- 7/3/2025
From Manchester to worldwide fame, join us as we count down the anthems that defined a generation of Britpop! These legendary tracks made millions believe they too could be rock stars, even without the Gallagher swagger. Our countdown features iconic hits, underrated gems, and the songs that sparked both lighter-waving moments and raucous pub singalongs.
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MusicTranscript
00:00There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know how
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Oasis songs
00:11that made millions believe they too could be rock stars, even if they weren't from Manchester
00:16But don't look back in anger, I heard you say
00:21Number 20, All Around the World
00:25It's a bit early in the midnight hour for me
00:29One of Noel Gallagher's earliest compositions, the infamously outspoken musician once shared
00:34that the reason it took years to record was purely financial
00:37Said the elder Gallagher brother, it was a matter of being able to afford to record it
00:41But now we can get away with the 36-piece orchestra, and the longer the better as far as I'm concerned
00:46Easy, crazy days, but they make me shine
00:51Time keeps rolling by
00:55Clocking in at nearly 10 minutes in length
00:58The song is one of Oasis's most bombastic epics
01:01The massive kitchen sink sound of All Around the World is the band at its most untethered
01:06Which emphasizes its life-affirming message as only Oasis could
01:09Number 19, She's Electric
01:19Seemingly written and arranged as an homage to John Lennon's O Yoko
01:30Noel Gallagher wrote She's Electric about a fictional, but at the same time possibly not, romantic entanglement
01:36Gallagher compared the song to the small faces and the kinks
01:39And while those influences are definitely there, She's Electric arguably showcases Oasis at their most Beatles-esque
01:45That's down to the song's closing melody, which appears to be jacked straight from With A Little Help From My Friends
01:58As such, She's Electric is a defining piece of Britpop
02:02Building on the sounds of the past while injecting them with the irreverence and uniquely biting wit we've come to expect from the boys from Manchester
02:09Lots and lots for us to do
02:12She's Electric, I'll be electric too
02:17Number 18, Whatever
02:19I'm free to be whatever I
02:24Whatever I choose and I'll sing the blues if I want
02:29Featuring a driving string arrangement straight out of Strawberry Fields Forever
02:34Whatever is yet another triumphant live-out-loud anthem courtesy of Oasis
02:38On the song, Liam Gallagher regales listeners with an all-too-relatable tale of wanting to break free from expectations and forge one's own path in life
02:46Whatever, which doesn't belong to any of their studio albums
02:58Was released as a single to tide fans over between the albums Definitely Maybe and What's the Story Morning Glory
03:03It's fitting then that Noel Gallagher viewed the song as the end of an era for Oasis
03:07Saying, quote
03:08It started to get very serious after that
03:10We were kind of a big rock band
03:12Although we didn't feel it at the time
03:14Whatever you say, if it comes my way, it's alright
03:18Number 17, Stand By Me
03:21It's no great secret that Noel Gallagher is no great fan of Be Here Now in its entirety
03:35Having long written off the highly anticipated Morning Glory follow-up as a bloated disappointment
03:40We hope that at least he could reserve some faint praise for Stand By Me
03:44Widely regarded by fans as one of the band's best ballads
03:47So what's the matter with you?
