Which classic rock song was number one for the longest in the 1990s?
When music fans waved goodbye to the 1970s and entered the slicker, more digital worlds of the 1980s, there was a subtle feeling that it might not ever be as good as that again.
The world was changing, and there was a fear that within music, it wasn’t for the better. But something about the synthesised worlds of the 1980s didn’t stick, and so the 1990s became a triumphant celebration of music ready to rival the great decades that came before.
There was a sense of artistic diversity that rivalled that of the 1970s. Grunge, Britpop and a much-anticipated wave of hip-hop all shared the airwaves in a way that didn’t feel competitive. It felt communicative and most of all free, with fans understanding how authenticity makes for great music, not its structural style.
Focusing our view on the domestic scene, it was a vibrant world of overlapping ideas. Oasis led Britpop into stratospheric territory, leaving a slipstream for bands like Pulp, Blur and Primal Scream to all exist in while burgeoning worlds of electronic music were profiting off the rise in rave culture. Alongside that, you had the YBA (Young British Artists) movement, which moved in tandem with the music, seeing visual artists, fashion designers, models and musicians all feed off of each other to create deeply meaningful art.
Noel Gallagher explained that “the ’90s, it’s only now people are starting to realise what a fantastic decade that was, for all sorts of things, for politics, fashion, music, sport.”
“There’s lots of stuff that’s stood the test of time, Trainspotting,” he added, before continuing, “And all those great bands, Oasis, The Verve, Pulp, all that mob. It was a lot freer then for sure. When I meet younger bands they seem to have more of a career head on. Whereas back in the ‘90s, it was just you were kind of winging it and having a laugh.”
Gallagher experienced that freedom no better than anyone, as the songwriter of the decade’s most recognisable band. He stood on the biggest stages and at the top of the charts during the decade, so he was best placed to speculate on its freedom. But rather ironically, it was a track from one of his least favourite Oasis records that topped the charts for the longest.
But which song was number one for the longest?
First of all, it is worth noting that in 1997, the appetite for Oasis’ music was insatiable. They had just delivered one of the greatest ever two-punch musical combinations in Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, and so naturally, fans eagerly awaited what came next.
What came next was ‘D’ You Know What I Mean?’, the lead single from their third album Be Here Now. To my ear, it was a mighty fine Oasis track, despite the remaining album’s shortcomings and they generally continued their reign over British rock music. So it was no surprise that it enjoyed 18 consecutive weeks on the Official Charts, running from July 19th, 1997, to November 15th, 1997.
Nevertheless, despite its success, it remains a reminder of an album that Gallagher is keen to brush past when trotting down memory lane. He said, Be Here Now “was excruciatingly loud. We were high as kites. We didn’t know what we wanted. I think subconsciously, no one really believed it was a great album.”
