The Oasis song Noel Gallagher admits is copied: “I pinched all the chords”
Compilation albums have garnered a polarising reputation in the music world. On the one hand, they showcase a band’s best efforts. On the other hand, they can be regarded as a half-baked attempt at keeping audiences happy before they release their next full-length LP. Whatever the reason, Oasis‘ The Masterplan couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
Even if The Masterplan had received wholly negative views, nothing could have prevented the success of ‘Half the World Away’. Lyrically, Noel Gallagher wrote the song after being inspired by the feeling of growing bored of a city. Initially released as the B-side to 1994’s ‘Whatever’, the song incorporated the duo’s signature The Beatles-inspired soundscapes infused with a sombre acoustic element that makes the whole thing adopt a natural note of longing.
While it’s not completely unknown for musicians to pick up an acoustic guitar and sing about times gone by, there’s a reason why Oasis’ hit song might sound familiar to some. In fact, if the song evokes a certain resemblance to something else that you can’t quite put your finger on, it all clicks into place when you realise it was actually almost entirely copied from another existing tune.
Plagiarism isn’t usually something songwriters enjoy boasting about, but in the case of ‘Half the World Away’, Noel Gallagher couldn’t care less about who knows the truth. In fact, he actively shared his side of the story, admitting that the song came from a very specific source. “I played [Burt Bacharach’s] ‘This Guy’s in Love with You’,” explained the musician. Continuing, “That’s where I pinched all the chords from. Sort of moved a few around, put that one there and put that one there.”
Although he enjoys the lyrics and appreciates the fact that it’s also Paul Weller’s favourite Oasis song, he once admitted to not understanding why today’s stringent copyright laws haven’t landed him in the middle of a lawsuit. In an interview with Gigwise, he explained: “It sounds exactly the same. I’m surprised he hasn’t sued me yet!”
However, it seems the musician has nothing to fear, as Bacharach seems to be well aware of the song and its source of inspiration but holds nothing but appreciation for its existence. As he put it: “He discovered the song, a song that was out before he was even born. I think that’s great.” Although the chord progression was directly borrowed from Bacharach’s song, there’s more to its narrative than the unsuspecting listener might think.
For starters, its relatability stems from the fact that most people have probably experienced feeling lost and alone in your own hometown. Although there could be elements of other themes at play, like longing for a partner who is “half the world away”, the song manages to evoke an overarching sense of yearning no matter what the listener’s personal experiences may be. It’s timeless, which is why its foundation likely didn’t matter to the original composer.
