Be Here Now

Noel was reading a book about the Beatles called "Day In The Life" whilst writing songs for the album on the island of Mustique. In one of his interviews, John Lennon is asked the meaning of rock'n'roll. His answer? "To be here now". This was Noel’s inspiration.

In turn, Lennon had picked up the expression from a 60s drug guru, Timothy Leary

Cast No Shadow

Written by Noel as a dedication to Richard Ashcroft, singer with (The) Verve, and not infrequently dedicated to him live as well. Allegedly, the song was written while Noel was stuck on a train while on his way to a studio in Wales.

Cigarettes & Alcohol

"IT IS F*CKING ROCK!!! When people hear it they start smashing things up or pinching things. Someone wrote and told me they were bored one day, then they heard that song and decided to go out shoplifting. Brilliant."

Digsy’s Dinner

Liverpudlian mate Digsy Deasy, singer with Smaller, is the source for this.

Noel and Digsy were "messing around". Noel was on drums, with Digsy singing. Deasy just sang the words, "Guess what I had for me tea?", over and over again. Eventually they went into a break, and Digsy started to repeat, "It was Lasagne!!!"

And yes, it should be spelt 'Dinner'. Not 'Diner' as on some US copies of the DM album

Don't Look Back In Anger

"I went up to The Manor when Paul Weller was recording Stanley Road and that's when I did my bit on "Walk On Gilded Splinters". He   played me his song "Wings Of Speed" and that was the feel I tried to get on "Don't Look Back In Anger". There's some words nicked from  a bootleg I've got of John Lennon at the Dakota Building just talking. I did it live for the first time at Sheffield Arena. Should people put their  lives in the hands of a rock 'n' roll band? If it's us then, yeah, I think they can."

"Some of the lines come from John Lennon. I got this tape in America that had apparently been burgled from the Dakota Hotel and       someone had found these cassettes. Lennon was starting to record his memoirs on tape. He's going on about 'trying to start a revolution from me bed, because they said the brains I had went to my head.' Thank you, I'll take that."

Live Forever

"That's for Our Mam. It's quite simply one of the ten greatest songs of all time. I said that when I first wrote it and I stand by it now. I challenge anyone else in the next ten years to come up with anything as good. Except for us of course."

"A f*cking good song but I think I can do better."

Married With Children

Another Louise-inspired song..as for "Slide Away"..it's about noel knowing he's in love, but facing the inevitability of breaking up..he even admitted that he'll "probably never get over it (breaking up with louise)"..I think you can say that Slide Away has the most 'powerful' lyrics noel has every written.

Roll With It

    "Of course I was disappointed it didn't get to Number One, but it's still a great song. If anything, it gets better the more time goes by. It's just great, mindless, senseless pop music. If "Cigarettes & Alcohol" made you want to go out and nick stuff, this makes you want to take it all back. Yeah, it's a good one."

Shakermaker

Daft lyrical references are no stranger to a Gallagher composition, so who are Messrs Soft, Clean, Ben and Sifter?

Mr Soft was the cartoon character in a Softmints commercial; Mr Clean, from the Paul Weller/The Jam song on the "All Mod Cons" album; Mr Sifter, the owner of the Gallagher’s local record shop; and Mr Ben, a drug-orientated animated TV character.

More recently, the credits have added Cook / Greenaway / Davis / Backer, the co-writers of the New Seekers’ recording "I’d Like To Reach The World To Sing", to which the Noel song allegedly bears more than a passing resemblance. The New Seekers' song was also used by Coke in a famous ad, but otherwise Coke have no rights in the song.

          "That is just basic twelve bar blues. It was recorded at Out Of The Blue in Manchester, but we had to do the recorded version without the             "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" bit because Coke threatened to sue. That's why you never see us doing it live on video, 'cos Our              Kid always ends up singing the bit he's not supposed to. Are the words gibberish? Yeah, of course they are. Top gibberish though."

Slide Away

Paul's favourite song on Definitely Maybe album. it
was inspired by noel's first serious girlfriend, louise jones..and as everyone probably knows, noel was, and is, very popular with girls..and he had a lot of girlfriends (since the age of 8), but his relationship with louise lasted 6 years. he moved out at the age of 22 or 23 to live with Louise - and wrote slide away for her.

Some Might Say

"It was the first song I ever wrote when I moved to London and it was inspired by listening to The Faces. Alan McGee wanted the A-side to be "Acquiesce" because he didn't think "Some Might Say" sounded like a Number One. He's a great man but his one fault is that he has absolutely no idea how to pick singles. As soon as I'd written "Some Might Say" I was absolutely certain it would be a Number One and I was right. I never had even the slightest doubt."

Step Out

Yes, it does sound in places like "Uptight", a song recorded by Stevie Wonder. It was co-written by Wonder with Sylvia Moy and Mark Cosy, hence the writing credits.

It was originally intended that the track appear on the (What's The Story) Morning Glory? album. Indeed an initial batch of promo cd and cassette albums featuring the track were distributed to journalists. The track appears after "Some Might Say". These were later to become collectors items when problems arose over the writing credits.

The difficulties with obtaining clearance and the claimants financial demands caused the removal of the track from the album. New promos were distributed with the offending track removed.

Subsequently the track appeared as a B-side on the number 1 single "Don't Look Back In Anger".

Supersonic

The band were in Pink Museum Studio, Liverpool in December 1994. On the 19th, Noel Gallagher was stuck for lyrical inspiration, until engineer Dave Scott’s Rottweiler, Elsa, legendary for it’s dodgy digestive system, proved to be a godsend.

The dog farted constantly and the band arrived at the conclusion that it must have eaten an entire packet of Alka Seltzers hence; "I know a girl called Elsa/She’s into Alka Seltzer..."

          "That was originally going to be the B-side to "Bring It On Down", but then when we wrote it we knew it had to be an A-side. It was written             and recorded in 8 hours at the Pink Museum in Liverpool. When Alan McGee heard it he threatened to drop every other act on his label.              He didn't keep his promise though, the Scottish bastard."

          "That just came out of nowhere... I knew it was a classic as soon as we'd finished."

Wonderwall

There are several explanations for the origins of this song. The title is a reference to either: a] a 1968 film directed by Andrew Braunsberg and Joe Massott whose soundtrack was composed by George Harrison; b] a word John Lennon used instead of 'Wonderful'; c] a bedroom wall used by Noel and Liam when they were kids to pin up posters, write on, etc.

Take your pick.

It is, however, a song in honour of Noel’s wife, Meg Mathews, his "wall of strength. His solidity".

The song was also adopted, and adapted, on the terraces at Manchester City FC to glorify the then City boss, Alan Ball.

Subsequently, Mike Flowers Pops covered the song giving it a pastiche "lounge" feel. This version became a UK number 2 hit.

Despite numerous suggestions that the girl on the sleeve is Meg Mathews [Noel’s wife], this is incorrect. It is Anita Heryet, at the time a Creation employee.

         "No, but I want another one! And I've got one. Just wait until you hear it."