Oasis took the British music scene by storm when they first appeared in 1994. Led by Noel Gallagher and with lyrics sung by his charismatic younger brother Liam, the band went on to become one of the country’s biggest music acts.
Their countless hits have become the background music for thousands of sing-alongs in pubs.
That’s right, Oasis are regrouping – and what better time to rank their top 10 greatest songs? As the country prepares for the summer of 2025 (when the brothers and their bandmates will play 17 nights across the UK and Ireland), here’s our definitive list of their biggest bangers. Listen to them and feel that warm, fuzzy feeling grow.
10. The Master Plan (1994)
A B-side that really should have been an A-side, Noel toned down the anger and aggression in favour of something more relaxed and considered, calling it one of the best songs he’s written. He also admitted that releasing it as a B-side was a mistake (agree) – “It was only as the years went by that I realised that was crazy,” he told Music Week in 2020. “But in the ’90s we were all crazy – Alan McGee (the man who discovered the band) was completely bonkers and ran the label.”
9. Cigarettes and Alcohol (1994)
It’s a real banger: powerful, angry and packed to the brim with blues-rock riffs. But there’s more to it than the lyrics initially suggest. An ode to drinking and smoking pastimes, this song sounds particularly authentic because it deals with what it’s like to be young, working-class and disillusioned – but desperate to get out and make something of your life.
“Is it worth the effort of looking for a job when there’s nothing worth working for?” he asks. If that doesn’t scream 1990s angst, nothing does.
“Wonderwall” is a rocket-like song blessed with one of the most memorable opening lines in history (and one that inexplicably brings me to tears every time I hear it). From Liam’s sneering “today” at the beginning to the swelling chorus, the younger Gallagher brother imbues Noel’s lyrics with despair, hope, and a healthy dose of Oasis nostalgia. The song has no real resolution, but the cathartic joy of belting it out is unmatched.
7. Rock ‘n’ Roll Star (1994)
Has any song summed up Liam’s lifestyle better than this one? With its classic rock riffs (the first line sounds suspiciously like Proud Mary), it pays tribute to 80s songs that had big dreams at their core. “In my mind the dreams are real,” Liam sings: fitting, considering this song was released when Oasis were just starting out on their journey.
It’s one of Noel Gallagher’s songs closest to his heart – and one of three he said he wanted to “say something” with. The other two are “Live Forever” and “Cigarettes and Alcohol”. The only problem was that Oasis grew so quickly that within months this breakthrough anthem was being sung by some of the world’s most famous musicians (which somewhat diluted the power of the message).
The B-side is the music that fans love to rave about. And for good reason. This sharp, acidic single finds the Gallagher brothers trading quips to the sound of Noel’s slashing guitar. Interestingly, it’s one of the few songs that neither of the brothers has played live since their acrimonious split – perhaps the reluctant chorus “because we need each other / we believe in each other” explains why.
The debut song that catapulted the Gallagher brothers into the stratosphere. Released in 1994, Supersonic was born out of a studio jam session and Noel’s scribbled lyrics. The line “gin and tonic” is said to have occurred to him while drinking a gin and tonic before work.
Liam then sings the statement that could well be the band’s trademark: “I have to be myself, I can’t be anyone else.” Oasis were there – and they would stay.
This tribute to the washed-up underdog never gets old – and catapulted the Gallagher brothers from the music industry’s best-kept secret to mainstream success. Released a few months after Kurt Cobain’s death, the song speaks to anyone who has ever seen the world differently. “We’re gonna see things they’ll never see,” Liam sings. And how can you not love that infectious, soaring chorus?
3. Champagne Supernova (1995)
This is pure Oasis in a seven-and-a-half minute song: the last track from their album “What’s the Story (Morning Glory)”? The best comes last.
Featuring some of Noel’s most mature lyrics, the song combines melancholy and nostalgia, with the Gallagher brothers paying tribute to a past moment in time: “Where were you when we got high?”
It also features great guitar work (courtesy of Paul Weller) and a nonsensical lyric that was made to be shouted at thousands of fans in a stadium – “walking slowly down the hall, faster than a cannonball.”
“It means different things to me depending on what mood I’m in,” Noel told NME in 1995. “When I’m in a bad mood, it’s like suffocating, like I’m trapped under a landslide. The song is a bit epic. It’s about when you’re young and you see people in groups and you think about what they’ve done for you, and they’ve done nothing.”
A love song, but make it Oasis. This intense rock song, sung by Liam at the height of his swaggering, charismatic demeanor, somehow encompasses every stage of a relationship. There’s longing, euphoria, happiness, despair and regret – all underscored by Noel’s growling guitar tones that don’t let up for a second. This is a massive, dizzying beast of a song that has to be seen on stage to appreciate its full power. This is the band at their best.
And the winner is… 1. Don’t Look Back In Anger (1995)
It’s impossible to hear this song today without conjuring up an image of a grieving crowd singing along after the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017. But it’s a great example of how intertwined it is with British culture and identity. It’s also a song about football stands, coming home drunk from the pub and Christmas karaoke.
From the opening piano line (taken from John Lennon’s Imagine) to the chorus that is arguably one of rock’s most famous – “Sooo, Sally can wait” – it’s a stadium-singing anthem. And it was also the first Oasis single to feature Noel singing along: proof, if proof was needed, that both Gallaghers can hold their own in front of the microphone.
