Songbird (Oasis song)

"Songbird"
Single by Oasis
from the album Heathen Chemistry
B-side
  • "(You've Got) The Heart of a Star"
  • "Columbia" (live)
Released3 February 2003 (2003-02-03)
StudioMonnow Valley, Monmouth
Genre
Length
  • 2:08
  • 2:47 (music video)
LabelBig Brother
SongwriterLiam Gallagher
ProducerOasis
Oasis singles chronology
"Little by Little" / "She Is Love"
(2002) 		"Songbird"
(2003) 		"Lyla"
(2005)
Music video
Oasis - Songbird (Official Video) on YouTube

"Songbird" is a song by English rock band Oasis from their fifth studio album, Heathen Chemistry (2002). Written by vocalist Liam Gallagher, it was the first Oasis single written by Liam and the first Oasis single not written by his brother Noel Gallagher.[5] Released on 3 February 2003, the song reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and the top 10 in Ireland and Italy.[6]

Composition

According to Oasis' official single page, "Songbird" was recorded at Monnow Valley in Monmouth.[5] In an interview with NME in April 2002, Liam Gallagher said that "'Songbird' came easy too. I just came into the studio playing it on two strings."[7] In the same interview, he suggested that the song reflected a gentler side to his writing, rather than the darker tone often associated with his public image.[7]

Later, in comments reproduced from the Stop the Clocks box set, Liam said he had written the song in France after he "sat under a tree, had a bit of a biblical moment", and described it as a "one-off".[8] The song was written for Liam's then-partner and eventual wife Nicole Appleton.[9][10] "Songbird" was composed in the key of G major in common time at 132 beats per minute.[11]

Noel Gallagher was also highly complimentary about the song. In 2005, he said that it "blew my head off when I first heard it because it was that f—king simple and that direct".[12] In later commentary on the Stop the Clocks box set, Noel called it "one of our best tunes" and added that "it doesn't matter who wrote it".[8]

Release and other versions

The song was released as the fourth single from Heathen Chemistry on 3 February 2003 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart.[13][6] It was later included on Oasis' first greatest hits album, Stop the Clocks, where it is the only track from Heathen Chemistry to appear.[14] The official Oasis single page lists "(You've Got) The Heart of a Star" and a live version of "Columbia", recorded at the Barrowlands in Glasgow, as the B-sides.[5]

A demo version of the song was also issued on the DVD single and Japanese maxi-CD single.[15][16] Courtney Love has said that she and Liam performed an acoustic version with Love whistling while Gallagher sang and played guitar; this was noted in the book Kurt and Courtney: Talking. Gallagher also performed the song for UK Radio Aid in January 2005.[17]

In December 2017, the Irish music school The Music Yard used the song's melody for their Christmas single "Talking to a Snowman".[18]

Critical reception

Doug Levy of CMJ New Music Report said that Gallagher had a "surprising talent for songwriting", referring to "Songbird" and album tracks "Better Man" and "Born on a Different Cloud".[19] Spin magazine's Chuck Klosterman said that "Songbird" was one of the two "most compelling songs" on the album.[20]

Music video

The music video was directed by Dick Carruthers.[21] It features Liam Gallagher performing the song in a London park while sitting beneath a tree with an acoustic guitar, and alternately chasing and being chased by a dog. Nicole Appleton also appears in the video.[10][22]

Track listings

Personnel

Oasis

Additional musicians

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 3 February 2003
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Big Brother [13]
10 February 2003 12-inch vinyl [38]
Japan 19 February 2003 CD Epic [39]

References

  1. ^ "Album Reviews". CLUAS. Retrieved 13 March 2026. {{cite web}}: Text "Oasis 'Heathen Chemistry'" ignored (help)
  2. ^ "The 30 best Oasis songs of all time". The Manc. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Heathen Chemistry by Oasis". Qobuz. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  4. ^ "The Flipside #1: Oasis' 'Heathen Chemistry' Turns 15". PopMatters. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  5. ^ a b c "Songbird". Oasis. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b c "SONGBIRD – OASIS". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 March 2026. Cite error: The named reference "uk" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b "Liam Gallagher & Andy Bell – NME – 6th April 2002". Oasis Interviews Archive. 6 April 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  8. ^ a b "Noel Gallagher thinks brother Liam's Songbird track is "perfect"". Radio X. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Baby Gene for Liam and Nicole". BBC News. 3 July 2001. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2007.
  10. ^ a b "Is the Oasis ballad Songbird Liam Gallagher's best ever track?". Radio X. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Digital Sheet Music, Oasis 'Songbird'". Musicnotes.com. Peer International Music Publishing. 2002. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  12. ^ "Long road to find the magic". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 June 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  13. ^ a b "New Releases – For Week Starting 3 February 2003: Singles". Music Week. 1 February 2003. p. 20.
  14. ^ "Stop The Clocks". Oasis. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  15. ^ Songbird (UK DVD single liner notes). Oasis. Big Brother Recordings. 2003. RKIDSDVD 27.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Songbird (Japanese maxi-CD single liner notes). Oasis. Epic Records. 2003. EICP 194.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ "Entertainment". BBC News. 18 January 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2026. {{cite news}}: Text "Radio Aid marathon day raises £3m" ignored (help)
  18. ^ Staff (8 December 2017). "Watch: Liam Gallagher's special surprise for ambitious kids of Co Antrim music school". Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  19. ^ Levy, Doug (12 August 2002). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Report. 72 (8): 6.
  20. ^ Klosterman, Chuck (August 2002). "Reviews". Spin. 18 (8): 113.
  21. ^ "Oasis - Songbird (Official Video)". YouTube. Oasis. 15 February 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  22. ^ "Oasis - Songbird (Official Video)". YouTube. Oasis. 15 February 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  23. ^ Songbird (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Oasis. Big Brother Recordings. 2003. RKID 27.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ Songbird (UK CD single liner notes). Oasis. Big Brother Recordings. 2003. RKIDSCD 27.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ Songbird (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Oasis. Big Brother Recordings. 2003. RKID 27T.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ^ Songbird (UK DVD single liner notes). Oasis. Big Brother Recordings. 2003. RKIDSDVD 27.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ Songbird (Japanese maxi-CD single liner notes). Oasis. Epic Records. 2003. EICP 194.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. ^ "Oasis Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  29. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 9. 22 February 2003. p. 7. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  30. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  31. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Songbird". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  32. ^ "Oasis – Songbird". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 15/2/2003 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  34. ^ "Oasis – Songbird". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  35. ^ "Oasis – Songbird". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  36. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  37. ^ "British single certifications – Oasis – Songbird". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 July 2022. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Songbird Oasis in the "Search:" field.
  38. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 10 February 2003: Singles". Music Week. 8 February 2003. p. 23.
  39. ^ "Oasis | Artist Information". Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on 7 April 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
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