“Shakermaker” was the song that established Oasis’ reputation among British indie-rock fans. With news that the Gallagher brothers are reuniting in 2025 and knowing that they need to put together a setlist of old hits, it’s time to look at the band’s great, early work.
“Shakermaker” was a hit but has become rather underrated through the years. I hope it is revived in 2025, and I’d like to decipher the meaning of the lyrics for you, if there, indeed, there is any meaning to be found. Oh, and, I’d like to teach the world to sing.
Oasis’ Journey to Making “Shakermaker”
Oasis’ Gallagher brothers were always angry and confident. Ever since, they’d been in a band anyway. Some musicians are turned by fame into egomaniacs. These Manchester youngsters, however, saw themselves as amazing ever since they’d been allowed to play a few songs in the local clubs.
Remember this while I set the scene for how Oasis was discovered!
Famously, Oasis had been a band for over two years. The band had developed a simple but muscular style. Noel Gallagher had written a few songs. With them, they’d played clubs whenever they were allowed.
In May 1993, Noel Gallagher hustled his way into a gig at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut down in Glasgow, Scotland. Sister Lovers, a band that shared the rehearsal space with Oasis, was also an opening act on the night.
Meeting Alan McGee
Oasis was only allowed to play a few songs. They had no fans in the audience. But they’d been spotted by Alan McGee, who was a quasi-legendary figure already.
McGee had formed Creation Records, the Scottish record label that had released music by some of the coolest bands in existence – The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine.
An enthusiastic and slightly inebriated McGee spoke to Gallagher after the show. He told the Mancunian that he wanted to sign the band, that they’d make records. In closing, he asked: “Do you have other songs besides the ones you played tonight?” Gallagher assured him he had loads of them. He lied.
Many of the songs that Noel Gallagher penned for the indie-rock masterpiece “Definitely Maybe” were sketches of tunes he’d collected over the years. Some of them were hastily written before going into studios. Some of them, like “Shakermaker” and “Supersonic”, were mostly written on the spot.
“Supersonic” was Oasis’ first single. It became a bigger hit than had been expected, cracking the U.K. Top 40. The band set about touring and promoting themselves. The all-important second single was “Shakermaker.”
The Meaning of the Lyrics to “Shakermaker”
“Shakermaker” was released as a single on June 20, 1994. It was written by Noel Gallagher, as were all of Oasis’ songs, bar a few live covers from the early days of the band.
What’s a “Shakermaker”? It’s a toy that the Gallaghers, as children, would’ve been familiar with from the early 1970s. But more than that, the use of retro elements for the lyrics positioned Oasis as a band indebted to the past, especially the psychedelic rock of the late 1960s.
The songwriting is also a pristine example of Noel Gallagher’s creative thievery. With the melodies and the lyrics, the songwriter borrows daringly from the works of others and from his past to create a brilliant pop-rock song.
The lyrics are a kaleidoscope of memories. “Mr Soft” is the name of Steve Harley’s song and, before that, a character in advertisements. Mr Sifter is a reference to a record shop that Gallagher visited as a youth (“Mr Sifter sold me songs / When I was just 16 / Now he stops at traffic lights / But only when they’re green”). It’s how Noel studied the History of Guitar Rock.
“Mr. Clean” references a song by The Jam, whose singer, Paul Weller, would become one of Noel’s best musician friends. Meanwhile, “Mr. Ben” was a cartoon character that appeared in children’s books.
Was Noel feeling the pressure? Not really. The final verse of the song was written on the spot while driving in a taxi to the studio at the desperate request of his brother Liam Gallagher.
Putting all the elements together creates a swirling, colourfully psychedelic atmosphere. It’s the place in Noel’s music-obsessed mind as a child where “Definitely Maybe” truly began.
“Shakermaker” Music Video, Success and Coca-Cola Lawsuit
This was further helped by the impactful music video filmed near the street where the Gallaghers grew up. The video further introduces the audience to the band members and creates a feeling of nostalgia for the past. Notable shots include the ones where the musicians are playing football or when Liam shows a copy of Paul McCartney’s “Red Rose Speedway” to the camera.
Musically, “Shakermaker” has a similar punch to songs like “Supersonic” and “Columbia”, which the band also championing. In fact, Oasis had been considered to be a mix between The Beatles and Sex Pistols, two of Britain’s greatest bands.
Gallagher relies on a simple guitar progression once more, essentially a twelve-bar blues. This simplicity worked out to Oasis’ advantage, with many kids in new bands easily picking up how to play the band’s songs.
Perhaps, most famously, “Shakermaker” is one of the first accusations of plagiarism that Oasis ever received. There would be others, but few as blatant. The melody of the song is almost certainly lifted from “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony).” The song, performed initially by the New Seekers, was especially famous for one of television’s most impactful advertisements, the 1971 “Hilltop Campaign” run by Coca-Cola.
The corporate giants sued. Oasis, predictably lost. Noel Gallagher joked that this made them drink exclusively Pepsi from them onward.
The Legacy of “Shakermaker”
“Shakermaker” proved that Oasis’ early success with being signed to Creation and with the “Supersonic” single were no flukes. It established Oasis as one of the most exciting alternative rock bands in Britain. And it paved the way for “Definitely Maybe,” the album that practically launched the Britpop mania.
By the mid-1990s, Oasis was arguably the most successful band in the world. Even a cover by an Oasis cover band, No Way Sis, blending the Coke song with “Shakermaker,” reached the Top 40 in the U.K.
The reputation of the song has somewhat decreased in recent years. Oasis would have far more successful singles off “Definitely Maybe” and subsequent albums.
“Shakermaker” is more of a deep cut, beloved by fans. But it’s a great song with a strong history, and Oasis should certainly consider it when assembling the setlist for the 2025 reunion shows.