1994
Oasis

Live Forever

LIVE FOREVER is one of the earliest song of Oasis and marked the beginning of their immense success.

 

I. Origin

LIVE FOREVER was released on 8 August 1994 as the third single from Oasis, just a month before the arrival of the band’s debut album, Definitely Maybe. LIVE FOREVER made Number 10 in the UK singles charts making it the biggest success for the band at the time and becoming one of their most enduring songs in the future.

It is considered that the idea of LIVE FOREVER was born at the time when the main songwriter, Noel Gallagher, was not even a member of his younger brother’s band and was working for a building company contracted to British Gas. After a minor accident, his foot had been injured, so Noel Gallagher was put in charge of the storeroom, which turned out to be a less strenuous job and therefore allowed him to devote more time to song writing. Apart from a couple of odd jobs, he had worked as a roadie and technician for the Manchester band Inspiral Carpets before he accepted the offer to join his brother’s band and did so on the condition that he would become its sole songwriter.

According to Noel Gallagher, back then in 1991 he got inspired by the song “Shine A Light” from the Rolling Stones album Exile on Main Street, 1972 (Milner 2007). Without any certain reason he just started playing some Mick Jagger’s vocals over and over against his own guitar pattern. It was the chorus line “May the good lord shine a light on you” which was then replaced by Gallagher with “Maybe I don’t really want to know” and grew eventually into a completely different song.

Moreover, Noel’s lyrics appeared in some way as a response to the whole downbeat and negative attitude developed and transmitted by grunge music, particularly that of Kurt Cobain. Though Noel generally appreciated what Nirvana was doing, he could not take the pessimistic message sent by “I Hate Myself and Want to Die”, the track released by Nirvana in 1993. He was struck by the idea of a recognised artist having fame and fortune but feeling deeply miserable at the same while himself being poor but aspiring to life, and this ironic antithesis underpinned the song.

“It struck me that this […] extremely talented guy, had everything I wanted,” Noel Gallagher explained. “He was rich, he was famous, he was in the greatest rock and roll band of its time — and he’s writing songs saying he hates himself and wants to die! My way of thinking was, Well, I […] love myself, and I’m gonna live forever, man!” (ibid.).

Noel played the song during one of the band’s rehearsal in 1993 and it made a great impression, according to Tony McCarroll, the drummer of the band from 1991 to 1995: “You know if a song has a potential the first time you hear it. LIVE FOREVER was a simple piece of brilliance and the best offering to date from Noel, in my opinion” (McCarroll 2011). During the early years, the frontman Liam Gallagher would personally sing the falsetto part (“You and I, we’re gonna live forever”), but eventually Noel Gallagher picked up the role of singing the falsetto.

Oasis recorded LIVE FOREVER at Clear Studios at Manchester, England. The song itself was actually one of the reasons why the label boss Alan McGee decided to sign Oasis to Creation Records. He was impressed by the four-song set played by the band at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow on 31 May 1993.

This Oasis classic officially has two different music videos. One of the videos was designed by Carlos Grasso for the British public on 24 July 1994 and the other for American audience directed by Nick Egan. Both videos are included on the 2004 Definitely Maybe DVD.

Over the years, LIVE FOREVER has become some sort of crowd favourite to play at concerts. Sometimes, as it was done at the Manchester concert in 1996, the performance of the song would be accompanied by a slideshow of famous deceased musicians Oasis admired — such as Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, and Sid Vicious — which would be displayed behind the band, with a picture of John Lennon always at the end of the slideshow.

 

II. Context

Any kind of political and social discontent most likely leads to cultural explosions, which can be illustrated with the appearance of Brit-pop or grunge movement that took place in the US. Just prior to the birth of Oasis, the grunge era began coming to an end, with the tragic death of Kurt Cobain in 1994 as its climax. The world was witnessing grunge transforming into post-grunge maintaining the same depressing spirit of self-destruction when the new wave of uplifting power came unexpectedly through a simple statement: “You and I are gonna live forever.” The societal-economic crisis caused by the neo-liberal policies of the Thatcher era paved the way to the emergence of a critical attitude in culture through punk, most famously represented by the Sex Pistols. Oasis, on the contrary, have chosen to get over the situation and introduce a new narrative. This positive attitude transmitted by a young Manchester band hit the public like a breath of fresh air, thus symbolising the split between American grunge and Britpop of the 90s. Confident lyrics and upbeat energy turned into an empowering movement which defined a decade.

The climate that burst Oasis might be as well defined as specific. Answering to one of the questions on Reddit AMA Noel Gallagher said that in the given circumstances the song turned out to be life-changing for him: “Where I came from, and the times that I grew up in, it was best not to have any ambitions. It was quite a bleak time. I never had a life goal until I wrote LIVE FOREVER. And then when I wrote LIVE FOREVER, I wanted to be in the biggest band in the world” (Genius). The Gallaghers came from a poor family in working-class Manchester, born to Irish immigrants and were the sons of an abusive, alcoholic father.

