The song that Noel Gallagher called “flawed”
(Credits: Far Out / Anton Corbijn)
Everyone makes mistakes, even those who have been writing and recording music for three decades, as in the case of Noel Gallagher. Over the years, the former Oasis songwriter has written some truly timeless songs that are still sung by listeners all over the world to this day. Although Oasis’ discography has seen fewer and fewer hits as the band has grown, Gallagher has since proven his skill as a songwriter through the material he has recorded for his solo project, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Still, Gallagher’s long music career has certainly not been without its mistakes.
Following the long-awaited split of Oasis in 2009, the High Flying Birds offered Gallagher the opportunity to expand his musical repertoire. Oasis’ discography was, of course, well-known across the country, but the Britpop giants were largely limited to brash, masculine guitar music, delivered with characteristic arrogance by Liam. But if you delve deeper into the band’s B-sides and rarities, you’ll find plenty of intimate, vulnerable acoustic pieces written and performed by Noel Gallagher.
Often overlooked Oasis tracks like “Talk Tonight” and “Half the World Away” pointed to the songwriter’s ability to create something more personal than the colossal sounds of Definitely maybe. It was only when Gallagher began his solo work that he was able to fully explore these themes and bring them into focus. With the High Flying Birds, Gallagher’s songwriting has become much more varied and collaborative, as the 2021 compilation album shows Back on the same path: Volume 1.
In addition to compiling tracks from the High Flying Birds’ first three records, the compilation album also included some previously unreleased tracks. These songs, “We’re on Our Way Now” and “Flying on the Ground,” provided a glimpse into the mistakes, missteps and rip-offs of Gallagher’s solo project. “We’re On Our Way Now” is a particularly interesting moment in the songwriter’s career, as it was reportedly years in the making before it was finally recorded, although it never saw an official standalone release.
Reflecting on the track, Gallagher recalled, “I’ve had the song for a while, but I’ve never really said, ‘Yeah, it’s done.'” Perhaps it’s the song’s incompleteness that makes it so compelling, and also provides an answer to why it never appeared on a proper release from the band. “It’s great, but so flawed,” Gallagher testified, a statement that could equally apply to many of the songs he’s written throughout his illustrious career.
The guitarist and frontman explained this description as follows: “The vocals on it are a guide vocal and something happened in the studio so we never got the sound right again,” adding: “I sang the lyrics that are on there now and basically had to leave them out because I sang them again and they didn’t sound as good anymore.”
Despite the “flawed” nature of the song, it clearly deserves Gallagher’s seal of approval, as he said: “I think it’s a damn good song and I know people will love it if they liked ‘If I Had A Gun’ and ‘The Dying of the Light’. It’s kind of one of those songs.” As a result, the unfinished song ended up on the tracklist for Back on the same path: Volume 1.
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