Don't Go Away
Encyclopedia
"Don't Go Away" is a song by English rock
band Oasis
from their third album, Be Here Now (1997), written by the band's lead guitar
ist Noel Gallagher
. The song was released as a single only in Japan
, peaking at number 48 on the Oricon
chart. It was also a success in the United States, where it hit #5 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in late 1997. It was the band's last major hit in the United States until 2008's "The Shock of the Lightning
".
The song, according to Noel, is about losing someone close and it was written when his mother, Peggy, was hospitalised and suspected of having cancer. His mother did not have cancer, but the experience gave Noel the idea to write something "quite bleak." It has also been claimed that rhythm guitarist Bonehead
requested Noel write a song along those lines after the death of his own mother. The line "cold and frosty morning" appears to have been lifted from The Kinks
' "Dead End Street".
Liam Gallagher
claims to have cried whilst recording the song, as a result of dwelling on "a certain thing". He said, in a 1997 interview, "I just thought 'fuck that, I can't be singing this song' and I had to go away and sort myself out". Listening back to the song he admits to being very proud of his vocal performance.
"We put Burt Bacharach horns on because he was the master of break-up songs. I did all the string arrangements. I tried to keep them as simple as possible. I like the way Marc Bolan used them on Children Of The Revolution. People do remember string parts as separate hooklines, you know. You just don't want to use them slushily."
Speke Airport
building. The airport is famous as the scene at which thousands of hysterical fans greeted The Beatles
on their return to Liverpool at the height of Beatlemania
. Derelict at the time, it has now been turned into an exclusive hotel.
" was recorded 14 December 1997 at the G-MEX Exhibition Centre in Oasis' home town of Manchester
.
"Sad Song" originally appeared as a bonus track on the vinyl release of the first Oasis album, Definitely Maybe
. It also appeared on the Japanese CD edition of Definitely Maybe.
The 'Warchild' version of "Fade Away" is from the 'HELP' album
recorded in September 1995. It features Noel on vocals, and guests Johnny Depp
on guitar, Kate Moss
on tambourine and Liam and Lisa Moorish
on backing vocals http://www.warchildmusic.com/helpbytrack.asp. All proceeds from that track went to Warchild Charities.
CD: Epic/Sony Music / ESCA-6948 Japan
CD (Promo): Sony Music / SAMPCS 5140 France
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
from their third album, Be Here Now (1997), written by the band's lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
. The song was released as a single only in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, peaking at number 48 on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
chart. It was also a success in the United States, where it hit #5 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in late 1997. It was the band's last major hit in the United States until 2008's "The Shock of the Lightning
The Shock of the Lightning
"The Shock of the Lightning" is a song by English rock band Oasis and is the fourth track from the band's seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul. The song was released as the first single from the album on 29 September 2008...
".
The song, according to Noel, is about losing someone close and it was written when his mother, Peggy, was hospitalised and suspected of having cancer. His mother did not have cancer, but the experience gave Noel the idea to write something "quite bleak." It has also been claimed that rhythm guitarist Bonehead
Paul Arthurs
Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs is an English musician and one of the founding members of the English rock band Oasis, best known as their rhythm guitar player from 1991-1999.-Early life:...
requested Noel write a song along those lines after the death of his own mother. The line "cold and frosty morning" appears to have been lifted from The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' "Dead End Street".
Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
claims to have cried whilst recording the song, as a result of dwelling on "a certain thing". He said, in a 1997 interview, "I just thought 'fuck that, I can't be singing this song' and I had to go away and sort myself out". Listening back to the song he admits to being very proud of his vocal performance.
History
In a 1997 interview promoting Be Here Now, Noel Gallagher had the following to say about the song: "It's a very sad song about not wanting to lose someone you're close to. The middle eight I made up on the spot -- I never had that lyric until the day we recorded it: 'Me and you, what's going on?/ All we seem to know is how to show/ The feelings that are wrong.' It's after a row. Quite bleak.""We put Burt Bacharach horns on because he was the master of break-up songs. I did all the string arrangements. I tried to keep them as simple as possible. I like the way Marc Bolan used them on Children Of The Revolution. People do remember string parts as separate hooklines, you know. You just don't want to use them slushily."
Artwork
The cover of the single features the old LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
Speke Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast...
building. The airport is famous as the scene at which thousands of hysterical fans greeted The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
on their return to Liverpool at the height of Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
. Derelict at the time, it has now been turned into an exclusive hotel.
B-sides
The live version of "Cigarettes & AlcoholCigarettes & Alcohol
"Cigarettes & Alcohol" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher. It was released as the fourth single from their debut album Definitely Maybe, and their second to enter the UK top ten in the United Kingdom, peaking at #7 , eventually spending 35 weeks on the charts,...
" was recorded 14 December 1997 at the G-MEX Exhibition Centre in Oasis' home town of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
"Sad Song" originally appeared as a bonus track on the vinyl release of the first Oasis album, Definitely Maybe
Definitely Maybe
Definitely Maybe is the debut album by English rock band Oasis, released in August 1994. It was an immediate commercial and critical success in the UK, having followed on the heels of singles "Supersonic", "Shakermaker" and "Live Forever"....
. It also appeared on the Japanese CD edition of Definitely Maybe.
The 'Warchild' version of "Fade Away" is from the 'HELP' album
The Help Album
The Help Album is a 1995 charity album devoted to the War Child charity's aid efforts in war-stricken areas, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina...
recorded in September 1995. It features Noel on vocals, and guests Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
on guitar, Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
on tambourine and Liam and Lisa Moorish
Lisa Moorish
Lisa Moorish is an English singer-songwriter most notable for having had children fathered by musicians Liam Gallagher and Pete Doherty. She had a solo career beginning in 1989, and was the lead singer of the indie band Kill City in the early 2000s...
on backing vocals http://www.warchildmusic.com/helpbytrack.asp. All proceeds from that track went to Warchild Charities.
CD: Epic/Sony Music / ESCA-6948 JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- "Don't Go Away" - 4:43
- "Cigarettes & Alcohol" (Live from GMEX, Manchester, December 14, 1997) - 4:58
- "Sad Song" - 4:16
- "Fade Away" [Warchild version] - 4:08
(featuring Johnny DeppJohnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
on guitar & Lisa MoorishLisa MoorishLisa Moorish is an English singer-songwriter most notable for having had children fathered by musicians Liam Gallagher and Pete Doherty. She had a solo career beginning in 1989, and was the lead singer of the indie band Kill City in the early 2000s...
on additional vocals)
CD (Promo): Sony Music / SAMPCS 5140 FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- "Don't Go Away" (Single Edit) - 4:44
(lacks the initial drumstick hits found on the album version)