Matt Deverson, managing editor of Radio X, highly appreciated Oasis’ work and commented on the news that LIVE FOREVER was voted the best British song as follows: “The release of LIVE FOREVER in 1994 heralded the arrival of an era-defining debut album from one of the country’s greatest bands – it was a hugely exciting moment for British music. It’s a very special song and within the past year we have seen it resonate with even more poignancy as a much-loved Manchester anthem” (Britton 2018).

Throughout the years LIVE FOREVER not only managed to find its admirers but also acquired a new meaning. That can be illustrated by one of the most powerful live performances of LIVE FOREVER which followed the terror attack on Manchester in May 2017. Liam Gallagher performed it at the One Love Manchester concert along with Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland of Coldplay. After that and another performance at the Brit Awards 2018 in honour of all the victims of the bombing in Manchester, LIVE FOREVER became a part of Liam’s solo setlist. Consequently, the song took on a new connotation, a message of hope and strength.

 

III. Analysis

The song starts with the drums making it recognizable right from the start. Then comes the line: “Maybe I don’t really want to know / How your garden grows / Cause I just want to fly.” Liam said more than once that the song was dedicated to their mother, Peggy Gallagher, and it was exactly her garden mentioned in the lyrics. The allusion seems to draw a parallel to the state of being stuck in the boring reality as an inevitable adulting experience, being bound to the same old place and dreaming about a great getaway.

Though both brothers have a deep affection to their mother, the protagonist (or song persona) expresses his frustration about the ordinary life as it contradicts his worldview. Thus, the all-day “gardening” may be considered a metaphor for the daily routine, for the disappointing waste of lifetime. Home is a good and safe place to stay, nevertheless the protagonist has no intention to bury himself, figuratively and literally, in the same ground where he grew up. He just cannot bear spending each day of his life in the same predictable way and get a boring low-paid job like the rest of his working-class friends as he aspires to bigger things: he wants to see the world, to fly, to succeed and gain recognition. And what is most remarkable, he does not even consider a possibility of giving everything up or being ruled by the unfavourable fate in the end.

The rain appears as a sign of change causing the feeling of mental pain, which strikes the protagonist as he is getting soaked to the bone. It might be the moment of bitter realization that time flies and there is no point in living someone else’s life and suffering from it. The rain may be as well associated with anxiety of having to cope with the circumstances, to postpone the actions, to hide and wait inside.

The anaphora “maybe” in the chorus reveals some kind of uncertainty in what the protagonist wants to make of his life. He seems to be tangled in his aspirations but as he is determined to shoot for the stars, nothing can stop him from moving on any more: “Maybe I just wanna fly / Wanna live, I don’t wanna die / Maybe I just wanna breathe / Maybe I just don’t believe / Maybe you’re the same as me / We see things they’ll never see / You and I are gonna live forever.”

First thing that comes to his mind is that of flying, which shows the desire to abandon the place where he grew up and where he does not possess any opportunity to make his dreams come true. The protagonist sounds like a desperate romantic, eager to grasp fresh air, live every moment to its fullest, see people and discover, feel his blood run through his veins. Sceptic about the accustomed lifestyle (“Maybe I just don’t believe”), he finds or imagines himself a soulmate, who feels exactly the same way, believes and supports him. Noel Gallagher mentioned that the lines are references to how closest friends share their inside jokes and stories that nobody else understands.

The second chorus sends another powerful message: life is not fair and easy, even for those who do their best to achieve the goals. It is not that bad to look back, to let yourself doubt or fear as long as you keep your dream alive. Those who have the courage to follow their heart and intuition and to move on in spite of any trouble develop their personality and make something decent of themselves. It might not be the desired effect in the end, but it is something that gives life a purpose: “Maybe I will never be / All the things that I wanna be / Now is not the time to cry / Now’s the time to find out why.” Someone who lives life in the right and meaningful way cannot be forgotten and therefore lives forever.

All that is summarized in the outro: the repetition of “We’re gonna live forever”. This line against dramatic vocals of Liam Gallagher creates an overwhelming spirit, inspiring hope and confidence, but also heart-breaking emotions.

The single cover is a reference to The Beatles, the idols for the whole band, as it is a picture 251 Menlove Avenue in Liverpool, England, the childhood home of John Lennon. The picture was taken in black and white by the same photographer who made the cover sleeve. Thus, the line of a dear home left to the memories for the bigger future spreads to the cover image.

