Oasis’ “Bonehead’s Bank Holiday” could’ve been one of the band’s most famous songs… had the musicians bothered to release it on an official album or even “The Masterplan” b-sides collection. Such was the measure of Noel Gallagher’s brilliance and work ethic at the time that great songs came flying in and disappearing into the sunset.
Hardcore fans, however, love the tune. And they have every reason to do so. This is why today I am looking at this forgotten classic and trying to get to the bottom of the meaning of the lyrics of “Bonehead’s Bank Holiday.”
Oasis’ Journey to Making Their Classic Songs … and “Bonehead’s Bank Holiday”
Oasis‘s backstory to success is as satisfying as it is unlikely. Formed by Liam Gallagher and his mate Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, Rain was set to become the newest great band of the Madchester scene, the dance-rock hybrid that had put Manchester on the map for more than football hooliganism and Joy Division.
But Noel Gallagher had other ideas when he worked his way into the line-up. They are called Oasis from now on. He would write all the songs for the foreseeable future. He would dictate the style of the band. And, they’d actually rehearse for a change. What was the goal? Playing weekends at the pub.
Ambition was pretty low on the agenda at first. But that wasn’t what Creation Records boss Alan McGee did when he stumbled onto Oasis playing a short gig in Glasgow. They had a handful of songs to their name, but they told McGee they had dozens. They had only played for a year, but they told McGee they wanted to take over the world.
McGee bought it and signed Oasis to Creation. By 1994, singles like “Live Forever” were becoming international hits and their debut “Definitely Maybe” was the fastest selling album in British music history.
By 1995, they were ready to release a follow-up. It would be called “What’s the Story (Morning Glory).” It would contain chart-toppers like “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” It would sell even more copies than its predecessors. And, for a while, it looked set to contain “Bonehead’s Bank Holiday.” Oh, the loss is ours.
“Bonehead’s Bank Holiday” Could’ve Been the Band’s “Ringo Song”
Oasis constructed themselves on the model of The Beatles. This should surprise … absolutely nobody reading this article. In fact, the only shocking detail is just how upfront the Gallagher brothers were about this fact.
The Beatles was one of the first pop-rock groups in which there was more than one singer. Everyone got a chance at the mike eventually, even Ringo Starr (and, boy, did he do it wonderfully).
Since Noel Gallagher was beginning to sing some of Oasis’ best songs, and since brother Liam needed a breather once in a while, it was decided that Bonehead, the band’s loveable rhythm guitarist, should take a crack at one of his own. Nobody must’ve bothered to ask him about it, though.
Noel was at the peak of his creative powers. He was producing a tremendous amount of new material or re-writing some of the tunes he’d played around with as a teen. By most accounts, the band leader notified Bonehead late one evening that he’d be gifted a tune on the record.
Excited? Perhaps, but nervousness got the better of Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs. Lead singer Liam offered to help his friend and took him to the pub. Upon their return, the rhythm guitarist made another pass at singing the tune, but it was worse than before. Some of that attempt is captured at the end of the song.
Noel Gallagher ended up singing the tune. Like “What’s the Story (Morning Glory)”, this would be one of the great Oasis songs that Liam wouldn’t provide lead vocals for.
The Meaning of the Lyrics to “Bonehead’s Bank Holiday”
Noel Gallagher made a name for himself on the band’s debut for writing hopeful anthems for out-of-work teens. “Cigarettes & Alcohol” or “Live Forever” had a certain grittiness to them.
By contrast, Britpop rivals Blur declared themselves fans of The Kinks and were fond of writing (mostly) cheerful singles about the British way of life.
Many fans believe that “Bonehead’s Bank Holiday” silly tales of Britons chasing the Sun and the beach life is a parody of Blur and Damon Albarn’s style of writing. Hearing the song now, it’s easy to pick up on some of that. After all, Blur even had a song called “Bank Holiday.”
“Bonehead’s Bank Holiday” is a little ditty about going out on holiday to chase the Sun and local girls. In the second verse, Bonehead is supposed to have met a “Funny-looking girl called Aveline” down on a beach in Spain, only for her mom, Dot, to give him dirty looks.
In the bridge, the titular character confesses to missing England. In a line that most likely references Blur’s middle-class upbringing, he confesses to wanting to return to his big house and big car.
There’s no word on whether Noel tried to offer the song the Blur first, but, sadly there’s no Damon Albarn cover in the works either.
The Surprising Legacy of “Bonehead’s Bank Holiday”
When Oasis released “The Masterplan,” its collection of early b-sides and throwaway songs, it proved a couple of things. Firstly, Noel Gallagher produced a monumental amount of terrific songs in a short amount of time. Secondly, even that had some great tunes that didn’t make the cut.
“Bonehead’s Bank Holiday” is one of those great songs and a favourite for hardcore fans. Before the internet, it was only available as a part of an NME compilation cassette. It was, however, made available on reissues of “Morning Glory” starting in 2014.
Does Bonehead regret not singing it? Or does he consider himself a lucky fellow? Well, Noel Gallagher offered his take on the situation when he said Well, you know how
“The Beatles used to like get Ringo to sing the odd tune here and there? Well, he’s (Bonehead) our Ringo isn’t he, you see? And he’s ugly as sin, you know what I mean? Completely untalented and the luckiest man in rock so we thought we’d write him a song, you know what I mean? Bonehead’s Bank Holiday – It’s about nicking cars and going to Spain and meeting girls whose mothers are nuns.“
