PF “Wonderwall” The “sympathetic” AM “Wonderwall,” is the band’s “simplest, most universal anthem.” PF It has “a beautiful sense of sentimentality that bespeaks the despondency of a generation.” WK Noel wrote it for his then-girlfriend, Meg Matthews, who he later married and then divorced. The title was taken from the soundtrack “from an obscure film scored by George Harrison.” TL Meg explained that it was a symbol of how she was Noel’s “wall of strength. His solidity.” RS Noel wanted to sing the song himself, but “his brother disagreed strongly (natch!) and Liam does perhaps his best vocal; unsentimental and tough, but dripping with emotion.” CM Although it was the fourth single from the album, it “was the track that put Oasis over the top around the world.” CM It topped the Australian charts and was by far the band’s greatest success in the U.S., hitting the top 10 on the pop charts and #1 on the modern rock chart. It remains the band’s only top 40 U.S. hit. “Don’t Look Back in Anger” The album’s second #1 UK single offers a “showstopping star turn” PF for Noel as he “emerges as a more personable, sobering foil to brother Liam’s bratty swagger.” PF The song sparked a major battle between the brothers when Noel insisted on singing lead either on this song or “Wonderwall.” Initially, Noel was satisfied with Liam’s vocals on “Anger,” but tension returned when Liam strained to sing the high notes on “Champagne Supernova.” Noel then re-recorded vocals for “Anger,” which inticed Liam to corral a crowd from a local publ and crash the recording session, resulting in vicious fighting between the siblings. WK They reconciled three weeks later and spent two more weeks working on the album in what Owen Morris, the album’s producer, called “the best, easiest, least fraught, most happy creative time I’ve ever had in a recording studio.” WK “Hey Now” Hey Now, with its “jet-roared jangle,” PF is “the best Oasis song never to be issued as a single.” PF Noel said, it was “a direct reflection of the changing dynamics and personnel of the band.” RS “Some Might Say” The “defiant” AM Some Might Say was the lead single from the album, hitting #1 in the UK. Released in April, the song preceded the album by six months. While David Stubbs of Melody Maker was critical of the album as a whole, he called “Some Might Say” “the best single of the year.” WK The song “has the sound of an older brother, the one who grew up and learned to bottle up his sense of swagger and actually take a stroll through the outside world.” SG “Cast No Shadow” “The crestfallen Cast No Shadow,” PF with its “arena-rupturing chorus,” SG was “dedicated to a then-mostly-unknown Richard Ashcroft of the Verve.” PF Noel said, it is “about songwriters in general who are desperately trying to say something. I’d like to be able to write really meaningful lyrics but I always end up talking about drugs or sex. People tend to ask my advice about a lot of things. I’m good at giving it, but I’m shit at taking it. But people like Richard and Paul [Weller] will look after me; they’ll make sure I’m conscious in a chair or that I can get home.” RS “She’s Electric” The “humorous…She’s Electric, a bawdy rewrite of ‘Digsy’s Diner,’” AM which was an homage to the Kinks and Small Faces. IN It “features a guitar solo not far from [George] Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps.’” CM “Morning Glory” The “raging” AM title track is marked by “a massive bank of overdriving guitars and Liam’s huge declamatory rail. It’s the single biggest-sounding UK rock song since the Sex Pistols.” CM “Champagne Supernova” British legend Paul Weller joined Oasis in the studio to provide lead guitar and backing vocals for the “epic arena rawk of ‘Champagne Supernova’,” TL as well as harmonica for the two untitled tracks. WK This song and “Wonderwall” were chart-toppers on the U.S. alternative rock chart. Noel considered the song “his most egotistical endeavor on the album,” RS telling The Sunday Times “For Christ’s sake, how big is that title? It’s like I’m saying, ‘I am Mr. Noel Gallagher. Do you know who I am? I am the greatest. I’m like Muhammad Ali.’” RS The line “Where were you while we were getting high?” was a casual expression the bandmates often exchanged. RS Notes A 2014 reissue added a second disc of B-sides and a third disc of demos and live material.

Resources and Related Links: AM AllMusic.com review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine CM Toby Creswell & Craig Mathieson (2012). 100 Best Albums of All Time. Hardie Grant Books. Page 178. IN Independent PF Pitchfork PR Paul Roland (2001). CD Guide to Pop & Rock. B.T. Batsford LTD: London. Page 78. RS Rolling Stone SG Stereogum TL Time Magazine (11/13/2006). “All-TIME 100 Albums” by Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light WK Wikipedia ZS Zagat Survey (2003). Music Guide: 1,000 Top Albums of All Time. Coordinator: Pat Blashill. Music Editor: Holly George-Warren. Editors: Betsy Andrews and Randi Gollin. Zagat Survey, LLC: New York, NY. Page 175. Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 10/3/2013; last updated 8/26/2024.