"Songbird" is a song by British rock band Oasis, from their fifth studio album Heathen Chemistry. It was released as the fourth single from that album on 3 February 2003 and peaked at #3 in the UK charts. Being written by lead singer Liam Gallagher, it was the first time the band had released a single not written by his brother Noel.
Upon joining Oasis in the early nineties, Noel Gallagher claimed sole-songwriting responsibilities, and allowing little-to-no leeway from the rest of the band. He openly mocked the songwriting output of Liam and Bonehead, who had been in charge of Oasis' songwriting prior to his joining and had written a handful of tracks such as "Take Me" and an acoustic number titled "Life In Vain". Liam elaborated on the situation in 1994, after the release of Definitely Maybe saying "Noel won't let me (write), but I can't really write anyway... In the future if I started writing top tunes, I still don't think he'd be up for it... I know for a fact, even if he was going dry, he wouldn't play my songs... I'm not happy with that, but that's the way it is innit?".
However, after Oasis' third album Be Here Now received a cold reception from music critics, Noel began to loosen his control and allowed Liam to contribute songs. Though his first effort, "Little James" which appeared on Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, was criticised for being too simple and childlike (in particular, rhyming "plasticine" with "trampoline"), Songbird was fairly well received, despite only being based around two simple chords (G + Em7).
The song, written for Liam's girlfriend Nicole Appleton, was seen as a surprising break away from Liam's "Hard-Man" image. He explained this away saying "I like beautiful things...It's not all dark in Liam World. I take me shades off every now and again and have a look at the world and see some nice things."
The simplistic video was filmed in Regent's Park in London, and featured Liam playing an acoustic guitar under a tree, and also being chased by a dog.
Songbird is the shortest running Oasis single, at 2:07.
The song is included on Oasis' 2006 'best-of' album Stop The Clocks.
In his latest Out to Lunch feature in the March issue of GQ, out Thursday 4 February, Jonathan Heaf meets the Oasis frontman for champagne and chips at J Sheekey. Noel Gallagher on Adele.
“Adele? I’m not a fan. She always comes on the radio when I’m having my cornflakes: ‘Hello?’ No, f*** off!”
Noel Gallagher on Saturday night television.
“I’ve been offered the X Factor twice and - right after I left Oasis - Strictly Come Dancing. Just ee-f***ing-magine."
Noel Gallagher on a forthcoming documentary about Oasis, directed by Asif Kapadia, the man behind Amy and Senna.
“We have all this footage from behind the scenes leading up to the gigs, most of which can’t be used as there’s just monstrous drug taking."
With five special covers photographed by Nadav Kander, Inez and Vinoodh, Vincent Peters, and Marc Hom, the March issue of British GQ is on newsstands and available to download from Thursday 4 February.
The legendary singer-songwriter and die-hard Blues fan is clearly overjoyed that Pep has been announced as the new Manchester City manager.
He’s proving to be a very popular choice as the next Manchester City boss.
And you perhaps won’t find a fan more adoring than Manchester music legend Noel Gallagher , who has gone as far as to say he wants to lick Pep Guardiola’s face.
The Oasis singer-songwriter and guitarist - and his wife Sara MacDonald- are clearly overjoyed that Pep has agreed a three-year contract to become City manager in the summer.
The die-hard Blues fan posted a photo of the coach on his Instagram page with the message: “I see you baby!!!
“Be warned Mr.Pep both me and Sara are Very much looking forward to licking your face next season..”
In December Noel also made his feelings clear about the new City badge – saying he loves it so much he would have it tattooed on his back.
In a video tweeted by the club the Manchester he said: “This new badge represents what Manchester City is.
“I for one, I’m going to leave these offices, and go straight to a tattoo parlour and I’m going to get a massive one tattooed on my back. That’s how good it is.”
Then he showed his love for the new badge again by posing with a giant version of the crest , made from sand, on a sunshine family break.
The Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds frontman seems to be in a typically ouspoken mood at the moment because he’s been putting rap superstar Kanye West in his place after Yeezy boasted to his 18 million Twitter followers about his new album Waves.
Kanye tweeted: "So happy to be finished with the best album of all time" and he went on “This is not album of the year. This is album of the life.”
And Noel hit back on his Instagram page: “So Kanye thinks he’s made the best album of all time?
“You might sell more Mr.Kanye but NGHFB will be better..FACT!”
Rock legend and Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher has issued a warning to his fellow supporters – having Pep Guardiola as manager will not guarantee success.
The Spaniard’s widely expected switch to the Etihad Stadium was confirmed on Monday, with the former Barcelona coach to succeed Manuel Pellegrini in the summer.
It’s a huge coup for City, who reportedly fought off interest from a host of other top clubs from around the world to land the outgoing Bayern Munich boss, including rivals Chelsea and Manchester United.