03:53Sing me something new
03:56An impassioned plea by its protagonist for their lover to stick by them in uncertain times
04:01The song represents Oasis at their most soul-bearing and open-hearted
04:05Stand By Me contemplates the notion that no matter what age we are when we listen to it
04:09We always have more growing up to do
04:11Maybe the Gallaghers could take a page from their own song
04:14Stand By Me
04:16Noelle Gallagher's biggest fan is perhaps unsurprisingly Noel Gallagher
04:36That self-admiration extends to Oasis' deep cuts
04:39Like this fan-favorite off of their second album
04:41Written for Gallagher's friend, Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft
04:45The singer-guitarist praised Cast No Shadow as
04:47Some of the best words I ever wrote
04:49And that he had
04:50No recollection of writing it
04:52But when I heard it today, I was like, well done
04:54We have to agree with Noel on this one
05:02Cast No Shadow exposes a rare moment of dark vulnerability for Oasis
05:05A crack in their ever-sunny and optimistic lyrical output
05:08And as you might have predicted, they pull it off with aplomb
05:11Number 15
05:19Talk Tonight
05:19Despite Oasis' reputation for throwing in all
05:30And we mean all of the bells and whistles
05:33Just two band members play on this sparse, intimate acoustic single
05:36That never found its way onto an album
05:38Becoming revered by fans anyway
05:40Talk Tonight was inspired by the aftermath
05:42Of a particularly disastrous Los Angeles concert in 1994
05:46Noel Gallagher, who sings and plays guitar alongside Paul Bonehead Arthurs
06:00Impulsively traveled to San Francisco to stay with Melissa Lim
06:03A friend who reportedly convinced him not to break up the band
06:06Noel later said that he couldn't remember her name or her appearance
06:09Before Lim confirmed her identity as the song's subject to the San Francisco Chronicle
06:14About how you saved my life
06:18You and me, you see how we are
06:23This mesmerizing cut off of Dig Out Your Soul
06:36Has the unique distinction of being the final single Oasis released
06:40Before going their separate ways in August of 2009
06:43Recalling the Middle Eastern-inspired string sections of Led Zeppelin
06:46And the heavy psychedelics of the Beatles' revolver
06:49Falling Down appears to allude to the band's imminent breakup
06:52Evoking deeply poetic, even biblical imagery
07:02The song describes an apocalyptic vision of the end times
07:05And a feeling of being inevitably resigned to it
07:08Now that the Gallagher brothers have made amends
07:10And are on the verge of a once unthinkable world tour
07:13Falling Down now serves as a hard-rocking time capsule
07:16Of a more precarious era
07:17The first song on Oasis' debut album
07:34Rock and Roll Star was the perfect introduction to a band
07:36That knew they were about to change everything
07:38A tune about wanting more from life
07:40Than what your sleepy suburb has to offer
07:42It isn't maybe, but definitely one of the band's early defining hits
07:46Rock and Roll Star gives you only a few seconds to prepare
07:52Before it smashes your head in with its pounding drums
07:54And droning distortion-drenched guitars
07:56The song encourages listeners to follow their dreams
07:59Without giving the naysayers an inch
08:01And in that way, it beautifully encapsulates
08:04Oasis' signature screw-you attitude
08:06Number 12
08:13Some Might Say
08:14Doesn't that chunky opening guitar riff just give you chills?
08:24When Tony McCarroll's drum fill kicks in
08:26You just know you're in for something legendary
08:28As the first single off of Morning Glory
08:30Some might say let listeners know
08:32That something truly extraordinary was on the way
08:34Despite its polished sound
08:43You may be surprised to learn that recording
08:45Some Might Say was hardly a labor of love
08:47While intoxicated
08:48Noel Gallagher and producer Owen Morris
08:50Attempted to re-record the song
08:52An effort that required Morris to remix it several times
08:55To cover up any errors that remained
08:57Some might say persevered to become a number one hit in Britain
09:00Number 11
09:08Do you know what I mean?
