Oasis and its music meant more to 90s rock audiences than the majority of bands of the era. And while at least two of the group’s albums are celebrated as bona fide classics, the layman will always know the Gallagher brothers as the men responsible for “Wonderwall,” an overplayed, but still great alternative song of the ’90s.
As Travis once asked in song, “What’s a Wonderwall anyway?” Today, I am looking at the meaning of the lyrics to this Oasis classic and the story behind it.
Oasis’ Journey to Making “Wonderwall”
The story of Oasis risks becoming as mythologised as that of Elvis Presley ending up in the U.S. army or Bob Dylan falling off his motorcycle.
The Manchester band is regarded nowadays as nothing less than a modern pop culture classic. But it all started when big brother Noel Gallagher caught wind of little brother, Liam, singing in a band. By most accounts, Noel hijacked the band, wrote their songs and made them better.
Oasis played small, hometown Manchester clubs for a couple of years. But then, on a rainy night in Scotland, Oasis, third on the bill of a club date, were spotted by Creation Records’ Alan McGee and offered a contrast.
The debut album by Oasis, “Definitely Maybe”, was a sensational success. The term Britpop may have been used before on groups like The Stone Roses. But it was Oasis, along with fellow Brits like Pulp or Blur, that turned the movement global.
A world still filled with rock listeners now waited for what Oasis would produce on the group’s sophomore album.
Finding Further Success with “What’s the Story (Morning Glory)”
“What’s the Story (Morning Glory)” confirmed the group’s success. For a while, it was not unfashionable to refer to the Mancunians as “The New Beatles,” a nickname that the Gallaghers, hated by some, had chosen for themselves.
“Morning Glory” was loaded with memorable songs and chart-topping singles. “Roll With It” was dumb, but anthemic. “Some Might Say” suggested that the brutish Liam Gallagher was a singer unlike few others. And, “Don’t Look Back in Anger” was an instant, 60s-inspired classic.
But no song was bigger or more appealing to the general public than “Wonderwall.” It helped the album become one of the most successful albums in British history, surpassed only by the likes of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Fab Four.
The Meaning of the Lyrics to “Wonderwall”
The press may have described Noel Gallagher and his Oasis crew as hooligans with guitars, or by Damon Albarn as The Singing Plumbers, but the band’s chief songwriter was nothing if not a romantic.
Nearly all of the great songs written on the first two albums (plus the B-sides collected on the “Masterplan” record) are about love. Nearly all of them are hopeful. Oasis stood in contrast to the gloom and doom of grunge.
Most likely, “Wonderwall” is one of those love songs written for a girlfriend. Some suggest it’s about Gallagher’s first wife, Meg Matthews. Others think that the song is about Melissa Lim, a woman who had supported Gallagher after the group’s first quasi-breakup. The song “Talk Tonight” features a similar chord progression and is about her, supposedly.
Gallagher, who later divoverced Matthews, admitted later that the song was more of a fantasy than a direct dedication. Noel told Q Magazine: “The meaning of that song was taken away from me by the media who jumped on it. And how do you tell your Mrs. it’s not about her once she’s read it is? It’s about an imaginary friend who’s going to come and save you from yourself.”
What’s a “Wonderwall” anyway? The song was originally titled “Wishing Stone.” Ever The Beatles obsessive, Noel took the title from George Harrison’s experimental soundtrack record “Wonderwall Music.” Is there any greater meaning to it? Well, the movie is about a professor who is a bit of a Peeping Tom and can see into the apartment of a charming hippie girl.
Liam Gallagher sang it. And, by his own admission, he has a special relationship with the song, later admitting that “Every time I have to sing it, I want to gag.”
Liam did get first dibs on either one of two classics. Brother Noel sang on the demos and then asked Liam to choose between singing “Don’t Look Back in Anger” or “Wonderwall.” Can’t change history!
The Music Video for “Wonderwall”
“Wonderwall” was one of the most shown music videos by MTV and other channels during the 1990s. The iconic images are part of a Nigel Dick-directed promotional video.
A simple concept, which, for the most part, involves the band sitting on chairs, the music video won several awards. It also made some keen-eyed fans wonder, “Where’s Guigsy?”
The bass player had briefly quit due to nervous exhaustion, before figuring he was right the first time around and leaving permanently after the next album cycle.
The Legacy of Oasis and “Wonderwall”
“Wonderwall” is one of the most famous songs of all time. It’s included on most “Best Of” lists, meaning that there’s no need to bother listing them here.
And while Oasis and Noel Gallagher have produced better songs, it’s the one that the wider world’ll always remember them for.
The single made the group globally famous, but an artistic slide began to occur around this time. The band may not have reached the heights of “Morning Glory” again, but millions signed up to get tickets for the group’s 2025 reunion shows. Guess there was a master plan all along.
