What was the first song Noel Gallagher ever sang for Oasis?
Every piece of Oasis history normally comes down to the chemistry between Liam and Noel Gallagher. As much as they may not have liked each other during their prime, the rub between Noel’s impressive song structures and Liam’s stellar vocals on albums like Definitely Maybe is what made them one of the greatest rock bands the 1990s ever produced. But Noel could do equally as well as his brother when he wanted to, and his first turn behind the mic was a lot more wistful than most people expected out of a rock and roll outfit.
When looking at the structure of most Oasis tunes, though, Noel was known for being the one to take the mellower tunes half the time. Whereas the 2000s showed nearly every B-side being sung by him, tunes like ‘Carry Us All’ and ‘Idler’s Dream’ were probably far too softspoken for someone like Liam to deliver effectively.
That’s not to say that Noel didn’t have a fire in him whenever he sang. There were times when he could go over the top, but looking back on a song like ‘Step Out’ or ‘Lord Don’t Slow Me Down’, it seemed like he was taking a few cues from his little brother at times rather than singing with that same softspoken conviction.
While Noel could dictate which tunes he sang, there was no way he could deliver ‘Supersonic’ like his brother could. The single may have been thrown together in an attempt to get something down on tape, but from the minute that Liam opens his mouth, most people knew that the group had the potential to take over the world.
Despite the remaining single being filled out by the live cut ‘I Will Believe’, ‘Take Me Away’ was the first time a timid Noel got behind the microphone. Even though he would contribute tracks like ‘Sad Song’ to the vinyl edition of Definitely Maybe, this was the first time most people got a chance to hear what Noel sounded like, and even on his first try, he was still pulling on our heartstrings.
Oasis may still be compared to the Beatles to this day, but the tone of their first single has a lot more in common with Neil Young. Considering the loud and swaggering lead single and then the softspoken acoustic flipside, this feels like the epitome of an album like Rust Never Sleeps compressed into one single.
And since most of the Oasis tunes on Definitely Maybe had to do with becoming a rock and roll star, this is the most earnest version of those dreams Noel is talking about. Even if there’s a folky twang to his voice in some places, hearing Noel sing about moving to someplace where the grass is green and the good times are growing is a much more optimistic spin than the braggadocious version of the group on the album.
Even if it’s not the greatest tune in the Oasis canon, the band’s mentality was already secure. Before becoming one of the biggest names in British rock, Noel was still a hapless young kid from Manchester and trying to make his dreams real however he could.
