Oasis sad songs are a bit like life. You’ll encounter them whether you like it or not. And you’ll have a much better time if you choose to enjoy them. Fortunately, millions of people genuinely like them.
Besides this, it’s in Oasis’ sad songs that Noel Gallagher‘s true measure of a songwriter is shown. Free from the optimistic, anthemic tunes known to raise stadium audiences to their feet, the songwriter is able to let his soul speak.
What’s good for the soul is also good for the wallet. Noel produces the kind of songs that even Paul McCartney might want to chat with him about, as you’ll soon see why.
That’s why today I’m grabbing a box of tissues, wondering how much longer Noel’s going to make Sally wait, and ranking the 10 best Oasis sad songs. Boohoo!
“Sad Song” – from the remastered version of the album “Definitely Maybe” (1994)
Let’s start with an obvious one, the lonely ride home that is “Sad Song.”
“Definitely Maybe” is well-known as an album centered around youthful enthusiasm. “Sad Song,” however, presents Noel Gallagher’s fears around a simple strummed chord arrangement. What if they’re just “throwing it all away” with their bad behavior? Just read through the lyrics to get a better idea.
“Sad Song” also captures the start of a fantastic streak for Oasis and Noel Gallagher as a songwriter. While he had started “Definitely Maybe” with only a handful of songs, he now had enough good ones that he didn’t need to include them on official releases.
“Sad Song” showed up as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the band’s debut. Later it was included on the remastered version of the album.
The chords to “Sad Song” are Am7, Cadd9, C/D, Cadd9/B in the verse and C, G, Am7, Fmaj7, C, Add9/B in the chorus. Any experienced guitarist who plays them will hear a similarity to Gallagher’s chord progression across many other classic Oasis songs.
And if you want to treat yourself, search “Sad Song” with Liam on vocals.
“Let’s All Make Believe” – from the album “B-Sides” (2001)
Blur’s Damon Albarn once congratulated Oasis for being the Brit-pop band that presented their individualism the best. “Let’s All Make Believe” is a truthful song about falling out of love with being a rock star.
It could easily soundtrack the final moments in Oasis’ career even though it was written around 2000’s “Standing on the Shoulder of Giants.”
But is it one of the saddest Oasis songs. Liam Gallagher puts venom in his words when he sings, “So let’s all make believe/ That we’re still friends and we like each other.” Indeed, many relationships were sacrificed on the altar of Oasis’ success.
When the dust settles, Oasis may just be the band boasting the greatest singles b-sides of any rock band. “Let’s All Make Believe” is a highlight of their early 2000s work.
“Rockin’ Chair” – from the album “The Masterplan” (1998)
“Rockin’ Chair” is one of the best Oasis songs. And, if you’re keeping score, mark it down also as one of their saddest.
While early Oasis albums concerned themselves with the power of youth, “Rockin’ Chair” examines the uncertainty that comes with getting older.
Like “Roll With It,” Rockin’ Chair” is also a song about the small-town blues (or, in this case, the city of Manchester) and the fears we all have about never reaching our full potential. Liam’s vocal delivery gets me every time.
“Stop Crying Your Heart Out” – from the album “Heathen Chemistry” (2002)
“Stop Crying Your Heart Out” is one of the most emotional of Oasis’ singles. It was a moderate hit for the band back in 2002.
Yes, at the time, like others, I considered it merely an Oasis-by-numbers tune. But judged objectively now, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” is a sad but powerfully hopeful song, one of Oasis’ best sad rock love songs.
There’s undoubtedly despair to it. But just like Noel Gallagher’s best-known numbers, there’s a message of encouragement to get you out of bed and start you on that pot of coffee.
“I’m Outta Time” – from the album “Dig Out Your Soul” (2008)
Looking at the self-shot videos used in the “Supersonic” documentary, it’s clear that Oasis knew how to build their myth.
It’s only fitting then that “I’m Outta Time” was one of their final singles before the band’s disbandment in 2009. This is one of the best slow Oasis songs.