09:16As we mentioned a little earlier
09:18Noel Gallagher has all but disowned Be Here Now
09:20As such, Gallagher has publicly expressed a distaste for Do You Know What I Mean
09:25The first track on Be Here Now
09:26Said Gallagher, he quote
09:28Was going to make up some profound statement in the chorus
09:30But I couldn't come up with anything that fitted
09:32Very vague, very ambiguous
09:34That'll do
09:35At one point, he even disparaged the song's intro as being too long
09:38However, all of these critiques do not negate the fact
09:47That Do You Know What I Mean simply slaps
09:49Vagueness be damned
09:51The song finds Oasis experimenting with new
09:53Previously unheard sounds and textures
09:55In a way that showed ample evidence of an artistic evolution
09:58Number 10
10:08The B-side to the some might say single
10:18Acquiesse features a notable rarity within Oasis's vast back catalog
10:22That would be the fact that the deep cut is a duet between Gallagher's Noel and Liam
10:26Liam takes care of the verses while Noel handles the song's choruses
10:30A staple among the band's fan base
10:32Acquiesse proved so popular that it was voted onto the 1998 compilation album The Master Plan
10:37Noel Gallagher has since taken responsibility for declining to add it to What's the Story Morning Glory
10:50Even after Creation Records co-founder Alan McGee encouraged him to release it as a single
10:55Instead of some might say
10:56However, even Noel has since admitted that Acquiesse is more than album worthy
11:01There are many things that I would like to know
11:04And there are many places I wish to go
11:08Number 9
11:09Cigarettes and Alcohol
11:10Oasis has been unfairly accused of cribbing everything they know from the Beatles
11:25And that's just untrue
11:26They've cribbed from pretty much every iconic British rock act of the mid-20th century
11:30And just to be clear, we say this with love
11:33Cigarettes and Alcohol is an absolutely stellar take on 1970s glam rock
11:37Particularly the headbanging shenanigans of T-Rex and Mark Bolan
11:41The final single from Definitely Maybe
11:51This boozy stomper serves as a rowdy, rousing rallying cry against life's day-to-day disenchantments
11:57Altogether
11:57Cigarettes and Alcohol cemented Oasis' appeal as unabashed fans of the music they loved
12:03And as Britain's finest messengers of pitch-perfect escapism
12:07It's in my imagination
12:10Or I've finally found something worth looking for
12:17Number 8
12:18Morning Glory
12:19All your dreams are made
12:22When you change to the mirror and you raise a blade
12:26Who can resist a title track?
12:28In all seriousness, Morning Glory sits in an interesting position within the band's discography
12:32It's classic Oasis
12:34An impressive realization of the sound they had been cultivating
12:37But it's painfully underrated
12:39Possibly owing to its limited commercial release in a handful of countries
12:42Only garnering radio play in North America
12:44Particularly the United States and Canada
12:47It represents a turning point for Oasis
12:56It showed that they were no slouches when it came to stirring high-octane rock
13:00And could compete with the best of them
13:02Whether other rock bands liked it or not
13:04They were some new lads on the block
13:06Number 7
13:13Slide Away
13:14Possibly Oasis fans' best kept secret
13:24Slide Away was another casualty of Noel Gallagher's artistic ruthlessness
13:28Gallagher proclaimed that
13:30While simultaneously touting the fact that none other than Sir Paul McCartney
13:36Has said it's his favorite song by the band
13:38Furthermore, Noel has declared that his favorite vocals of Liam Gallagher's are on Slide Away
13:48So with all that in mind
13:50We can't understand the efforts to bury it
13:52But maybe that's for the best
13:53Given their massive resurgence in popularity
13:56Maybe diehard fans can hold on to this one
13:58Number 6
14:08Supersonic
14:09Noel Gallagher may not be the easiest musician to work with
14:20But his work speaks for itself
14:22Just ask Paul Bonehead Arthurs
14:24Who described observing Gallagher's creative process while crafting Supersonic
14:28You need to find a way
14:31For what you wanna say
14:34Said Arthurs
14:35Quote
14:35Noel's just sat there with the guitar
14:37And he just wrote the music
14:38And then he wrote the words
14:39Any old words
14:40And he came back in the room with us
14:42And he said
14:42Look, I've just written another song
14:44It feels like it should be mentioned
14:46That this was reportedly in just half an hour
14:48If you believe Noel himself
14:50That precision and intensity
14:51Just about sum supersonic up
14:53Its defiant attitude seeping through its cryptic lyrics
14:56Nobody can see him
14:58Nobody can ever hear him call
15:02Number 5
15:04The Master Plan
15:05Take the time to make some sense
15:08What you wanna say
15:10This song
15:11Which accompanied the Wonderwall single release
15:14Became so popular with the band's fans
15:16That it was eventually made the namesake for the band's 1998 B-side album
15:20Another unmistakably Beatles-esque track
15:22The Master Plan blends Sgt. Pepper-era string arrangements
15:25With George Harrison's White Album Guitar Theatrics
15:28A lesser known tune that was given a richly deserved second chance
15:37The Master Plan is an exemplary distillation of the themes and motifs
15:40That Noel Gallagher has historically been fond of
15:43Simply put
15:43This song is debatably Oasis at their most Oasis
15:47Even if it is the odd number from the band
15:49That doesn't feature any contributions whatsoever from Liam Gallagher
15:52Number 4
16:00Champagne Supernova
16:02How many special people change
16:05How many lives are living strange
16:08One of Oasis' most affecting songs
16:11Champagne Supernova means something a little bit different to everyone
16:14That's not just our assessment by the way
16:16That's Noel Gallagher himself talking
16:18Speaking to NME in 1995
16:20Gallagher mused over its evocative lyrics
16:22Saying that
16:23It means different things when I'm in different moods
16:26It's about when you're young and you see people in groups
16:28And you think about what they did for you and they did nothing
16:30Later, Gallagher backtracked slightly
16:40Speculating that it's a statement on youth
16:42Whatever it may be now or five years from now
16:45When Noel Gallagher changes his mind again
16:47He was right on the money when he described Champagne Supernova
16:49As a quote
16:50Epic
16:51Number 3
16:58Wonderwall
16:59Today is gonna be the day
17:01That they're gonna throw it back to you
17:03Anyway, here's
17:04Well, do we even need to say it?
