Wonderwall (song)

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"Wonderwall"

Single by Oasis
from the album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
B-side(s)	Round Are Way, The Swamp Song, The Masterplan
Released	30 October 1995
Format	CD
Recorded	Spring/Summer, 1995
Genre	Britpop
Length	4:18
Label	Creation Records
Writer(s)	Noel Gallagher
Producer(s)	Owen Morris & Noel Gallagher
Chart positions
#2 (UK Singles Chart) #8 (USA Hot 100)
Oasis singles chronology
"Morning Glory" (Australia only) (1995)	"Wonderwall" (1995)	"Don't Look Back in Anger" (1996)
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? track listing
"Roll with It" (2)	"Wonderwall" (3)	"Don't Look Back in Anger" (4)
Stop The Clocks track listing
"The Importance Of Being Idle" (5)	"Wonderwall" (6)	"Slide Away" (7)

"Wonderwall" is a song and subsequent single by British rock group Oasis taken from their second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. It was written by Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher.

Released in October 1995, it peaked at #2 in the UK charts and proved to be their American breakthrough, giving Oasis their only US Top 10 hit thus far. "Wonderwall" is perhaps their most popular song, despite the fact that British TV stars Robson & Jerome's "I Believe"/"Up On The Roof" kept it out of the top slot. "Wonderwall" has had enduring popularity in Oasis' canon. As of 2005 it was number 99 in the UK's list of best-selling singles and frequently appears in "best-of" single polls.

The song takes its name from the 1968 album Wonderwall Music by George Harrison, at the time still a member of the Beatles.^[1] Harrison's album was in fact a soundtrack to the film Wonderwall, but the film has remained unknown by the general public.

It is often claimed that "Wonderwall" was written for Gallagher's then-girlfriend, Meg Mathews. Noel married Mathews, but they were divorced in 2001. Gallagher now claims that the song was not about Mathews at all, but he felt he had to go along with the rumour, saying "The meaning of that song was taken away from me by the media who jumped on it. How do you tell your missus it's not about her once she's read it is? It's a song about an imaginary friend who's gonna come and save you from yourself." ^[2] Initially Noel wanted to sing this song, but he gave his brother Liam Gallagher the choice, and Noel ended up singing "Don't Look Back In Anger".^[3]

The music video to the song is also notable as having been filmed in the relatively brief period when bassist Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan quit the band due to nervous exhaustion; Scott McLeod came in to replace him.^[4]

The sleeve artwork was inspired by the paintings of the Belgian surrealist René Magritte, and was shot on Primrose Hill in northwest London. The hand holding the frame is of art director Brian Cannon; the girl is Anita Heryeta, a Creation Records employee. The original idea was to have Liam Gallagher in the frame before Noel Gallagher vetoed that idea whilst the shoot was taking place. ^[5]

The song is included on Oasis' "best-of" album Stop the Clocks.

1 Covers
2 Awards and accolades
3 Other Information
4 Track listings
5 Notes

[edit] Covers

"Wonderwall" has been one of the most-frequently covered songs of the last ten years^{[citation needed]}, the most famous of which was an easy listening arrangement by The Mike Flowers Pops, which reached Number 2 in the UK Singles Charts, just as the Oasis original had done two months earlier. Gallagher mentioned that when Radio 1 premiered the song, they ironically claimed that they had found 'the original version of Wonderwall.' Gallagher, who had been in America at the time, was surprised to be asked by one of his record company's executives if he had actually written the song.^[6]

Ryan Adams's version, first performed in 2001, and later released in 2004, was well-received by Noel Gallagher.

Other artists who have covered the song include American Indie Songstress Cat Power, Paul Anka's swing-jazz style arrangement, the Beastie Boys punk rock cover that has been performed at concerts, but never released as a single, and a cover on the compilation Punk Goes 90's by the pop-punk band Cartel. The Harvard Independent compiled a list of the five most ironic versions of "Wonderwall". The song was also covered by fellow British rock group Radiohead as a joke in the late 1990s.

During a heated rivalry between Oasis and Robbie Williams, which came about due to Noel and Liam's constantly referring to Robbie as "the fat dancer from Take That", he performed "Wonderwall" at his Slane Castle concert live on pay-per-view TV.

Several songs use chords similar to "Wonderwall", including Travis's "Writing To Reach You" (which contains the lyric "what's a Wonderwall anyway?"), "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day, and Oasis' first single from Be Here Now, "D'You Know What I Mean". "Wonderwall" was later featured in the popular mash up "Boulevard of Broken Songs", which also contained parts of both "Writing to Reach You" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".

[edit] Awards and accolades

The promo video for "Wonderwall", directed by Nigel Dick, won the Best British Video award at the 1996 Brit Awards.

In May 2005, "Wonderwall" was voted the best British song of all time, in a poll of over 8,500 listeners conducted by Virgin Radio. [1]

In August 2006, Wonderwall was named the second-greatest song of all time in a poll conducted by Q Magazine, finshing behind another Oasis song, "Live Forever". [2]

[edit] Other Information

The opening track of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, "Hello", starts off with the opening riff of "Wonderwall" playing extremely quietly; this stops once the guitar noise comes in. (This is similar to the tape print-through that can be heard on such songs as the Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere.")

The original title of 'Wonderwall' was 'Wishing Stone'. ^[7]

[edit] Track listings

Music sample:

"Wonderwall" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "Wonderwall" by Oasis
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.

UK CD CRESCD 215

"Wonderwall" - 4:19
"Round Are Way" - 5:42
"The Swamp Song" - 4:19
"The Masterplan" - 5:23

- "The Swamp Song" was originally a warm-up exercise for the recording sessions of (What's The Story) Morning Glory?. The harmonica is supplied by Paul Weller.
- "The Masterplan" is considered by many to be Oasis' best B-side, and one of their greatest songs. Noel Gallagher feels it marks the highpoint of his creative output. Allegedly, Liam was so impressed with the song that he became abusive with Noel for not having written it in time for the album and refused to sing on it. However, in the inlay to The Masterplan it is stated that this is the only song Liam wishes he had sung instead of Noel.
- "Round Are Way" was featured it in the film A Life Less Ordinary

USA CD 49K 78204

"Wonderwall" - 4:15
"Round Are Way" - 5:41
"Talk Tonight" - 4:11
"Rockin' Chair" - 4:33
"I Am The Walrus" (Live) - 8:14

- "Talk Tonight" is slightly different from the original version released on the "Some Might Say" single and on "The Masterplan". At the end of the song, instead of a gradual silence (apart from gentle taps on the body of the acoustic guitar), Noel chips in with "Yer got any batteries?"
- "Rockin' Chair" is also slightly different from the original version released on the "Roll With It" single and on "The Masterplan". Instead of a gradual fade-in, the song starts abruptly at full volume.
- "I Am The Walrus" was recorded live at a soundcheck ahead of Oasis' gig at Gleneagles on February 6, 1994.

[edit] Notes

^ Noel Gallagher, interviewed for "MTV Uncut"; 1997
^ BBC Radio 2 interview, October 2002. Retrieved on August 8, 2006.
^ Soccer AM Interview 2004. Soccer AM. Retrieved on June 3, 2006.
^ Not Here Now. The Guardian. Retrieved on January 25, 2006.
^ Q Special Edition - Oasis: Ten Years Of Rock 'n' Roll Mayhem (EMAP Metro)
^ From the promotional documentary for "Stop the Clocks," entitled "Lock the Box."
^ UNCUT - November 2006 - Noel Gallagher interview