‘Take Me Away’ and the Oasis lyric Noel Gallagher said was about Liam’s immaturity
If we’re being honest, is there a version of reality where Oasis would have become so popular had Liam and Noel Gallagher got on? As the first tour date looms, are we more fixated on the music and its cultural impact, or whether the notorious Mancunian brothers will play nice for long enough to make it to the end? At this point, that final date in Brazil seems more like a pipe dream.
Like or ot not, a major part of Oasis’ legacy is how much Noel and Liam loathe each other. That might not exactly be true in reality (at least, not as brutally), but that’s the narrative, isn’t it? The one brother who fought tooth and nail to keep everything running smoothly, and the one who couldn’t keep it together long enough to remember all the reasons they started this thing in the first place.
Of course, the story differs depending on who you ask, but Liam’s notoriety has always been central to almost every stage of their breakdown. Even now, with reports that Noel has entered rehearsals with Liam nowhere to be seen, the story soldiers on; one pitiful fight against the inevitability of destruction. This is Oasis’ farewell tour, they claim, and to be honest, good riddance. We can finally enjoy the music and the music only, without the additional pretence of the “feud”.
However, beneath the layer of tiffs masquerading as lighthearted fun, as jarring or unrelenting as they may seem, lies a hidden truth that maybe, just maybe, it isn’t all make-believe. After all, there’s no smoke without fire, and, as Elton John once so eloquently put it, “When a rumour doesn’t go away it’s not a rumour”. Thus, let’s say Noel and Liam actually do wish blood didn’t run thicker than water, who, if any, deserves more understanding?
According to Noel (and probably the majority of their fanbase), it’s Noel. Countless quips in interviews and song lyrics point towards this being the case, but one of the songs that pushes this even further is ‘Take Me Away’, in which Noel seems to view Liam with a disapproving expression, like looking at a sibling and thinking, “Just you wait. Soon, you will realise.”
While that seems relatively ominous, the song sees Noel confronting Liam with a calm and collected demeanour, judgemental of his immature antics while confident in the fact that, one day, he will catch up, and suddenly find himself becoming more like Noel than he ever anticipated. This echoes in the lyrics: “You could be me and pretty soon you will be, but you’re gonna need a line. I could be you if you wanted to, but I’ve never got the time.”
“That song is me talking to our kid,” Noel said in 1994. “Liam’s naive and volatile but he is gonna be like me soon. He’s gonna have to get chilled out, take some drugs, and suss things out first though, because at the moment he hasn’t a clue what it’s all about.” Although a seemingly harmless take on Liam’s immaturity, the younger brother never enjoyed such condescending remarks, and likely deliberately shunned the possibility of becoming anything like Noel for as long as possible just to prove a point.
Still, there’s something intriguing about it all, even now. It’s anyone’s guess whether Liam will have caught up just yet, or whether he’ll remain just as playful and disobedient as ever (the more likely scenario). But at least those paying close attention will have something fun to indulge in when the tour finally arrives, something that taps into the one thing they’ve always seemed to play up to: mischief.
