Oasis song ‘Whatever’ set to hit number one three decades after release
31 years after it was initially released by Alan McGee’s Creation Records, the Oasis single ‘Whatever’ is set to reach the top of the singles chart, battling it out with the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Chappell Roan. If successful, the reissued single would become Oasis’ ninth UK number-one single.
Originally, ‘Whatever’ was released in December 1994, months after the smash-hit release of their debut album Definitely Maybe, as a bid by Oasis and Creation to create a Christmas number-one for the band. In the end, the single was kept off the top spot by Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ and East 17’s ‘Stay Another Day’, peaking at number three.
Last week, the beloved single was reissued by Oasis’ Big Brother label on limited edition pink and blue splatter vinyl. Capitalising on the hype surrounding the Oasis reunion later this year, the single featured remastered audio and the original B-side ‘(It’s Good) To Be Free’. Already, the release seems to have gone down incredibly well with fans of the Gallagher brothers.
According to data from the Official Chart Company, ‘Whatever’ is rapidly approaching the top of the singles chart. Currently, its predominant competition comes in the form of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’, which has spent over 25 weeks in the charts, and ‘Pink Pony Club’ by Chappell Roan, which has enjoyed a similar longevity.
The single itself might not be as iconic as ‘Live Forever’ or ‘Supersonic’, but its distinctive sound is evocative of a particularly important time in the history of Oasis. Capturing the wild period in between their groundbreaking debut album and the global success of its follow-up, it is among Noel Gallagher’s strongest songwriting efforts.
According to the songwriter, the single arrived during a period in which the band were living the archetypal rock and roll lifestyle. Speaking about the single’s accompanying music video, Gallagher once told Alan Carr, “I’d been out the night before to the pub. I woke up in a bus shelter in Maida Vale.”
Whether or not ‘Whatever’ will triumph above the rest and reach the top of the charts, 31 years after its original release, remains to be seen. Regardless, its renewed success speaks to the enduring legacy of the Britpop icons, and the single has certainly succeeded in building excitement for the band’s reunion tour in the summer.
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