Noel Gallagher on his favourite ever pieces of music: “It blows me away that song”
Whatever your thoughts on Noel Gallagher, it is difficult to deny the quality and longevity of his songwriting. There are multiple tracks from his days alongside his brother, Liam, in Oasis that have since become essential elements of the UK’s cultural fabric. If you walk around any city centre across the nation, eventually you will encounter a busker singing ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, ‘Wonderwall’ or ‘Live Forever’. Surprisingly, though, Noel reckons his greatest songwriting efforts have all occurred during his post-Oasis career with The High Flying Birds.
After the split of Oasis in 2009, Gallagher adopted The High Flying Birds as a moniker for his solo work and has managed to produce four studio records under that name, ranging from popular and successful works like 2015’s Chasing Yesterday to the bland monotony of 2023’s Council Skies. These solo records gave Gallagher an opportunity to explore a vast range of influences that would not have really fit into the world and music of Oasis, although the songwriter certainly has not turned his back on the band that first made his name.
In addition to being able to explore different genre influences and songwriting themes, The High Flying Birds have also provided Gallagher with many different opportunities for collaboration. Of course, the songwriter has no shortage of showbusiness friends, having been within the industry for decades, so it makes sense that he often draws upon those influences for his own songwriting.
In fact, one of Gallagher’s all-time favourite tracks from his own discography was initially inspired by fellow Mancunian Morrissey. During a 2021 interview, Gallagher recalled how he had met The Smiths frontman in a bar while on holiday in Spain. “[Morrissey] brought a CD to the bar – not of his own music – a compilation CD,” Gallagher recalled, “‘The Music’s dreadful, put this CD on’. This one tune that came on, I thought it sounded amazing, it was by Brian Protheroe, it was called ‘Pinball’”.
Released in 1974, Protheroe’s debut single was also his most popular work, yet it had passed Noel Gallagher by until Morrissey brought it to his attention. It was this track that inspired the songwriter to construct one of his strongest works, the 2015 single ‘Riverman’. In the early stages of production, the song featured a fingerpicking guitar style, which Gallagher compared to folk hero Bob Dylan. After the influence of Protheroe, however, the songwriter’s outlook on the track completely changed.
“I said, by the way, have you ever heard this tune by Brian Prothereo called ‘Pinball?’” Gallagher remembered, “No-one had ever heard it. So, we put it on in the studio really loud, and a fucking light came on. I thought ‘Nevermind that finger-picking thing, this tune I’m writing will work in that style’”. So, returning home, Gallagher altered the arrangement of the composition to reflect the sound of Protheroe’s ‘Pinball’.
The final product was certainly the cause of some pride for Gallagher, who said, “It blows me away that song,” adding, “I love Riverman, one of my favourite ever pieces of music. Fucking incredible”. While it might not be as popular or recognisable as some of his earlier work, ‘Riverman’ is a definite highlight within Gallagher’s solo discography.
