My Oasis of Calm

The Masterplan converted me. I heard it during a period of high stress and it suddenly clicked: Oasis just get it. I’m not even sure what exactly it is, but they seemed to understand, both lyrically and musically, what I was feeling in that moment – they weren’t smug about it, trying to be all existential: they simply stated ‘All we know is that we don’t know’.

So, as Definitely Maybe turns 30 this year, I’d like to reflect on some of my favourite tracks.

The opener to this debut album, Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, begins with a disarmingly gentle guitar riff until the drums decide to interrupt into that characteristic ‘Oasisy’ rhythm (the one that injects a happy open hi-hat and the odd additional snare beat), coaxing the other instruments into something more sun-sheeiiine filled (that’s how they sing ‘sunshine’, I’ve not lost it). You nod in agreement to Liam’s shouty vocal, which he softens in the bridge to elongate the choral ‘Toniiight’ – it’s not angry, but it’s rough and bold. Oasis aren’t knocking on the door with a polite ‘excuse me’; they are kicking it down and forcing you to listen up.

Stop Crying Your Heart Out is mature in its introductory piano and soulful lyric; for me some of its meaning comes from a cover version made during the pandemic. The rumble of the cymbal 36 seconds in catches you off guard, a goosebump moment, and the clever call-and-response vocal (with the latter augmented to sound distant) is perfect in harnessing the sense of isolation felt in the COVID era. It may have been written over a decade before, but the chorus lines had never felt so relevant.

It’s predictable, but Wonderwall deserves a mention. Why is it such an anthem? The drawn-out ‘all’ and ‘wall’ in the chorus make it a fun karaoke challenge, before much needed relief (for you and your listeners) is provided in the shape of an unnerving pause and cascading drum fill. The point is, Wonderwall feels like it’s everyone’s song: the lyrics are good but not too complex, the chorus repeats three times at the end (the victory laps) – then you can just sway and bob your head to the piano outro. Simple.

The piercing guitar chords and marching beat of the bass drum in Morning Glory are a call for attention. This inherently youthful song perfectly balances chaos and control with its trashy drums placing a harness on the soaring guitar, leaving space for a jolly vocal to erupt in the chorus. This isn’t just a song that you bob your head to, it’s one that you have to lip sync along with. It’s got a loud roughness to it, but it is so sure of itself that you can’t help ‘Walking to the sound of [your] favourite tune’.

There is an important ‘no pressure’ optimism to Oasis I think – they have a love for life and for music but aren’t going to get too deep or preachy about it. It is the joy of their anthemic songs that provides the contrast for their more thought-provoking material to hit harder, and this may well be why their popularity endures three decades later.