A John Lennon tribute in concept and practice, this is a song written by Liam Gallagher. Characteristically modest, he would introduce the song live as “the new “Wonderwall.” You can certainly hum along to it; I know that much. File it under “depressing rock songs about being alone.”
“Roll It Over” – from the album “Heathen Chemistry” (2002)
“Roll It Over” is a beautiful yet painfully sad song by Oasis’ standards. It sounds less like Brit-pop and more like Pink Floyd writing a goth song.
When making “Heathen Chemistry,” chief songwriter Noel Gallagher dealt with depression and drug withdrawal. His uncertainty about the future is perfectly captured in “Roll It Over.”
One of the most underrated Oasis numbers, this lugubrious song about death has resurfaced as part of Liam’s live setlist in recent years.
“Falling Down” – from the album “Dig Out Your Soul” (2008)
“Falling Down” allows Noel to keep his promise of returning to a psychedelic rock sound. It was one of Oasis’ most promising and saddest songs that they delivered in years.
Noel sings on “Falling Down” like a man about to lose everything. It was quite prescient, considering that this would turn out to be the final Oasis single.
The tune ends with, arguably, one of the best Oasis lyrics “I tried to talk with God to no avail/Calling him in and out of nowhere/I said if you won’t save me please don’t waste my time.”
“Don’t Go Away” – from the album “Be Here Now” (1997)
“Don’t Go Away” and the rest of “Be Here Now” defied the expectations of many fans. But this is an earnest and beautiful Oasis ballad.
During the making of the video, the meaning of the lyrics to “Don’t Go Away” reportedly reminded Liam Gallagher of his mother, which made the singer start to weep.
It’s a heartfelt number, and it deserves reappraisal.
“Slide Away” – from the album “Definitely Maybe” (1994)
General doubt about Oasis’ merits was laid to waste, particularly by “Slide Away.” It was a sad song. It was a tune so good that Paul McCartney said he wished he had written it. And Liam Gallagher delivered a magnificent vocal performance.
While it is certainly a love song, this one is a soundtrack to a doomed romance. It functions much like The Smiths‘ “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” for the 1990s. While it was never a single, it is one of Oasis’ most popular songs.
It was a rare glimpse of tenderness in a debut album that sounded like Sex Pistols covering The Beatles.
“Don’t Look Back in Anger” – from the album “What’s the Story (Morning Glory)” (1995)
You weren’t expecting this were you? But just listen to “Don’t Look Back in Anger” again, and you’ll find some of the saddest lyrics Noel Gallagher ever produced.
Sure, “What’s the Story (Morning Glory)” is so anthemic now that the Gallagher brothers don’t need to sing it. They just let audiences do it for them.
Or, it gets sung in unison when Manchester City wins the title, which is too often for my liking.
But Noel explained about these Oasis lyrics that: “It started off as a song of defiance, about this woman: She’s metaphorically seeing the diary of her life pass by, and she’s thinking, ‘You know what? I have no regrets.’ She’s raising a glass to it.”
Reading a diary about watching your life flashing by? Sure, it’s a powerful song. But even Oasis’ sad songs could move an audience of thousands to cheer.
“Talk Tonight” – from the album “The Masterplan” (1998)
“Talk Tonight” is the best Oasis song that is not known by millions but rather by hardcore fans alone. It is the underrated “Wonderwall.” And it’s a heartbreakingly sad Oasis song.
It nearly features the chords to “Wonderwall”, too, but that is not the only Oasis song to use those chords. It does, however, contain some of the best Oasis lyrics that Noel Gallagher provided the group.
In it, Noel talks about the band nearly breaking up in Los Angeles in 1994. It tells the story of a woman caring for the songwriter in his time of need. And it paints this all as a doomed romance. It leads the list sad Oasis songs.
Sure, Oasis got back together and made another few great albums. “Talk Tonight” opened a doorway for Noel Gallagher into the kind of songwriting he hadn’t dared to attempt before this.
Enjoyed that? Check out our playlist of “Oasis sad songs” below. It’ll have you weeping like a newborn baby.
