Stand by Me (Oasis song)
Encyclopedia
"Stand by Me" is a song by the English rock
band Oasis
, written by lead guitarist, Noel Gallagher
. It was the second single to be released from the band's third album, Be Here Now, and peaked at number two in the UK charts in September 1997. It was kept from the top spot by the record-breaking Elton John
single "Candle in the Wind 1997
", which was re-recorded and released in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales
, who had died three weeks before the release of "Stand by Me". Despite this, "Stand by Me" still went gold in the UK. It ended up at #29 in the end of year charts in the UK for 1997.
s after that."
The title for the song most likely comes from the song "Stand by Me
", which was covered by the Gallaghers' idol John Lennon
. In a characteristic example of Noel Gallagher lifting elements from songs of which he is fond, the rousing sequence of chord changes between the repeated chorus lyrics 'Stand by me/Nobody knows the way it's gonna be' bears a remarkable similarity to a similar chord sequence in David Bowie
's "All the Young Dudes
", acknowledged by Gallagher: "It's a bit like "Live Forever", I suppose, with a touch of "All the Young Dudes" in the background—though I made sure I changed the chords." It has also been noted, however, that the song is similar to "Don't Look Back in Anger
".
.
A well-known acoustic version of "Stand by Me" was shown on television the night before the release of Be Here Now as part of a BBC One
documentary, featuring Noel, Liam Gallagher
and drummer Alan White
sitting by the side of a swimming pool, with Liam on vocals, Noel on acoustic guitar and White holding a tambourine
. This version remains unavailable for retail purchase in any high quality format.
newspaper. Entitled 'The Whole Picture', the adverts showed people appearing to be engaging in criminal and/or anti-social acts—only for it to be revealed that they are actually helping someone else. For example, a scruffily-dressed skinhead
rushes at a businessman; it appears he is making an effort to mug
him; only the "whole picture" reveals that he is in fact dashing to push him away from a load of falling bricks. Similarly in the video for "Stand by Me", a shop appears to be being burgled—its window is smashed and people are taking away electrical goods—only for it to be revealed that in fact the victim of a motorcycle crash has gone through the window and is buried under the televisions.
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...
, written by lead guitarist, 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...
. It was the second single to be released from the band's third album, Be Here Now, and peaked at number two in the UK charts in September 1997. It was kept from the top spot by the record-breaking Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
single "Candle in the Wind 1997
Candle in the Wind 1997
"Candle in the Wind 1997" is a rewritten and rerecorded version of Elton John's own 1973 hit "Candle in the Wind" that was released as a tribute single to the late Diana, Princess of Wales....
", which was re-recorded and released in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, who had died three weeks before the release of "Stand by Me". Despite this, "Stand by Me" still went gold in the UK. It ended up at #29 in the end of year charts in the UK for 1997.
History
Noel Gallagher claims to have written the song whilst suffering from food poisoning when he first moved to London. His mother Peggy would phone him to check on him and repeatedly told him to ensure he was eating properly. This spurred Gallagher to cook himself a proper English Sunday dinner, which resulted in a bout of food poisoning. In a 1997 interview promoting Be Here Now, Noel Gallagher had the following to say: "It starts, 'Made a meal and threw it up on Sunday'. When I first moved to London me mam kept on ringing up and asking was I eating properly. Yes, Mam. So I tried to cook a Sunday roast and puked up for two days with food poisoning. It was back to Pot NoodlePot Noodle
Pot Noodle is a brand of ramen-style instant noodle snack foods, available in a selection of flavours and varieties. Its dehydrated mixture consists of wide noodles, textured soya pieces, assorted dried vegetables and flavouring powder. The product is prepared by adding boiling water, which softens...
s after that."
The title for the song most likely comes from the song "Stand by Me
Stand by Me (song)
"Stand by Me" is the title of a song originally performed by Ben E. King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, based on the spiritual "Lord Stand by Me,", plus two lines rooted in Psalms 46:2-3...
", which was covered by the Gallaghers' idol John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
. In a characteristic example of Noel Gallagher lifting elements from songs of which he is fond, the rousing sequence of chord changes between the repeated chorus lyrics 'Stand by me/Nobody knows the way it's gonna be' bears a remarkable similarity to a similar chord sequence in David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's "All the Young Dudes
All the Young Dudes
All the Young Dudes is an album by Mott the Hoople, released in 1972. Their initial album for the CBS Records label , it was a turning point for the then-struggling British band. They were about to break up when David Bowie stepped in and gave them the song "All the Young Dudes"...
