The Meaning Behind the Oasis Song That May Be as Good as “Wonderwall”

Let’s clear something up right at the top: I said, may be, as in might be as good as “Wonderwall”. Never mind the accidental pun.

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So what Oasis tune could possibly reach the BIBLICAL stature of Noel Gallagher’s defining track? We’re not talking about “Slide Away”, “Supersonic”, “Don’t Look Back In Anger” or “The Masterplan”. Instead, you’ll need to fast forward to album five, Heathen Chemistry, where “Little By Little” sort of sneaks up on you, until its stadium-size hook reminds you why Oasis became a cultural behemoth in the 90s.

Check it out and decide for yourself if it’s worthy of “Wonderwall” status.

About “Little By Little”

Noel wrote “Little By Little” during sessions for Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants. The fourth Oasis album was the first without founding members Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan. It also marked a transition from Britpop, where producer Mark “Spike” Stent guided the Gallaghers through a psychedelic and electronic rock album.

You can hear both the Britpop and post-Britpop phases of Oasis in “Little By Little”. The spoken-word verses echo the psychedelia of Pink Floyd. And the sky-high chorus reaches the same celestial heights as “Champagne Supernova”.

True perfection has to be imperfect
I know that that sounds foolish but it’s true
The day has come and now you’ll have to accept
The life inside your head we give to you.

There’s a darkness to the lyrics, but somehow, the live rendition transforms the despair into something optimistic. Almost philosophical. We often wonder “why” when questioning our existence. But maybe there’s no “why.” Just the fact that we are here is what really matters. Liam Gallagher’s second solo album has a title with an answer to such queries: Why Me? Why Not.

You know I didn’t mean
What I just said
But my god woke up on the wrong side of his bed
And it just don’t matter now.

Another Anthem

Oasis released “Little By Little” as the band’s only double A-side single with “She Is Love”. Liam had attempted to sing it in the studio, but had trouble hitting his brother’s massive chorus. Adding yet another Noel-sung anthem to the set.

“Little By Little” may not be the standard that “Wonderwall” became, but hearing these two in the same set is proof that Noel hadn’t run out of ideas when Britpop ended.

Little by little
You have to give it all in all your life
And all the time I just asked myself why are you really here?

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