12 Best Oasis Songs of All Time
We take a look at Oasis’ greatest ever songs. Don’t @ us.
Image by Simon Emmett
Oasis mania is running wild! After reforming, selling out shows across the UK and announcing North American dates (that also sold out), the Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, have finally confirmed the world’s worst-kept secret – they are heading Down Under in 2025.
Surprisingly the brothers have only locked in two shows at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Friday, October 31 and Accor Stadium in Sydney on Friday, November 7, but it’s believed more concerts will be announced once the original gigs sell out.
Pre-sale tickets for the lads Aussie gigs go on sale this Friday, with general on-sale kicking off on Monday. Before jumping online and queuing with the rest of the population, the crew here at The Note have decided to come up with the ultimate Oasis playlist, picking what we believe are the band’s 12 best songs.
Now before everyone starts emailing us about all the awesome tunes we didn’t include, just remember the songs chosen are our picks. You might not agree with them being the best Oasis songs of all time, but it’s hard to disagree with them being great tunes.
With that said, here are our picks for the best Oasis songs of all time. Please be gentle.
‘Champagne Supernova’ (1995)
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? is an incredible album that spawned several huge hits for Oasis. While 'Wonderwall' has become an anthem for the Britpop generation, it’s hard to look past the album’s closing track, ‘Champagne Supernova’, a song we think is arguably the band’s greatest-ever release.
‘Champagne Supernova’ is a ripping 70s rocker benefiting from the assistance of Paul Weller, who plays guitar on the tune. His addition adds authenticity to a song Noel told NME in a 1995 interview “means different things when I’m in different moods.” Classic Noel.
What you take from the lyrics (“Someday you will find me caught beneath the landslide / in a champagne supernova” is a choice line) is up to you, but there’s no disputing ‘Champagne Supanova’ is a kick-ass song that would be incredible to sing with 100,000 other fans at Marvel Stadium next summer.
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ (1994)
The opening track from Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ is a hot little tease of what’s to come across the record’s 11 tracks. As if prophesising the brother’s future, Liam croons “I’m a rock ‘n’ roll star” against a backdrop of psychedelic guitars on a song about escaping the monotony of life through sex, drugs and good old fashioned rock and roll.
It’s one of three songs Noel wrote that explains everything he’s ever wanted to tell the world, with the band’s chief songwriter telling Time, “I’ve pretty much summed up everything I wanted to say in ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’, ‘Live Forever’, and ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’, after that I’m repeating myself, but in a different way.”
‘Supersonic’ (1994)
‘Supersonic’ is the Gallagher brothers’ Beatles-inspired debut single. Recorded live in a single day at Pink Museum Studio in Liverpool, it reportedly cost just £100 to produce, not that you can notice
The track was written during a jam session on the final day of recording and features random lyrics that many have tried to interpret over the years. While you can certainly read between the lines when it comes to the themes of ‘Supersonic’, it’s basically a bunch of words Noel chucked together for a song he wrote in half an hour that’s become a fan favourite.
‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ (1995)
Oasis gets a lot of stick for their love of the Beatles, and listening to ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, it’s clear they have no problem wearing their influences on their sleeve.
From the opening piano line to the jangly guitar riff and Noel’s pleading vocals, ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ is everything you could ever want from an Oasis song.
The tune took on a greater meaning after the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 when the song was used as a way to bring the population together.
A crowd of mourners gathered in the city were holding a minute’s silence for those who lost their lives when someone began singing ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. Soon the entire crowd began singing in a moment that galvanised Mancurians and displayed the togetherness of the human spirit.
‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ (1994)
Look past the T-Rex riff and ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ is another ripping 90s guitar tune from the Gallagher brothers.
A social commentary on the lives of the working class who often turn to cigarettes, booze and drugs to make it through the day, ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ is another top tune from the band’s debut album.
‘Slide Away’ (1994)
Another top shelf cut from Definitely Maybe, Noel claims he wrote ‘Slide Away’ using a Les Paul guitar The Smiths’ Johnny Mar sent him. Whether that’s more Gallagher bullshit or an interesting side note nobody will ever know, but one thing’s for sure, ‘Slide Away’ is a fucking tune.
