One of Us (Liam Gallagher song)

Last updated
"One of Us"
Single by Liam Gallagher
from the album Why Me? Why Not.
Released16 August 2019 (2019-08-16)
Genre Alternative rock, symphonic rock, gospel [1] [2]
Length3:25
Label Warner
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Andrew Wyatt
Liam Gallagher singles chronology
"Once"
(2019)
"One of Us"
(2019)
"Now That I've Found You"
(2019)

"One of Us" is a song by an English singer and songwriter Liam Gallagher, written by Gallagher, Damon McMahon and Andrew Wyatt, who also produced the track. It was released on Gallagher's second solo album, Why Me? Why Not.

Contents

Composition and lyrics

The song features string instrumentation and gospel-influenced backing vocals. [3] According to Liam himself, "One of Us" is a song about "family" as well as "friendship and a sense of belonging". [3] The song's lyrics reminisce Gallagher's youth and details his broken relationship with someone close to him. While Gallagher hasn't confirmed this, it's been heavily speculated by the media and fans that the person Liam is referring to in the lyrics is his brother Noel, given the two have had a troubled and fractured relationship, which was further amplified when Oasis broke up in 2009. [4] The melody of the string instrumentation during the song's chorus is reminiscent of the Bee Gee's song "More Than a Woman".[ opinion ] The music video for the song features many references to Oasis and Noel, with the lyric "You said we'd live forever", referencing the Oasis song "Live Forever", further bolstering these rumours. [5]

The song also features Gallagher's son Gene playing bongos. [6]

Music video

The music video was released on 28 August 2019, and directed by Anthony Byrne, with the concept written by Steven Knight, one of the directors and the creator of Peaky Blinders respectively. [7] The black-and-white video features Gallagher walking through a field, past old childhood photos of him and his two brothers. Child actors portraying all three Gallagher brothers, Liam, Noel, and Paul also feature. The video also features Liam walking down a street and into a building with the date "28.08.09" written on the door, the day Oasis broke up. The release date of the video was also 10 years to the day the band broke up. [8]

Charts

Chart (2018)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [9] 90
Scotland (OCC) [10] 9
UK Singles (OCC) [11] 50

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [12] Silver200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oasis (band)</span> English rock band (1991–2009)

Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as the Rain, the group initially consisted of Liam Gallagher, Paul Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan and Tony McCarroll (drums), with Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher joining as a fifth member a few months after their formation. Noel became the de facto leader of the group and took over the songwriting duties for the band's first four albums. They are characterised as one of the defining and most globally successful groups of the Britpop genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Gallagher</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1972)

William John Paul Gallagher is an English singer and songwriter who achieved fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis from 1991 to 2009. He later fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2009 to 2014, before starting a successful solo career in 2017. Oasis had various line-up changes; Gallagher and his elder brother Noel were the only constant members. One of the most recognisable figures in British rock music, Gallagher is noted for his distinctive vocal style and outspoken personality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noel Gallagher</span> English musician (born 1967)

Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. He is one of the most successful songwriters in British music history, as the writer of eight UK number-one singles and co-writer of a further number one, as well as the sole or primary writer of ten UK number-one studio albums. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential songwriters in the history of British rock music, cited by numerous major subsequent artists as an influence.

<i>(Whats the Story) Morning Glory?</i> 1995 studio album by Oasis

(What's the Story) Morning Glory? is the second studio album by the English rock band Oasis. Released on 2 October 1995 by Creation Records, it was produced by Owen Morris and the group's lead guitarist and chief songwriter Noel Gallagher. The structure and arrangement style of the album was a significant departure from the band's previous album, Definitely Maybe (1994). Gallagher's compositions were more focused in balladry and placed more emphasis on "huge" choruses, with the string arrangements and more varied instrumentation contrasting with the rawness of the group's debut album. Morning Glory was the group's first album with drummer Alan White, who replaced Tony McCarroll.

<i>Be Here Now</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Oasis

Be Here Now is the third studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released on 21 August 1997 by Creation Records. The album was recorded at multiple recording studios in London, including Abbey Road Studios, as well as Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey. Although most tracks retain the anthemic quality of previous releases, the songs on Be Here Now are longer and contain many guitar overdubs. Noel Gallagher said this was done to make the album sound as "colossal" as possible. The album cover features a shot of the band members at Stocks House in Hertfordshire. It is the last Oasis studio album to feature founding members guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and bassist Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan as the two left in 1999.

<i>Familiar to Millions</i> 2000 live album by Oasis

Familiar to Millions is a live album by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 13 November 2000 by Big Brother Recordings. The album was recorded at Wembley Stadium on 21 July 2000. It debuted at No. 5 in the UK charts with 57,000 copies sold in the first week. To date Familiar to Millions has sold around 310,000 copies in Britain alone (Platinum), about 70,000 copies in the United States and an estimated 1 million copies worldwide. The album was initially released simultaneously on six formats: DVD, VHS, double CD, double cassette, triple vinyl, and double MiniDisc, with different coloured cover art depending on format - the version of the cover art depicted in the infobox to the right of this article is the vinyl version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Arthurs</span> English musician

Paul Benjamin Arthurs, known professionally as Bonehead, is an English musician. He is best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and occasional keyboardist and bassist of the rock band Oasis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wonderwall</span> 1995 single by Oasis