17:06If you've been within earshot of an acoustic guitar
17:09In the last 30 years
17:10You already know
17:11Because after all
17:12It is the second most streamed song
17:14Of the 1990s on Spotify
17:16With a staggering 2.3 billion plays
17:19Wonderwall was Oasis' biggest hit in the United States
17:22And their only track to crack the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100
17:25Like Champagne Supernova, Noel Gallagher has waffled on its meaning
17:36Initially saying it was about then-girlfriend Meg Matthews
17:39Only to later claim it was about
17:41Quote,
17:41An imaginary friend who's gonna come and save you from yourself
17:44Largely thought of as the band's signature song
17:47Wonderwall didn't just define Oasis
17:49It defined a decade
17:51You're my Wonderwall
17:54Number 2
17:57Live Forever
17:58Maybe
17:59I don't really wanna know
18:03How you got in girls
18:05The first Oasis song to make an impact on the UK top 10
18:09The timeless rock ballad Live Forever
18:11Saw a resurgence in 2024
18:13Following the band's surprise reunion tour announcement
18:16Inspired by the Rolling Stones blues gospel classic Shine a Light
18:19Noel Gallagher's composition had a rare effect
18:22It left his bandmates in stunned silence
18:24Probably the last time Liam Gallagher was ever lost for words
18:27Maybe I just wanna fly
18:30Wanna live or don't wanna die
18:33Maybe I just wanna breathe
18:36An ode to living in the moment
18:38Live Forever embodies the band's early defiance and heart
18:41And when Alan McGee called it
18:42Probably the single greatest moment I've ever experienced with Oasis
18:46It's not hard to intrinsically believe him
18:48Before we unveil our top pick
18:57Here are some honorable mentions
18:58Don't Go Away
18:59Gas Panic
19:09Roll with it
19:18You gotta roll with it
19:19You gotta take your time
19:21You gotta say what you say
19:24Don't let anybody get in your way
19:26The shock of the lightning
19:28Stop crying your heart out
19:36Before we continue
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19:57It might have taken a backseat to Wonderwall in the States
20:13But in the UK
20:14Don't Look Back and Anger became something bigger
20:16A generational anthem
20:18It was the band's second number one single in Britain
20:20And the first Oasis track sung by Noel Gallagher instead of Liam
20:24This shift allowed Oasis to play with the formula
20:26Giving the song its meditative quality
20:28And elevating it from Britpop ballad to a timeless, even healing hymn
20:32Said Noel on its meaning
20:38Quote
20:38It's about not being upset about the things you might have said or done yesterday
20:41Which is quite appropriate at the moment
20:43It's about looking forward rather than looking back
20:46And all we can say to that is
20:48Cheers to that lads
20:49Which Oasis song on our list is your favorite?
21:02Are there any we missed?
21:03Most importantly of all
21:04Did we get it right?
21:05Be sure to let us know in the comments below
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