The Liam Gallagher song inspired by Little Richard
Liam Gallagher has always been the epitome of what a rock and roll star is supposed to be. From Oasis to his solo career, Gallagher has made it a habit of showcasing the best in what rock and roll has to offer, even when the genre isn’t as relevant as it usually is. Although the ending of Oasis was tragic for every fan, Liam reached into the rock and roll of old when putting together Beady Eye.
Comprised of the non-Noel members of Oasis, Beady Eye created an essential rock and roll sound that was easier to get into for most who preferred Oasis tracks like ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ and ‘Some Might Say’. While the band may not have been looking to reinvent the wheel by any stretch, their first handful of songs did have a few surprises, from the glam-tinged ‘The Roller’ to the brilliant B-sides like ‘World Outside My Room’.
Although the band did try to push rock and roll forward, it was still relatively easy to see them wearing their influences on their sleeves. Regardless of the amount of work they had put into separating themselves from their past, it’s already a bit easy to see where they were coming from with songs called ‘Beatles and Stones’ and ripping off a Rolling Stones song title for the track ‘Shine a Light’.
Outside the rock and roll hangups, Liam wanted to venture further into the past on the song ‘Bring The Light’. Featuring a four-on-the-floor rhythm, Liam is ready for anything when spitting out the lyrics, complete with female backup singers wailing away in the background behind him.
Although there are a few soul elements to the mix, Liam wanted to emulate the sounds of artists like Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. When speaking to Mojo magazine, guitarist Gem Archer talked about the genesis of the song in 1950s rock and roll, recalling, “With ‘Bring The Light’, Liam had been doing some Pretty Green stuff in Italy, and all of a sudden, I got a load of texts from him saying, I want to do Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, that kind of feel and I want to do it right.’ And then it just happened immediately”.
Even though the rest of the album has a fairly solid track listing in middle tempo, this is where everything kicks into fifth gear, as the band never lets up on the intensity before everything practically crashes out at the very end. While Liam had a blast making it, he had a different intent when putting the song out for release.
When discussing the first taste of what fans would hear from them, Liam pushed the song to be the group’s first single, introducing Oasis fans to the full-frontal assault of what Beady Eye had to offer. While the song did have a fire in its belly that Noel may not have been interested in, the band would quickly fizzle out after their second album, BE.
Despite the different changes in musical style, it was inevitable for Liam to go solo, making straight-ahead rock and roll without relying on a collection of musicians behind him. Although Beady Eye wasn’t long for this world, ‘Bring the Light’ was the sound of Liam announcing himself with a statement of intent that hadn’t been matched since the likes of ‘Supersonic’ in 1994.