", acknowledged by Gallagher: "It's a bit like "Live Forever", I suppose, with a touch of "All the Young Dudes" in the background—though I made sure I changed the chords." It has also been noted, however, that the song is similar to "Don't Look Back in Anger
Don't Look Back in Anger
"Don't Look Back in Anger" is a song by English rock band Oasis, released in 1996 as the fourth single from their hit second album Morning Glory?. The song was written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter, Noel Gallagher. The song became the band's second single to reach #1 in the UK...
".
Live performances
Due to Noel Gallagher's general dislike of Be Here Now, "Stand by Me" was rarely played live by the band at their concerts, as it was Noel who usually decided the song listings for Oasis' tours. A live version of the song from this tour can be found on the double-CD version of Familiar to MillionsFamiliar 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...
.
A well-known acoustic version of "Stand by Me" was shown on television the night before the release of Be Here Now as part of a BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
documentary, featuring Noel, 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...
and drummer Alan White
Alan White (Oasis drummer)
Alan White is an English drummer, best known as being the drummer of the English rock group Oasis between 1995 and 2004, performing on four studio albums, two compilation albums and one live album. He joined the band in May 1995 after the band's original drummer Tony McCarroll was removed from...
sitting by the side of a swimming pool, with Liam on vocals, Noel on acoustic guitar and White holding a tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
. This version remains unavailable for retail purchase in any high quality format.
Video
The video for the song was a reworking of a famous series of adverts for The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper. Entitled 'The Whole Picture', the adverts showed people appearing to be engaging in criminal and/or anti-social acts—only for it to be revealed that they are actually helping someone else. For example, a scruffily-dressed skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
rushes at a businessman; it appears he is making an effort to mug
Mug
A mug is a sturdily built type of cup often used for drinking hot beverages, such as coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Mugs, by definition, have handles and often hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cup. Usually a mug holds approximately 12 fluid ounces of liquid; double a tea cup...
him; only the "whole picture" reveals that he is in fact dashing to push him away from a load of falling bricks. Similarly in the video for "Stand by Me", a shop appears to be being burgled—its window is smashed and people are taking away electrical goods—only for it to be revealed that in fact the victim of a motorcycle crash has gone through the window and is buried under the televisions.
Track listing
- CD (Promo) SAMPCS 4621
- "Stand by Me" (Radio Edit) – 4:51
- CD (Promo) CCD 278X
- "Stand by Me"
- "(I Got) The Fever"
- CD CRESCD 278
- "Stand by Me" – 5:55
- "(I Got) The Fever" – 5:14
- "My Sister Lover" – 5:58
- "Going Nowhere" – 4:41
- 7" CRE 278
- "Stand by Me" – 5:55
- "(I Got) The Fever" – 5:14
- 12" CRE 278T
- "Stand by Me" – 5:55
- "(I Got) The Fever" – 5:14
- "My Sister Lover" – 5:58
- Cassette CRECS 278
- "Stand by Me" – 5:55
- "(I Got) The Fever" – 5:14
- "My Sister Lover" - Some fans believe the title to be a reference to the band Sister Lovers, a group that invited Oasis to a May 1993 gig at King Tut's Wah Wah HutKing Tut's Wah Wah HutKing Tut's Wah Wah Hut, also known as King Tut's, is a live music venue and bar in on St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned and managed by Glasgow-based gig promoters DF Concerts...
in GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where they were spotted by Creation RecordsCreation RecordsCreation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
chief Alan McGeeAlan McGeeAlan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
, who reportedly offered Oasis a recording contract on the spot after the gig.
- "Going Nowhere" - apparently Noel's attempt at a Burt BacharachBurt BacharachBurt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
style song - can be found on The MasterplanThe MasterplanThe Masterplan is a compilation album by English rock band Oasis, comprising B-sides which never made it onto an album. The album was originally intended for release only in areas such as the United States and Japan, where the tracks were only available on expensive European import singles. It was...
, a collection of Oasis B-sides. It is one of only two B-sides from the Be Here Now era to be included on the album. Although it was not released until 1997, the song was written in 1990, before Noel even joined Oasis, let alone before they were signed.