Rock 'N' Roll Star
Encyclopedia
"Rock 'n' Roll Star" is a song by English rock
band Oasis
. It is the opening track from their record breaking debut album, Definitely Maybe
. Like the majority of the band's songs from this era, it was written by lead guitar
ist Noel Gallagher
. Noel said that "Rock 'n' Roll Star" was one of only three songs of which he wanted to say something. "I've pretty much summed up everything I wanted to say in "Rock 'n' Roll Star", "Live Forever
" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol
", after that I'm repeating myself, but in a different way". It became a fan favourite and was often played to close the band's gigs.
It was released as a radio single in America. The song's video consists of clips of the band performing the song from their Live by the Sea
gig, interspersed with clips of them on Southend Pier, in and around the amusement park, 'Adventure Island' then named 'Peter Pan's Playground' and in the bowling alley which was located on Southend Pier before it burnt down in June 1995.
The song was featured on the band's 2000 live album and DVD
, Familiar to Millions
, and another live version was recorded at a 2 July 2005 concert at the City of Manchester Stadium
and released on the band's single
"Let There Be Love" in late 2005.
The introduction lyrics are a slight interpolation of the song Proud Mary by Creedance Clearwater Revival.
The song opens Oasis' compilation
album Stop the Clocks
, released in November 2006. In an interview about the song choices for the album, Noel commented: "it's probably my best ever song".
It is also included in the European version of the music video game Rock Band, while it is also available for the Rock Band series
as a downloadable song. The version of the song available for this series of music video games includes an extended outro and even a second guitar solo uncovered from the master recording extending the song roughly to six minutes (the album version features a fade-out with feedback instead).
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...
. It is the opening track from their record breaking debut 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"....
. Like the majority of the band's songs from this era, it was written by lead guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
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...
. Noel said that "Rock 'n' Roll Star" was one of only three songs of which he wanted to say something. "I've pretty much summed up everything I wanted to say in "Rock 'n' Roll Star", "Live Forever
Live Forever
"Live Forever" is a song by English rock band Oasis. Written by Noel Gallagher, the song was released as the third single from their debut album Definitely Maybe on 8 August 1994, just prior to that album's release....
" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol
Cigarettes & 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,...
", after that I'm repeating myself, but in a different way". It became a fan favourite and was often played to close the band's gigs.
It was released as a radio single in America. The song's video consists of clips of the band performing the song from their Live by the Sea
Live By The Sea
Live by the Sea is a live video recording by the English rock band Oasis, released on DVD and VHS. It features Oasis' gig at the Southend Cliffs Pavilion on 17 April 1995, as well as the videos for "Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol"...
gig, interspersed with clips of them on Southend Pier, in and around the amusement park, 'Adventure Island' then named 'Peter Pan's Playground' and in the bowling alley which was located on Southend Pier before it burnt down in June 1995.
The song was featured on the band's 2000 live album and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, Familiar to Millions
Familiar to Millions
Familiar to Millions is a live album by the British rock band Oasis. It was recorded at Wembley Stadium on 21 July 2000. It debuted at #5 in the UK charts with 57,000 copies sold in the first week. To date Familiar to Millions has sold around 310,000 copies in Britain alone , about 70,000 copies in...
, and another live version was recorded at a 2 July 2005 concert at the City of Manchester Stadium
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...
and released on the band's single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Let There Be Love" in late 2005.
The introduction lyrics are a slight interpolation of the song Proud Mary by Creedance Clearwater Revival.
The song opens Oasis' compilation
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album Stop the Clocks
Stop the Clocks
Stop the Clocks is a compilation album by English rock band Oasis, released on 20 November 2006. The "retrospective collection" is an 18-track double album with the featured songs chosen by Noel Gallagher; however, it does not actually include their song "Stop the Clocks" after which the album is...
, released in November 2006. In an interview about the song choices for the album, Noel commented: "it's probably my best ever song".
It is also included in the European version of the music video game Rock Band, while it is also available for the Rock Band series
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
as a downloadable song. The version of the song available for this series of music video games includes an extended outro and even a second guitar solo uncovered from the master recording extending the song roughly to six minutes (the album version features a fade-out with feedback instead).
Personnel
- Liam GallagherLiam GallagherWilliam 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...
: vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Noel GallagherNoel GallagherNoel 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...
: lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Paul ArthursPaul ArthursPaul "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:...
: rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Paul McGuiganPaul McGuigan (musician)Paul McGuigan , better known by his nickname, Guigsy , is an English musician and one of the four founding members of the English rock band Oasis...
: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Tony McCarrollTony McCarrollAnthony "Tony" McCarroll is an English drummer and one of the founding members of English rock group Oasis, as their drummer from 1991 to April 1995.-Biography:...
: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....