The 45-year-old has won top honours at every club he has coached – three La Liga, two Champions League and two Copa del Rey titles at Barcelona, plus two Bundesliga titles and one DFB Cup at Bayern Munich – and he could well be the difference as City look to end their wait for European glory.
But High Flying Birds frontman Gallagher has attempted to calm the early celebrations – "he hasn’t even landed in Manchester yet" – by asking: "Can he do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke?"
Speaking on the Sports Bar, the former Oasis icon told talkSPORT: “It’s an amazing statement of intent, but some of my City friends are celebrating like we’ve won something!
“He doesn’t really guarantee anything. What having Guardiola does is he opens the door to the top, top players
“I’d have thought if the likes of Paul Pogba, if he hasn’t made his mind up about where he’s going at the end of the season, Guardiola could potentially swing it for him to come to City.
“We hear rumours of Neymar and he could swing it with him too. These players want to play for the best managers.
"I think Guardiola has work to do – we should have won five Premier League titles in a row with this squad – but he’s widely regarded as the best, so we’re about to find out aren’t we?
“Managers at top teams are judged on Champions Leagues now, and I think HE would consider his time at City a failure if he doesn’t win the Champions League with all the resources he will have at his disposal.
“We’re about to see if he’s one of the greats aren’t we, because he’s not coming to a two-horse race here.
“We’re about to see if the old adage is true – can he do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke?
“Not only is it a great thing for City, it’s a great thing for all English football fans. Although we can’t seem to attract the top players in the world anymore, the top managers are coming here - him and Klopp and if Jose goes to United, which I’m sure he will now.”
Noel Gallagher is hard at work on a follow-up to last year's Chasing Yesterday with his solo project Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. "I'm in the studio at the minute," the singer and guitarist tells Rolling Stone. "I'm in the middle of fucking about."
Gallagher has a clear goal in mind for his third High Flying Birds LP. "I'm doing some stuff that, this time in particular, will get really, properly ignored in America," he says. "I don't just mean ignored like the rest of 'em. I mean properly ignored. That's what I'm aiming for: total, total anonymity. I'm sick and tired of being in New York and being pestered by one person a month. That's gotta fucking stop."
One influence to look out for: David Bowie. Gallagher recently spoke to Rolling Stone to discuss his lifelong love of the Starman's music, which he suggests has carried over to his most recent work. "There's a line in 'In the Heat of the Morning,'" he says, referencing a Sixties-pop rarity from early in Bowie's career. "I listened to it the other day, thinking, 'Oh, I've subconsciously used that in some of my new stuff.' Amazing!" Gallagher also cites an echo of 1973's "The Jean Genie" in a track he's cooking up. "I've nicked a little bit of that," he admits. "The 'woo-hoo!' You'll hear that sooner or later in one of my tracks."
The guitarist laughs before offering a final word of wisdom. "I remain fucking totally awesome," Gallagher declares. "In 2016, I'm as awesome as I was in the back end of 2015. My hair is impeccable; it's not showing any signs of thinning, at all. I'm fuckin' thriving. Thriving!"
Noel Gallagher awoke to bad news on January 10th. "My wife burst into the bedroom crying, and I thought one of the children had died," he says. "She said, 'David Bowie's dead.' I was like, 'Fuckin' hell.'" The former Oasis songwriter-guitarist (and Bowie mega-fan), whose latest U.S. tour begins in July, called a few days after Bowie's death to tell us about his five favorite songs by the Starman. "Let's celebrate his life more than mourn his passing," Gallagher says. "All things must pass, and all that."
Noel Gallagher will present a radio show on Absolute Radio next month as part of the station's new Real Music Matters campaign.
The series of shows will run every Saturday throughout February and March, with the former Oasis man presenting a show on February 15 from 9pm-11pm. He will be joined by Russell Brand's comedy partner Matt Morgan.
Noel Gallagher has shared a photo of himself in the studio working on his third solo album.
The former Oasis star posted a pic of a brass section in the recording studio to his Instragram account, featuring a cheeky comment referencing Kanye West!
Gallagher wrote: “So Kanye thinks he’s made the best album of all time? You might sell more Mr.Kanye but NGHFB will be better..FACT!”
In another West Ham TV exclusive, comedian Russell Brand and music legend Noel Gallagher are the latest duo to take part in our Me and Him feature.
Following on from our amusing series with the West Ham United players where they reveal all about each other's personalities, Brand and Gallagher are the latest pair to go under the spotlight.
The two stars were back at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday in a historic final season for the east London club.
West Ham superfan Brand and his City rival Gallagher have been close friends for a number of years, but how well do they really know each other?
Find out who is the most intelligent, who has the best hair, who has the best taste in music and who would sell out the new Stadium if they were doing a gig next season.