"Champagne Supernova" by Oasis, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

With the release of their sophomore album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory, Oasis were on track to be one of the biggest rock bands in the mid-'90s. With a sound decidedly different from the grunge of the early ‘90s, Oasis looked to fellow British bands from the '60s and '70s, taking the chords of The Beatles and other acts and combining those elements with a heavy "wall of sound." While it's not fair to credit Oasis with the foundation of Brit-pop, they certainly enjoyed the crest of the wave. The story of Oasis is one of arrogance and the fleeting attention of music listeners. From a band that claimed to be the next Beatles to brothers who couldn't stand to be in the same room as each other and who could be forgotten to their predecessors Radiohead or their successors Coldplay, Oasis encapsulated a short period in the '90s when listeners wanted to hear Top-40 friendly guitar music without the intensity of Kurt Cobain or the gruffness of Eddy Vedder. 

SOMEDAY YOU WILL FIND ME. You might remember from the Lindsey Lohan remake of The Parent Trap The La's 1988 hit "There She Goes." The song was re-issued in 1990, and is largely known as a predecessor of Brit-pop. The song sounds like it could be from 1966. While The UK has been exporting British acts since the Beatles, the distinct sound of Brit-pop was a '90s phenomenon. It was in contrast to Punk or New Wave, sometimes called Post-punk, but beyond that it is a little hard to define. The rubric, though, is Oasis and their biggest competitors, Blur. Netflix's original series This Is Pop details the feud between Oasis and Blur from Blur's side of the story, while looking into the sub-genre as a whole. While Radiohead's first hit was the grunge-inspired "Creep," the band veered into art rock, often flirting with a Brit-pop sound. Coldplay started with a Brit-pop template, but learning from Oasis's decline in popularity, producer Brian Eno pushed Coldplay into pop trends that would keep them relevant throughout their 20+ year career. Oasis had two big albums. Their third record sold well at first; however, sales dropped off. The band made less and less impact on American audiences. And with Oasis's fade out, Blur branched out of the confines of Brit-pop in 1997, releasing their grunge-inspired "Song 2."

WHERE WERE YOU  WHILE WE WERE GETTING HIGH. Closing Morning Glory is the 7-and-a-half minute track "Champagne Supernova.” The song was the final single released and topped the U.S. Alternative charts after the band’s most remembered song “Wonderwall.” Critics preferred Oasis's debut album, Definitely Maybe and criticized the band's songwriting and production on Morning Glory.  The mixed metaphors in "Champagne" are a little jarring when reading the lyrics. But musically, it works. It's Oasis "getting high" on their own music. They are celebrating the fact that they are rock stars enjoying the pleasures that The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Guns N' Roses, and hundreds of other bands have enjoyed since rock took hold of popular culture. "Champagne" is certainly on a list of Oasis's best songs, along with other tracks from their first two albums, like "Morning Glory," "Live Forever," "Wonderwall," and "Supersonic." But the band never evolved. Blur moved on. In fact, frontman Damon Albarn, when he's not feuding with Taylor Swift, is creating concept albums with his virtual band, The Gorlliaz. Radiohead evolved. And as controversial with music fans it is, Coldplay evolved. On the other hand, what if Oasis updated with the times? What if they went EDM dance pop? It probably wouldn't have worked and it would probably have been more forgettable then their post-'95 career. So maybe, there's merit in keeping the Brit-pop Wonderwall sealed in the '90s.

 

Read “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis on Genius