oasis 28 years ago

Oasis | Don't Look Back In Anger (1996)

"Don't Look Back in Anger" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It was written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter Noel Gallagher. The song was produced by Gallagher and Owen Morris.

Released on 19 February 1996 as the fourth single from their second studio album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), it became Oasis's second single to reach No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, earning a quadruple-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 more singles.


The song is in the key of C, but pitched slightly sharp of the standard concert tuning of A 440 at 451. It is one of the band's signature songs, and was played at almost every single live show from its release to the dissolution of the band in 2009.


In 2012, it was ranked No. 1 on a list of the "50 Most Explosive Choruses" by NME and the same year it was voted the fourth-most-popular No. 1 single of the last 60 years in the UK by the public in conjunction with the Official Charts Company's 60th anniversary.


In 2015, Rolling Stone readers voted it the second-greatest Britpop song after "Common People" by Pulp.


On 29 May 2017, Absolute Radio 90s broadcast a programme counting down the top 50 songs written by Noel Gallagher to mark his 50th birthday, with the song being voted No. 1.


In August 2020, the song was voted as the greatest song of the '90s by listeners of Absolute Radio 90s as part of celebrations for the station's tenth anniversary.

Oasis
1991 - 2009