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The Meaning of the Lyrics of Oasis’ “Columbia,” the Song that Got the Band Signed

The Meaning of the Lyrics of Oasis’ "Columbia," the Song that Got the Band Signed

“Columbia” is one of the songs that best defines the early Oasis sound. Tough, but relaxed, rocking and danceable it’s the sound of a band that could rock out and do it in front of a large audience. This is also what record label boss Alan McGee did when he heard it, and he decided to sign the band to Creation Records.

However, like nearly all Oasis songs, the meaning of the lyrics might be lost on most on first listen. Let’s look at what “Columbia” is all about.

The Meaning of the Lyrics of Oasis’ "Columbia," the Song that Got the Band Signed

Oasis’ Journey to Making “Columbia”

Oasis was a band of school chums for which Liam Gallagher sang and which sounded an awful lot like Manchester’s finest, The Stone Roses. This was true before Noel, Liam’s older brother and then roadie with The Inspiral Carpets, convinced them to join the group.

Noel soon took over the group, and they began playing his compositions. His style was always simple and efficient. Many have described it as a melding of Sex Pistols and The Beatles, punk-rock and 60s pop. “Columbia” is the perfect intersection between the two styles.

“Columbia” is also the one song that would find its way onto the debut “Definitely Maybe”, which carries traces of the acid-rock sound of The Stone Roses. Consequently, the party vibe made it a favourite for Oasis’ early and not very well-attended club shows.

This was the song with which the new lineup of Oasis, which now included Noel, opened their first show. According to the song’s writer, speaking to Q Magazine, the audience’s reaction inside Mancester’s Boardwalk was unexpected: “It went down like a f—ing knackered lift (laughs). We played this epic, six minute, stone-grooved song, dow, wow, dow, duh duh, the total crossing of rock music and dance music beyond anything that’s been heard before and everyone’s like (blank face). Soul destroying. This bowl of silence.

One important character in the Oasis story who did attend an early gig was Alan McGee, head of Creation Records. “Columbia” was one of the songs that the band played while sitting third on the bill for a show at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow.

McGee, one of a handful of attendees, was so impressed with the band that he immediately offered them a deal with his already very famous record label. “Columbia” was, in the mind of the Scottsman, proof of better things to come.

Writing “Columbia” and The Oasis Sound

As has been discussed many times, The Oasis Sound was never tremendously unique but always well-curated. Noel Gallagher, the chief songwriter, had impeccable taste. For example, “Shakermaker” borrowed from a song used in Coca-Cola adverts. Still, somehow, this worked well within the band’s set.

Some claim that Gallagher borrowed the riff and groove for “Columbia” from the 1991 dance song “Tortuga” by Axe Turner. This would fit with the danceable, acid-rock feel of the song.

Noel Gallagher himself says that this was the first song he ever offered Oasis. He later told Q Magazine: “One Sunday afternoon I was at home watching EastEndersd when our kid rings up and says, ‘You coming down for a jam?’ I’d never played with anyone else ever. I went, ‘Alright.’ I’m asking, ‘Do you know any Beatles songs?’ ‘No.’ ‘Not Ticket To Ride?

The songwriter goes on to say that the “Columbia” was the result of frustration with his new bandmates: “We sit there for hours and hours, dead hot and sweaty, and its great. Same the next Sunday and – just because they didn’t know any Beatles, really – we decide to write a song ourselves and I come up with what turns out to be Columbia.

Noel’s songwriting talents were immediately recognized by the others. Guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs says that this is his favourite song, partly because of the simple chord progression used throughout.

Oasis loved playing it live. But the opportunity to perform in front of an audience was new for Noel Gallagher, who had mainly played the guitar while juggling it on his knee.

Noel explains the intense thought process between choosing the appropriate length of his guitar strap: “If it’s too high, you don’t get no fit birds, mate,” he said on Gibson TV’s Icons series. “If it’s too low, she gettin’ a goth, alright? But if you get it right, you know, the Gunslinger’… And I remember looking in the mirror thinking, Doesn’t look right.’

Gallagher also says that playing “Columbia” for the first time was highly stressful: “We were doing one song of mine, which was ‘Columbia,’ but it was instrumental. We’ve got a gig on Tuesday, and it suddenly dawns on me that I’ve never played guitar standing up. Not only that, I don’t own a f—ing strap. This is Sunday night. And I’m skint. Never played guitar standing up.

That seems [like a] preposterous f—ing notion now. But I can only tell you that the Monday was probably the most stressful f—ing day of my entire life. I’d say [I spent] a good hour looking in the mirror. And I think where you hold your guitar for the first time is crucial,” Gallagher revealed

The Meaning of the Lyrics of Oasis’ "Columbia," the Song that Got the Band Signed

Meaning of the Lyrics to “Columbia”

Some fans of the band have speculated that the lyrics to the song are a nod to the South American-produced powder that fueled many British parties. But this is only a half-truth. If anything, it is inspired by another popular substance, the Madchester-approved acid.

The muscular but danceable sound of early Oasis songs can be traced back to “Columbia.” It may be indeed inspired by acid, but it is certainly inspired by acid-rock as Noel Gallagher mentioned in the liner notes to the 2014 reissue of “Definitely Maybe”: “When we started, we didn’t have a lot of songs so we would jam out current Acid House favourites and f–k about.

“‘Columbia’ derived from one of those nights. It was an instrumental and we played it the first night I ever did a gig with Oasis. When we started at The Real People’s studio, somebody had the idea of adding lyrics and it’s still a bone of contention to this day who actually wrote the words. We were all on acid at the time but I know I wrote 90 percent of them. It’s named in honour of the hotel (in London). Because when I was a roadie with Mark Coyle working for the Inspiral Carpets, we loved that hotel, it was the scene of many nights of nonsense. And it sounded like a good title. I mean, why call anything anything?

Is it really a drug sound? The lyrics “I can see the signs, but they’re not very clear” should be all that I need to point to, really.

The Meaning of the Lyrics of Oasis’ "Columbia," the Song that Got the Band Signed

The Legacy of “Columbia”

“Columbia” was an early contender for the first single from the “Definitely Maybe” album. In the end, Creation and Oasis wisely chose “Supersonic” instead and “Columbia” was the B-side for it.

“Columbia” was one of the most popular songs at early Oasis gigs. It was nearly never absent from setlists. It was revived for the 2002 tour, and overall, Oasis has played “Columbia” 198 times (as per existing records). Will the song make a return for the Oasis reunion?

The song hasn’t been covered often, but it is one of the more popular non-singles on “Definitely Maybe”, having been streamed on Spotify more than 26 million times. Those looking to enjoy the early, effortless sound of Oasis need to make a stop here.



About author

Eduard Banulescu is a writer, blogger, and musician. As a content writer, Eduard has contributed to numerous websites and publications, including FootballCoin, Play2Earn, BeIN Crypto, Business2Community, NapoliSerieA, Extra Time Talk, Nitrogen Sports, Bavarian FootballWorks, etc. He has written a book about Nirvana, hosts a music podcasts, and writes weekly content about some of the best, new and old, alternative musicians. Eduard also runs and acts as editor-in-chief of the alternative rock music website www.alt77.com. Mr. Banulescu is also a musician, having played and recorded in various bands and as a solo artist.
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