‘Wonderwall’: the most popular ‘hated’ song on the planet?
There is something particularly special about ‘Wonderwall’; it is the ire of guitar shop employees everywhere and a staple of every busker up and down the British Isles. For most people, the opening chords of the Oasis track are more likely to elicit groans and eye-rolls than any kind of jubilation, yet the track remains one of the most popular British songs of the past three decades. It is as though the piece has some mystical hold over the music-buying public, a case of Stockholm syndrome that far outweighs the events of the Norrmalmstorg robbery.
Back in 1995, Oasis were on top of the world. Having risen from the council estates of Manchester to become kings of the Britpop movement, the Liam Gallagher-fronted band could seemingly do no wrong. Their debut record, Definitely Maybe, was awash with a kind of adolescent rebellion that harked back to the punk age while updating it for modern audiences. For the follow-up, however, songwriter Noel Gallagher wanted something a little more mature, which likely explains the writing of tracks like ‘The Masterplan’, ‘Talk Tonight’, and, of course, ‘Wonderwall’.
Built around a simplistic acoustic chord progression, ‘Wonderwall’ took its name from the title of George Harrison’s debut solo album. Although it is one of Gallagher’s finest lyrical exploits, the song was pretty out-of-step with the rest of Oasis’ discography at the time. After all, the band had gained a reputation for brash, laddish behaviour and out-and-out rock and roll tunes. An acoustic number with lovey-dovey lyrics hardly seemed to fit into their repertoire.
Seemingly, the band themselves agreed with that sentiment. Over the years, the song has repeatedly been criticised by the members of Oasis despite its incredible success. Back in 2021, Noel Gallagher himself admitted, “’Wonderwall’ is one of my least favourite songs because it’s not finished. If I could somehow twist time and go back there, I’d probably pick a different song for our calling card. Probably ‘Some Might Say’.”
Elsewhere, Liam has also voiced his disapproval of the song, sharing, “It’s alright and that, but are you taking the piss? That used to do my head in, that tune.”
However, you would assume that his assessment of the piece has changed somewhat, given the fame and notoriety it brought to the vocalist, because, despite the band’s hatred of the song, it quickly became their most popular effort. Reaching number two in the UK singles chart upon its release and subsequently going septuple platinum, ‘Wonderwall’ became the defining track of the Britpop era. Yet, you are much more likely to see it bemoaned than praised, these days. Its simultaneous popularity and hatred likely arises from the fact that, as a song, it is pretty inoffensive – in contrast to much of Oasis’ other work.
Due to the song being somewhat middle-of-the-road, both musically and lyrically, it is capable of receiving a lot of radio play and lends itself quite well to wedding DJs, karaoke sessions, and festival sing-a-longs. More or less everybody knows the lyrics to ‘Wonderwall’ by heart, and even three decades after its initial release, you still encounter the piece on an annoyingly regular basis. People’s dislike of the song probably results from the fact that audiences are simply sick of hearing it.
Unfortunately, it is unlikely we will be spared repeated listens of ‘Wonderwall’ anytime soon. The song continues to garner millions of online streams and is regularly blasted out by unimaginative DJs across the world as a means of inspiring a half-hearted sing-a-long. Despite being one of Noel Gallagher’s weaker efforts as a songwriter, it seems as though Oasis will never truly rise from the colossal shadow of ‘Wonderwall’.