Although written after Noel and guitarist Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs got into an argument, ‘Slide Away’ is an endearing love song about Noel’s ex Louise Jones.
The lyrics clearly point to Noel being deeply in love with Jones, with lines like “Need you now you’ve knocked me off my feet” and “I dream of you and all the things you say” expressing his joy at being in love.
NME called it “the love song that conquers all.” We think they aren’t far off the mark.
‘Live Forever’ (1988)
The third single from Definitely Maybe was inspired by The Rolling Stones’ ‘Shine a Light’ and ended up being one of Oasis’ biggest hits.
Written by Noel while working on a building site in Manchester, the song is an optimistic look at life and how to make the most of it so you’ll “live forever.”
It’s got all the key ingredients that make up an Oasis track and is arguably one of Noel’s best compositions.
‘Acquiesce’ (1995)
Oasis is one of those bands whose B-sides are just as enjoyable as their album tracks. Take ‘Acquiesce’, a fan favourite that first appeared as the B-side to the band’s first UK chart-topping single, ‘Some Might Say’.
The track was a staple of their live sets and features both brothers on vocals, with Liam singing lead and Noel taking over during the chorus.
The music video is also notable for featuring a Japanese tribute band performing the song.
‘Morning Glory’ (1987)
This is 90s British rock and roll at its best. ‘Morning Glory’ is a firestorm of vibrant energy that kicks you in the ass and leaves you wanting more. It’s not as big or brash as some of the Gallagher’s tunes, but there’s a pulsating, anthemic quality to ‘Morning Glory’ that makes you want to stand up and pump your fist.
Interestingly the song arrives towards the end of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, serving as a cocaine referencing comedown before ‘Champagne Supernova’ brings the record to a satisfying conclusion.
‘The Masterplan’ (1995)
Noel rates ‘The Masterplan’ as one of the best songs he’s ever written. The B-side to ‘Wonderwall’, it’s a melancholy pop creation featuring an orchestra and a backwards guitar solo. The tune is about getting old, with Noel’s layered vocals imploring the listener to “dance if you wanna dance.”
“I was really fucking proud of it and I still am,” Noel said in an interview with NME via Oasis Recording Information. “It’s everybody’s favourite B-side. I think it’s the best song I’ve ever written. But I was gutted because Our Kid – who loves it, it’s one of his favourites – but he was just walking around going, ‘You fucking knobhead! Why did you write that now? Why couldn’t you have waited for a year so it could go on the next album? Or why didn’t you write it for the last album, you fucking dick!’
“And he works himself up into a frenzy where he hates me for writing this great song at that particular point. And I’m going, ‘So basically what you’re saying is you love me and it’s a great song?’ ‘Yeah! You fucking knobhead!’”
‘All Around the World’ (1998)
The album version of ‘All Around the World’ is a nine-and-a-half-minute epic that topped the UK Single Charts, although in an edited form.
The band’s longest-ever song is standard Oasis but comes across as an extended jam session where each member gets their time to shine. Paul Arthurs’ guitar picking, Paul McGuigan’s sliding bass and Alan White’s steady drum fills penetrate the spaces between the Gallagher’s vocal harmonies.
‘All Around the World’ is also notable for featuring Richard Ashcroft singing backing vocals and for being the last Oasis single Arthurs and McGuigan played on before leaving the band in 1999.
‘Wonderwall’ (1995)
What more is there to say about ‘Wonderwall’ that hasn’t already been said?
Oasis’ biggest hit about an imaginary friend who will save you from yourself is a mesmerising rock song that went to #1 in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US, although it only peaked at #2 in the UK.
Topping triple j’s Hottest 100 in 1995, ‘Wonderwall’ is also 12 times platinum in Australia and one of the few Oasis songs both Liam and Noel perform live at their solo shows.
Its cultural footprint looms large, with ‘Wonderwall’ still getting consistent radio play and becoming a karaoke favourite, with some of the biggest artists in the world having covered the song, including Ryan Adams, Cat Power and One Direction.
