On October 30, 1995, the world (and campfires with an acoustic guitar player present) changed forever when Oasis released their signature track that, ironically, Liam Gallagher claimed “wasn’t Oasis” at the time. That the infamously defiant Gallagher would scoff at a ballad his brother, Noel Gallagher, brought to him isn’t all that surprising. But given the sheer ubiquity of the song decades later, it’s certainly funny to think about in hindsight.
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Anyway, the song was, of course, “Wonderwall”, the fourth single from their sophomore album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Despite the track’s low placement on the single roster, it became far and away one of the most popular, career-defining songs from that record. However, when vocalist Liam first heard it, all he could think about was The Police.
“At first, I didn’t like it,” Liam admitted to Rolling Stone years later. “What the f*** is this tune? I don’t like this. It’s a bit fonky. I got Police vibes. It was a bit Sting. I like the heavier stuff. I said, ‘This doesn’t suit me, man.’ Once I sung it, I realized it’s a good f***ing tune.”
Still, this wouldn’t be the last hurdle the Gallaghers faced while recording what would become one of their most well-known tracks of their catalogue.
Liam Gallagher Said “Wonderwall” Wasn’t ‘Oasis-y’ Enough
Although it doesn’t always happen this way, on rare, fortuitous occasions, a songwriter will craft a song and immediately hear every other instrument they want in the arrangement. In the lightning-fast world of mainstream music, sometimes it’s easier for that songwriter—particularly if they’re a multi-instrumentalist—to track the parts themselves instead of teaching it to somebody else in the band and having them do it. Such was the case for Oasis’ signature track, “Wonderwall”, on which songwriter Noel Gallagher played bass instead of the band’s actual bassist, Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan.
Noel’s decision to track the bass rubbed his brother and the band’s vocalist, Liam Gallagher, the wrong way. “That’s not Oasis,” Liam told producer Owen Morris. To Noel’s credit (and to counter Liam’s argument), it’s not like “Wonderwall” was the only song that featured him playing bass. According to Morris, Noel recorded bass on several Oasis songs. “He has a very neat and tidy bass playing style. We all wished that Guigsy could have just got it right so that there would be his style in there.”
Ultimately, none of Liam’s qualms would stick. The song was undoubtedly an Oasis track, not a Police one. Despite its fonky first impression, “Wonderwall” clearly grew on Liam (and the rest of the world, earning an octuple-platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry and 12-time-platinum certification in Australia). Even Guigsy wouldn’t last much longer in the band, temporarily quitting in August 1995 due to exhaustion before permanently leaving four years later in 1999.
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