Was the Oasis song ‘Digsy’s Dinner’ an attack on Blur?
For most of the 1990s, Oasis and Blur were famously at loggerheads in an era-defining feud. Usually, the two bands would use the music press as the vehicle for their sparring, and there’d be very little subtlety from either side. However, on one occasion, Oasis used a more covert methodology.
They were both unquestionably the biggest bands in Britain and understood controversy was a priceless marketing tool. They were relentless at throwing jibes at one another and happy for the media to portray them as mortal enemies, which became a vicious war of words that looked like it would never end.
Initially, both Oasis and Blur enjoyed a civil relationship and found themselves operating in the same circle. However, in 1995, things changed following a comment by Liam Gallagher at the party celebrating ‘Some Might Say’ going to number one. Damon Albarn later told NME: “I went to their celebration party, y’know, just to say ‘Well done’. And Liam came over and, like he is, he goes, ‘number fuckin’ One!’, right in my face. So I thought, ‘OK we’ll see…'”
From there, both groups became foes who were at each other’s throats non-stop. At the height of the sourness, Noel Gallagher jokingly said of Albarn and Graham Coxon during an interview with The Guardian: “I hope the pair of them catch AIDS and die because I fucking hate them two.” Meanwhile, Albarn kept it light and referred to his rivals as “Oasis Quo”.
Although the party for ‘Some Might Say’ was held in 1995, an event which fuelled the rivalry between the pair, Oasis allegedly took their first swipe at Blur on their debut album. Definitely Maybe was packed with hits and featured cult fan-favourite ‘Digsy’s Dinner’, a track that was never released as a single.
Lyrically, the song is nonsensical and centres around a lasagna that the protagonist wishes to eat with his love interest. On the surface, there’s no shade thrown at Blur in ‘Digsy’s Dinner’, but comments made by Creation Records boss Alan McGee put the song in a different light.
Noel Gallagher stated in Isle of Noises by Daniel Rachel (via SongFacts): “If you wrote ‘Digsy’s Dinner’ now, The Guardian or the music papers would destroy you. It’s a song about going to someone’s house for lasagne – you only write songs like that when you’re free of inhibitions.”
During an interview on the late XFM in 2014, McGee shockingly revealed: “I think it was a piss-take of Blur. I don’t think Noel’s ever admitted to that. It’s a piss-take of that Britpop thing. It was Noel proving that he could do that in his sleep.”
In light of McGee’s comments, it is easy to recognise ‘Digsy’s Dinner’ in a completely different way. While it’s impossible to confirm Gallagher’s intentions with the track, it certainly would be on-brand for him to parody his peers on the Definitely Maybe effort.
Listen to ‘Digsy’s Dinner’ below, and decipher whether you believe it’s ridiculing Blur.
