The 10 Best Oasis Songs of All-Time

Britpop was a British music movement of the mid 1990s that produced lighter, catchier rock music. Something that stood out because American-based grunge was going darker at around the same time. Oasis was one of the most notable names to emerge from Britpop. For proof, look no further than the fact that the band has sold more than 70 million records around the world, which is enough to make them one of the best-selling bands to ever come from the United Kingdom.

10. Lyla

Generally speaking, Oasis tends to be known for their earlier releases rather than their later releases. As a result, it should come as no surprise to learn that 2005’s Don’t Believe the Truth wasn’t the band’s most memorable album ever. Still, it had some stand-out songs, with an excellent example being its lead single “Lyla.” Something that grew on not just a lot of listeners but also the band members themselves.

9. Wonderwall

Chances are good that interested individuals have heard “Wonderwall” at some point. After all, it is one of the most successful Oasis songs ever, so much so that it was played everywhere and seemingly still played everywhere. It isn’t uncommon to find that sort of thing irritating, but there is a reason that ubiquitous songs see so much play.

8. Acquiesce

There are a lot of people who have wondered about “Acquiesce” being a B-side. This is because it is Oasis at some of their most iconic, featuring a likeable tune, uplifting lyrics, plus both Liam and Noel Gallagher providing vocals. Amusingly, “Acquiesce” is often interpreted as a depiction of sibling relations, which is an interpretation that its songwriter Noel Gallagher has often denied.

7. Rock ‘n’ Roll Star

“Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” is a powerful statement of self-belief that served as the first song on Oasis’s debut album Definitely Maybe. It is remarkable. However, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” loses points because of factors beyond its control. Simply put, it makes a lot of sense at a time when Oasis was breaking through, but it sounds much stranger in later times when Oasis had become international superstars.

6. Supersonic

Speaking of which, “Supersonic” would be the lead single off of Definitely Maybe, thus making it the first single that Oasis ever released. One would assume that the band members put a lot of effort into perfecting its content. However, that wasn’t quite the case. Instead, as the story goes, Noel Gallagher apparently downed a gin and tonic before getting the lyrics done within a very short period of time. As it turned out, that spontaneity was very beneficial because “Supersonic” proved to be a hit, thus paving the way for the rest of Oasis’s work.

5. Don’t Look Back in Anger

“Don’t Look Back in Anger” is a song from Oasis’s second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? As such, one could say that it is a product of the band at the height of their fame. In any case, “Don’t Look Back in Anger” was extremely successful, so much so that it is often considered to be one of the best songs to come out of the Britpop movement as a whole.

4. Morning Glory

Oasis has always been open about their drug use. As a result, it should come as no surprise to learn that “Morning Glory” is about cocaine. Appropriately, the song is fast, aggressive, and almost manic in nature, with the result that it is one of the band’s heaviest songs ever released. “Morning Glory” is a remarkable song. Moreover, one could say that its timing was good, seeing as how it was released on Oasis’s second album rather than Oasis’s third album. The making of the latter is notorious for having been complicated by drug abuse.

3. Live Forever

As mentioned earlier, the Britpop movement was a stark contrast to grunge. There aren’t a lot of songs that can match “Live Forever” when it comes to summing up this contrast. In part, this is because it came out in 1994, meaning that it was perfectly-timed to serve as a rebuttal. However, the song also comes with an infectious optimism that made it very well-suited for that task. Of course, none of this could have happened without “Live Forever” catching on, which it managed to do so well that it is considered one of the moments that ensured Oasis’s mainstream success.

2. Slide Away

Inspiration-wise, “Slide Away” was penned because of Noel Gallagher’s tempestuous relationship with his then girlfriend. It wasn’t one of the singles off of Definitely Maybe, but it was recommended as a fifth single by the higher-ups before the band rejected the idea. As such, “Slide Away” never got the chance to be as widely known as its counterparts. Even so, it is widely considered to be one of Oasis’s all-time greats, not least because of the incredible mix of volatile emotions tied up in it.

1. Champagne Supernova

“Champagne Supernova” is the closing track on (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? It has been much talked-about, not least because its lyrics can support a wide range of interpretation. For example, there are some who have claimed that the song is about remaining stoic in the face of adversity. Similarly, there are others who suspect that it shows a keen awareness that the pinnacle is no more than a momentary thing. Something that would have been particularly penetrating because the song was penned at a time when Oasis was at the height of their fame. Whatever the case, the melancholic sound of “Champagne Supernova” is something to remember for the ages.

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