What is “Alka-Seltzer” in the Oasis song ‘Supersonic’?
As news of the Oasis return sweeps through a fanbase that had begun to believe it would never happen—fittingly breaking on the eve of the 15th anniversary of their split—there’s no better time to dive back into their catalogue and explore its many wonders and more peculiar offerings.
While the standard narrative is that the Manchester band’s most important chapters were the first and second albums—1994’s Definitely Maybe and 1995’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?—Oasis retained Britain’s most dedicated fanbase until their acrimonious split backstage in Paris in 2009. As a testament to the Britpop heroes, every one of their records until the last would contain classics.
Although several vital aspects made Oasis a cultural behemoth, one of the most important is the lyrics. Working in tandem with the spiritual pull of their music, from the energetic anthems to the slower, more profound moments, the words drove the spirit of the Gallagher brothers and their band deep into the collective consciousness.
Whether it’s the defiant working-class anthem of ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’ or the surreal yet universally resonant messaging of ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’—a track that cemented the band as the contemporary answer to their heroes, The Beatles—Oasis’ lyrics are filled with moments that underscore their cultural significance. Their songs captured the spirit of a generation, creating an extensive catalogue of iconic lyrics that continue to resonate with fans around the world.
The lyrics were undoubtedly central to Oasis’ success, but there are many moments that have left fans scratching their heads despite the band’s era-defining vibe and their ability to unite people from all walks of life. While the meaning of a ‘Champagne Supernova’ remains one of the most bafflingly psychedelic mysteries in their catalogue—created by Noel Gallagher while he was “out of it” and with its meaning shifting for him depending on his mood—other iconic instances are much easier to decipher. These moments, though sometimes perplexing, contribute to the rich tapestry of Oasis’ legacy.
One is a portion of lyrics from ‘Supersonic’, the band’s landmark debut single from Definitely Maybe. The track was written and recorded over a single day on December 19th, 1993, at the Pink Museum Studio in Liverpool. Noel later claimed that he had written the song in just half an hour when the rest of the band was taking a break and eating Chinese food. Instead of partaking, he remained in the backroom of the studio, working on the guitar part and finishing it before they returned.
Guitarist Bonehead says in Supersonic: The Complete, Authorised and Uncut Interviews: “Noel’s just sat there with the guitar and he just wrote the music, that will do, and then he wrote the words, any old fucking words and he came back in the room with us, with his guitar and he said, ‘Look, I’ve just written another song.’ He started singing it and we nailed it and mixed it that night, rapid, because that’s what we’d been doing every night in the Boardwalk, you know, and it sounded massive, absolutely massive.”
If both men’s accounts are to be believed, this ad-hoc approach to the lyrics certainly accounts for their surreal, perplexing character. Undoubtedly, the most baffling lyrical moment in the track is the following couplet: “I know a girl called Elsa, she’s into Alka-Seltzer / She sniffs it through a cane on a supersonic train”.
So, what does “Alka-Seltzer” mean?
While sniffing a powder through a cane on a supersonic train is one of the most psychedelic images in the Oasis back catalogue, “Alka-Seltzer” has long been the source of puzzlement for fans. This is somewhat ironic, as, from that entire couplet, it is one of two aspects that we know to be an actual entity. Elsa was real, too, but was the Rottweiler of engineer Dave Scott.
Alka-Seltzer is an effervescent antacid and pain reliever from the US. It is comprised of three active ingredients: aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) (ASA), sodium bicarbonate, and anhydrous citric acid. This trio of components means it is used for various reasons and is marketed for the relief of minor pain, inflammation, fever, headache, heartburn, hangovers and others.
Given Oasis’s notorious days of hard partying, I’m sure Noel Gallagher has resorted to dropping an Alka-Seltzer into a glass of water on numerous foggy-brained mornings. I’m unsure about Elsa sniffing it, though.
