You might not associate the orchestral pop of Burt Bacharach with Oasis. However, one of the band’s best-known B-sides was adapted from a Bacharach tune.
Videos by American Songwriter
It began when Noel Gallagher repurposed the shuffle feel of “This Guy’s In Love With You” for the drum groove on an acoustic B-side he recorded while Oasis were on tour in Austin, Texas.
Soon, Bacharach’s classic became an Oasis classic. And two years after the Austin session, the two songwriters met in a hotel bar, and the meeting led to Gallagher singing “This Guy’s In Love With You” with the legend himself.
About “This Guy’s In Love With You”
Burt Bacharach and longtime collaborator Hal Leonard wrote “This Guy’s In Love With You” in 1967. Herb Alpert planned to sing it to his wife on a TV special, but thought some lyrics were inappropriate for the occasion.
Leonard changed a few lines, removing references to an unfaithful partner, and Alpert’s version, released in 1968, became a No. 1 hit.
You see this guy
This guy’s in love with you.
Yes, I’m in love
Who looks at you the way I do?
“Half The World Away”
Noel Gallagher, never shy about crafting his hits with the DNA of older songs, isn’t hiding his tracks here. “Half The World Away” became one of Oasis’s signature B-sides, but it owes its basic structure to “This Guy’s In Love With You”.
However, even when Gallagher’s source is obvious, it always comes out the other side sounding distinctly his own.
He recorded “Half The World Away” at The Congress House in Austin, Texas, where Oasis also recorded two additional B-sides, “(It’s Good) To Be Free” and “Talk Tonight”.
But during the session, Gallagher became frustrated with drummer Tony McCarroll’s playing and opted to record the drums himself. The rest of Oasis is excluded from the track, too, except for Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, who recorded the electric piano part.
“Half The World Away” backed the band’s first non-album single, “Whatever”, and also appears on the 1998 B-sides collection, The Masterplan.
I would like to leave this city
This old town don’t smell too pretty
And I can feel the warning signs
Running around my mind.
Two Legends Walk Into a Bar…
Bacharach’s influence on Gallagher isn’t a surprise. You’ll notice the composer’s photo on the cover of Oasis’s debut album, Definitely Maybe. But in 1996, the two songwriting legends first met at a hotel bar in Santa Monica.
Before the night was over, Bacharach had invited Gallagher to sing at his upcoming London concert at the Royal Festival Hall. He planned to invite guest vocalists, and Gallagher asked, “Who’s going to sing ‘This Guy’s In Love With You’?” Bacharach said, “Why don’t you come and sing it?”
At the show, Bacharach gave Gallagher a warm introduction and told the audience he liked Oasis. Gallagher walked onstage and, during the height of Britpop, sat on a stool and sang Bacharach’s song, backed by his hero.
Photo by Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.