"Wonderwall" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by lead guitarist and chief songwriter Noel Gallagher. The song was produced by Gallagher and Owen Morris for the band's second studio album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, released in 1995. According to Gallagher, "Wonderwall" describes "an imaginary friend who's gonna come and save you from yourself".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live Forever (Oasis song)</span> 1994 single by Oasis

"Live Forever" is a song by English rock band Oasis. Written by Noel Gallagher, the song was released as the third single from their debut album Definitely Maybe (1994) on 8 August 1994, just prior to that album's release. Gallagher wrote the song in 1991, before he joined Oasis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyla (song)</span> 2005 single by Oasis

"Lyla" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was released in May 2005 as the first single from their sixth studio album, Don't Believe the Truth (2005). "Lyla" was the band's first single following the departure of their long-time drummer Alan White, and replaced by Ringo Starr's son and the Who drummer Zak Starkey as an additional drummer of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supersonic (Oasis song)</span> 1994 single by Oasis

"Supersonic" is a song by English rock band Oasis, released as their debut single on 11 April 1994, and later appeared on their debut studio album, Definitely Maybe (1994). It was produced by the band and Mark Coyle, their live sound engineer. The single was accompanied by two music videos, one directed by Mark Szaszy and the other by Nick Egan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakermaker</span> 1994 single by Oasis

"Shakermaker" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. The song was first released as a second single on 20 June 1994 and later released on Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe (1994). The single peaked at number eleven in the UK. It was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry in 2013, having previously been their only single of the 1990s not to be certified in the UK. As of 2021, it remains the only single from the band's first two albums not to reach at least platinum status in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Some Might Say</span> 1995 single by Oasis

"Some Might Say" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was released as the first single on 24 April 1995 by Creation from their second studio album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995). The song was written by the band's lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. "Some Might Say" provided Oasis with their first number one on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 10 in Finland, Iceland, Ireland and Sweden. The song is also the last to feature all five original members, as the drummer Tony McCarroll was fired shortly after the song's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Go Away</span> 1998 single by Oasis

"Don't Go Away" is a song by English rock band Oasis from their third album, Be Here Now (1997). Written by Noel Gallagher, the song was released as a commercial single only in Japan, peaking at number 48 on the Oricon chart, and as a promotional single in the United States and Canada. The track reached number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and number 15 on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart in late 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Around the World (Oasis song)</span> 1998 single by Oasis

"All Around the World" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was written by the band's lead guitarist and principal songwriter Noel Gallagher. Released on 12 January 1998 as the third single from their third studio album, Be Here Now (1997), it is the longest song ever recorded by Oasis. The song peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the longest song ever to reach number one, and earned a Gold certification. This was the last Oasis single to be released on the Creation Records label. The song also reached number one in Ireland and peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Importance of Being Idle (song)</span> 2005 single by Oasis

"The Importance of Being Idle" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 22 August 2005 in the UK as the second single from their sixth studio album, Don't Believe the Truth (2005), written, produced, and sung by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. The song was written by Gallagher in the mid-2004, before the band made their final attempt at recording what would become Don't Believe the Truth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acquiesce</span> 1998 single by Oasis

"Acquiesce" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher. The song originally appeared as the B-side to Oasis' first UK number-one single, "Some Might Say", in 1995. Its popularity led to it being included on the B-sides compilation album The Masterplan, released in 1998, after being voted for inclusion by fans of the band on their official website.

<i>Live by the Sea</i> 1995 video by Oasis

Live by the Sea is a live video recording by the English rock band Oasis, released on DVD, VCD, and VHS. It features Oasis' gig at the Southend Cliffs Pavilion on 17 April 1995, as well as the videos for "Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol". The title is a pun on a line from the song "(It's Good) To Be Free".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Where Did It All Go Wrong?</span> 2000 single by Oasis

"Where Did It All Go Wrong?" is a song and single by the English rock band Oasis, originally released on their 2000 album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Look Back in Anger</span> 1996 single by Oasis

"Don't Look Back in Anger" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It was written by the band's lead guitarist and chief songwriter Noel Gallagher, and produced by Gallagher and Owen Morris. Released on 19 February 1996 by Creation Records as the fifth single from their second studio album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), it became Oasis's second single to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, earning a quintuple-platinum sales certification in the UK. It was the first Oasis single with lead vocals by Noel, who had previously only sung lead on B-sides, instead of his brother Liam. Noel would later sing lead vocals on six other singles. The music video was directed by Nigel Dick, featuring the band performing at a mansion where a large group of women appears.

References

  1. "Hear Liam Gallagher's Gospel-Inspired New Song 'One Of Us'". Rolling Stone . 16 August 2019.
  2. "Liam Gallagher and son Gene team up for gospel-influenced single One Of Us".
  3. 1 2 "Liam Gallagher claims new single One Of Us is about "family"". Radio X . 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  4. "Liam Gallagher - One of Us: lyrics and meanings". Song Meanings. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  5. Zemler, Emily (28 August 2019). "Watch Liam Gallagher Face His Past in 'One of Us' Video". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  6. "Turns Out Liam Gallagher's Son Thought Being On His Dad's Album Would Ruin His Cred". Pedestrian TV. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  7. Aubrey, Elizabeth (28 August 2019). "Watch the video for Liam Gallagher's 'One Of Us' — created by the team behind 'Peaky Blinders'". NME . Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  8. "Liam Gallagher's new video has "hidden messages" for Oasis fans". Radio X. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  9. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  12. "British single certifications – Liam Gallagher – One Of Us". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved March 8, 2024.