“That sounds like heavy rock”: The song Noel Gallagher could never write again
Noel Gallagher is the man behind some of the most anthemic hits in British guitar music history. As the leading songwriter for Britpop outfit Oasis, the Mancunian-born musician penned some of the most enduring tracks in the genre, from the endlessly covered ‘Wonderwall’ to the equally singalong-worthy ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. He’s a master of catchy choruses and bright guitars, but his sound and songwriting style has changed with time.
All great things must come to an end, and Oasis was no exception. When the band weren’t penning mammoth hits or battling Blur in the charts, they were arguing with one another behind the scenes. Eventually, the rivalry between leading band members and brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher became too much to handle. It had begun to take its toll on their output, so Oasis decided to split up in 2009.
But this didn’t mark the end of Noel or Liam’s musical ventures. Each brother embarked upon their solo projects — just one year after the break-up of Oasis, Noel kickstarted Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, bringing some of his former bandmates along for the ride. Although Gallagher was still at the helm regarding songwriting, the Flying Birds weren’t necessarily just a carbon copy of Oasis.
Gallagher began to incorporate new styles into his music, pulling from psychedelia and allowing his voice to take the lead rather than his brother’s. The former Oasis songwriter has built up a healthy catalogue of his own, putting out four studio records with the High Flying Birds, but that hasn’t stopped him from returning to the sounds of the 1990s every now and then.
Gallagher still incorporates Oasis tunes into his live shows, ensuring that he includes crowd-pleasers like ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Half the World Away’ in his concerts. But even though he’s still comfortable performing Oasis songs — even embarking upon a long-awaited and highly-publicised reunion tour next year — Gallagher isn’t necessarily sure that he could still write them.
During a conversation with Lars Ulrich for It’s Electric! on Apple Music, Gallagher acknowledged the importance of giving audiences what they want and playing Oasis songs during his live sets, but his relationship with the songs has changed somewhat. He spoke specifically about ‘Little by Little’ from the band’s fifth record, Heathen Chemistry, suggesting that his writing style has changed since the early 2000s.
“From what I do now, when I play ‘Little by Little’, I think, ‘Wow, that sounds like heavy rock,’” Gallagher commented, “You know what I mean, it sounds like… To me, I think, ‘Wow, I couldn’t do that rock thing now.’ But they mean the world to me, everything.” Although Gallagher believes that he couldn’t write a song quite as rocking as ‘Little by Little’ nowadays, that hasn’t stopped him from performing it, or enjoying it.
In fact, the rock ‘n’ roll star also shared his gratitude for his songs, acknowledging that, without them, he wouldn’t have the success that he has now. “Those songs got me to where I am now and I wouldn’t be that arrogant as to go out and not perform at least five or six, you know,” he concluded, “I like those songs anyway.”
Gallagher certainly wouldn’t be where he is now without those early Oasis hits, which he seems set to celebrate once more next year on tour.
