What’s the story, Noel?
Oasis legend reminisces about his band’s iconic album to mark 25 years from its release
IT’S a big month for Oasis fans as October marks the 25th anniversary of their biggest album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Discovered at King Tut’s in Glasgow, the high-water mark of the group led by rowing brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher saw Morning Glory sell 22million copies worldwide.
A vinyl picture disc went to No3 last Friday. It seems a new generation are being switched on to the Britpop royalty. Noel, 53, said: “I’ve often wondered what is a 14-year-old getting out of this after all these years?
“What are they getting in 2020 that they aren’t hearing elsewhere?
“And it’s because there’s nothing around today that comes remotely close to it – the lyrics, the melodies and Liam’s singing.”
On October 30, the Manchester band’s bestknown song, Wonderwall, will celebrate its own quarter of a century anniversary.
The tune – which Noel claimed had been written for then-wife Meg Mathews before changing his story after they split – has sold 1.4million copies in the UK, making it the group’s biggest seller despite only getting to No2.
It also reached No8 in
America – the band’s highest chart position for a single across the Atlantic. Noel admitted: “If I’d known then what I know now about what Wonderwall or Don’t Look Back in Anger would become I would have never finished those songs. “I’d still be fiddling around with them.” Recorded in a 12-day frantic and fight-filled atmosphere at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales, here Noel takes us track by track through the 90s’ biggestselling UK album.
Hello
Written for Definitely Maybe, it’s a great opening tune for a gig and an album.
Roll With It
This was the first thing we did at Rockfield. It was the only song on the album we did live, like we’d done for Definitely
Maybe. It’s the second take we did and was Alan White’s first time on the drums.
Wonderwall
I decided the night before that because I had a song called Wonderwall I wanted to record it on a wall.
So I got up in the morning, and it was really cold, thinking this was a stupid idea.
A load of sheep watched me doing it. Not sure who was more freaked out, me or them.
Don’t Look Back In Anger
I wrote the words in Paris after a night at a strip club.
I always wondered if Sally was a stripper. Years later, someone said it was Sally Cinnamon and I wished I’d thought of that.
I’ve done gigs where I’ve gone to sing the first line and the crowd have started and I’ve given up. The crowd have sung it start to finish. That song is mad. I don’t know why. It’s just got the magic.
Hey Now
There’s a synthesiser on it. Don’t know who snuck that in.
Some Might Say
I’m not a fan but an American band called Grant Lee Buffalo had a song called Fuzzy and you can hear it has a big influence on Some Might Say.
I’ll obsess about a song for years and I’ll rip it off 12 times and get 12 different tunes out of it. Everything I do is a nod to something or other. I’m not a genius like Paul McCartney, Morrissey or Bob Dylan – I’m a fan of music. Nothing is original. There’s only 12 notes.
Cast No Shadow
It’s half-baked and got a country thing. Shame it hasn’t got a second verse. I dedicated it to Richard Ashcroft as a big up after Verve had split up the first time and he’d take it pretty badly.
She’s Electric
It was written for Definitely Maybe but got bumped for Digsy’s Dinner because Digsy’s
sounded better live and is less complicated. It’s very Britpop.
Morning Glory
On the Definitely Maybe tour I’d met this girl from America and when we’d meet she’d say, “What’s the story morning glory?” I thought it was an American phrase. I don’t know why it ended up as the title of the album.
Champagne Supernova
Even bands playing guitars now don’t do stuff like this. There’s nothing for 14-yearolds who are into rock to get their teeth into today.
After we finished recording the album, we did the festivals and we’d run into Paul Weller. I played him a rough mix and he wanted to play on the album. He thought it was going to be Morning Glory but Champagne Supernova was crying out for a guitar solo because mine was a shocker.
Thank God he did.