“They were the best”: Noel Gallagher names the king of the catchy rock record
A compliment from a Gallagher brother? That’s rare. Usually found dishing out the takedowns, a kind word from a member of Oasis is something special to come by. But, in this case, it all depends on whether you think ‘catchy’ is a compliment.
To a lot of artists, ‘catchy’ would be a curse. Is that really what it all comes down to? Is the ultimate aim of the game simply to be an earworm? To hook into people’s minds and sell well? We hear time and time again that record labels seem to think so. It’s a constant battle between the artists and the suits to defend the honour of artistic integrity in the face of an industry that demands fast-selling tracks that perform well exactly because they are ‘catchy’.
The stereotype is often that ‘catchy’ equals limp. We don’t often think about catchiness as a trait of high art. Instead, people respect difficulty or boldness, often forgetting to see the worth in, or the talent necessary for, making broadly beloved hits.
But some artists have managed to do both: to make something great but also make it catchy. Oasis would definitely be considered as one of them as tracks like ‘She’s Electric’, ‘Champagne Supernova’ and even the uber-hit ‘Wonderwall’, have both artistic merit and worldwide, timeless appeal. They’re songs that get in your head. It seems like you only had to listen to them once to now know those lyrics forever, but still, the lyrics are good.
That’s something Noel Gallagher clearly respected. In his eyes, ‘catchy’ is good, and he bestowed that compliment on an unlikely act – Nirvana. “Look at Nirvana,” Gallagher said back in 1996, “They were the fucking best, and that guy [Kurt Cobain] was the king of the catchy fucking rock record.”
But to go back to the original question, is catchy a compliment? While Gallagher thinks so, I’m not too sure that Cobain would see it that way. As Gallagher added, “You could not write catchier tunes than him,” it returns to the wonderment of whether this is what it’s all about.
Given the angst and power of Cobain’s music, the darkness of his lyricism and his ever-conflicting feelings towards his own career and fame, it doesn’t feel like being ‘catchy’ would have been on his list of things to care about, nor does it feel like a label he’d want to be attached to his heavy, grunge-defining music.
There is no denying a degree of truth, though. Similar to Oasis songs, Nirvana tracks like ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ or ‘Come As You Are’ feel like songs you heard once and will know forever. They’re instantly recognisable; their melodies sweep you up, and so they are definitely catchy. But the Nirvana brand of ‘catchy’ is definitely something different. These are radio-ready, easy-breezy sing-along songs that the whole world loves. They’re catchy simply in the way that they hook into your mind.
For Gallagher, that’s the pinnacle. While other artists might shiver at the statement, the Oasis songwriter sees catchiness as king, stating, “I don’t think you can be too catchy. As long as you have your Marshall amps on ten, and it makes people’s eyes water.”