The album sleeve, for its part, was supposed to be an allusion to the Beatles as well. Though the photographer Michael Spencer was not quite impressed with the idea suggested by the band members, he developed it with the help of his own vision and managed to turn the cover shot into an enduring artwork. It was a great pleasure for him to cooperate with the band: “I’d heard the album and knew it was going to be massive. So, I was totally focused – you have to treat some album shoots like the singles final at Wimbledon. Once I’d got everyone positioned and the globe was spinning, I looked through the camera and I was buzzing. I knew I’d got it” (Spencer 2019). Since then he has taken quite a lot of pictures of Oasis.

As mentioned earlier, two different music videos were made for the song. As noticed by Philip Auslander, “both the line between real person and performance persona and the line between persona and character may be blurry and indistinct, especially in the case of pop music performers whose work is heavily autobiographical” (Auslander 2004: 7) The issue perfectly suits the case, though it might be considered that the performance personae of the artists as rock and roll stars slightly differ from the characters of the British video version portrayed as a group of carefree Manchester fellows. As to the real persons, the autobiographical aspect of the song does not seem to overlap the band’s scenic image.

The original British video presents a surreal imagery such as a neon-coloured garden, Liam Gallagher sitting on a chair glued to a wall and the members of the band burying their drummer Tony McCarroll alive. The man lies in the ground just a few seconds and comes back as soon as he gets his drumsticks. The passion for music makes him rise from the dead and struggle to “live forever”.

In the American video the band is playing in a house with numerous pictures of John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Sid Vicious, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Bobby Moore on the wall, like a flashback reminder of all legendary artists who made their mark in this world.

 

IV. Reception

LIVE FOREVER is one of the first yet most significant singles by Oasis, recognised as an indie “anthem” (Britton 2018) and “the best British song ever” (Milner 2007) according to different polls. This life affirming song marked the beginning of the band’s rise to fame and embedded the band’s name in the British music history. Even after the band split, the song features in Liam Gallagher’s live sets, thus replacing the most popular Oasis song in the set-list, “Wonderwall”.

UK radio station Radio X held a poll in 2018, in which LIVE FOREVER was voted as “the best British song ever”, leaving Queen’s 1975 classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” behind. Matt Deverson, managing editor of Radio X, stated: “The release of LIVE FOREVER in 1994 heralded the arrival of an era-defining debut album from one of the country’s greatest bands – it was a hugely exciting moment for British music. It’s a very special song and within the past year we have seen it resonate with even more poignancy as a much-loved Manchester anthem” (Britton 2018).

There are a lot of opinions on the positive impact of the song throughout the history. “It’s about young outsiders chasing immortality, and it’s Britpop’s national anthem” (Billboard 2014).

Liam Gallagher told Q magazine October 2008 that this is his favourite Oasis song: “I think the words still mean something powerful. You talk about Oasis capturing a spirit, and I think that song is how a lot of people feel when they’re down on their luck. I think I first heard it in the Boardwalk in Manchester when our kid (Noel Gallagher) was trying it out. Even when we’re starting it now, I always feel like we’re going to perform our best version of it. It makes me think of my Mom. And it’s the song that makes me feel I have the best job in the band. I may not have written it but I get to sing it. It’s weird cause it’s outlasted other tunes” (Taylor 2025).

That is also the view of Tony McCarroll: “Our third single (LIVE FOREVER) was a stormer and my personal favourite. Our first Top Ten hit. I suppose if anything reminded me of the fantastic time we had in Liverpool, it was this song” (Tony McCarroll 2011).

Noel Gallagher seems to be pretty proud of this tune. He told Q magazine in 2011: “With every song that I write, I compare it to The Beatles. I’ve got semi-close once or twice, with LIVE FOREVER, for example… the solo on that is one of the greatest things in rock music” (Taylor 2025).

 

SOFYA TARABIAN

Credits

Lead Guitar, backing vocals: Noel Gallagher
Rhythm Guitar: Paul Arthur
Bass: Paul McGuigan
Drums: Tony McCarroll
Lead vocals, tambourine: Liam Gallagher
Music/writer/songwriting: Noel Gallagher
Producer: Oasis, Mark Coyle, Owen Morris
Label: Creation
Recorded:1994
Published: 8 August 1994
Length: 4:36

Recordings

  • Oasis. “Live Forever”, 1994, Creation Records, CRESCD 185, UK (Single/CD).

References

About the Author

Analysis written in a course of Prof. Dr. Fernand Hörner at the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf.
All contributions by Sofya Tarabian

Citation

Sofya Tarabian: “Live Forever (Oasis)”. In: Songlexikon. Encyclopedia of Songs. Ed. by Michael Fischer, Fernand Hörner and Christofer Jost, https://www.songlexikon.de/songs/live-forever, 06/2025.

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