Noel Gallagher: God or Oasis

Abstract

British rocker Noel Gallagher is one of the greatest singer songwriter from England in the last twenty years. Gallagher has been the lead guitarist and primary songwriter for the band Oasis since it was founded in 1992. During the seventeen years of the band's presence in the music scene, Oasis has become familiar to millions of people around the world. The two brothers from Manchester, Noel and his brother Liam, have become icons of modern rock and roll. Noel Gallagher's music has spread across nations, inspired millions, and will have a lasting impact on future generations. As a unified band, Oasis has been one of the most successful rock groups of all time. Continuing through two decades, Oasis music has infiltrated the collective consciousness of the modern music scene. Music is a very subjective art. Modern song lyrics can mean a dozen different things to a hundred different people.

The way music is interpreted greatly affects whether the listener enjoys the art. It is clear that the songwriting of Noel Gallagher has been interpreted by millions of people, and many have accepted his work as solidly crafted artistic creations. Popular music critic Paul Mathier credits Oasis as one of the main bands that broke the strangle hold that grunge music held over rock music in the early 1990's (Mathier, 218). The early acclaim the band received set the stage for Oasis to help pioneer and define the alternative rock genre. The band earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance in February of 1997 for their best known song, "Wonderwall". That song also was voted the Best British song of all time, by a Virgin Radio poll. "Wonderwall" is one of Oasis' seven number one hits in Britain (BBC).Album sales are one indicator of the impact that allagher's words and songs have achieved. Oasis has had five platinum albums, including the fastest selling debut album of all time, Definitely Maybe (BBC, ilikemusic.com). Oasis has sold over 60 million records worldwide and produced had eight UK number-one singles. I have always been astounded by the sheer presence that five men, led by two constantly quarreling brothers. There is a tremendous amount of attention from fans and critics alike commanded by this international musical sensation. Oasis music has created a MySpace friend list of 371,719 a number that is constantly expanding as Oasis tours and sells around the world.