The Oasis song Noel Gallagher called “a hidden gem”
Known predominantly for their brash, laddish rock and roll sensibilities and the treacherous relationship between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, Oasis defined the rock and Britpop scene of the 1990s. While their biggest tracks tended to espouse a ‘live fast, die young’ attitude of rock and roll excess, songwriter Noel Gallagher was never afraid to embrace his more vulnerable side, evidenced by efforts like ‘Sad Song’.
Often resigned to B-sides and bonus tracks, Noel’s more emotional, melancholic works form some of the most interesting aspects of Oasis’ discography. While their rebellious punk attitude and the yearning Mancunian vocals of Liam Gallagher put the band on the map, endearing them to Creation Records’ Alan McGee, their softer side is often overlooked.
Pieces like ‘Talk Tonight’, ‘Half the World Away’ and ‘Sad Song’ stand out among the early material of the band, not just for their more mellow sound but for the fact that they feature Noel as the primary singer, rather than his brother Liam. Vocally, Noel’s voice tends to be much more gentle and melodic than the roaring rock and roll voice of his younger brother, giving these tracks an emotional weight unmatched by the rest of Oasis’ discography.
Only included on the Japanese edition of their debut album Definitely Maybe, before featuring on later deluxe reissues and special editions, ‘Sad Song’ sees Noel lament 1990s society, discussing alienation and self-loathing. In stark contrast to the laddish arrogance with which Oasis operated for much of their career, the track feels remarkably bleak and vulnerable. The recurring line “We’re throwing it all away” might link to an incident in which Oasis’ first European tour was cut short by a brawl on the Amsterdam ferry, something Noel particularly regrets.
The band, reportedly led by Liam, clashed with football fans in the bar of the ferry, leading to the group being arrested upon landing in the Netherlands and sent packing back to Manchester. Reportedly, Noel was asleep during the incident and missed the entire thing, spending days alone with The Verve in Amsterdam and worrying about a huge missed opportunity to establish the group in mainland Europe.
Speaking to the forgotten nature of the track, Gallagher himself referred to it as a “hidden gem” within the liner notes of the 2014 reissue of Definitely Maybe. As he recalls, the piece brought questions from Inspiral Carpets, the outfit with whom Noel had roadied in his younger years, “I remember Clint Boon from the Inspiral Carpets going ‘You’re not gonna call it ‘Sad Song’, are you? Shit title.’ That’s what it says in the song, though. I don’t give a fuck about titles. I’ve got one called ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’. Nothing’s shittier than that.”
For a band as unimaginably huge as Oasis, it seems unlikely that any of their tracks – even from their largely lacklustre later years – could remain as “hidden gems”. Nevertheless, Noel’s more emotional side, personified by efforts like ‘Sad Song’ and, to an extent, expanded upon by his work with The High Flying Birds, should be reconsidered as being some of his greatest moments.
