Noel Gallagher believes his song ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ is "more important than ever" after it was performed at a vigil following the Manchester terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert.
The hit song from Oasis’ seminal 1995 LP ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ was sung by thousands of people in tribute to the 22 people who were killed and 59 injured when a bomb was detonated at the ‘Problem’ singer’s concert at Manchester Arena on Monday (22.05.17).
The 49-year-old rocker told how the single didn’t mean much to the group when they first recorded it, but has now taken on a whole new meaning in memory of those who died when the nail bomb was let off in the foyer of the popular venue.
When asked if the track made a big difference to him by Radio X presenter John Kennedy, he replied: "Not at the time. At the time, it was just another song on our second album. Honestly as the years have gone by, it’s like that song is now more important than I’ll ever be. You know, there’s footage on the internet now of people singing it in Manchester with candles and all that and you know, it’s kind of, it is incredible to think that a few generations now have attached some kind of importance to that song. There was mine, and it was passed on to another generation and that song now has become a hymn to something or other."
And the ‘Wonderwall’ hitmaker claimed he was humbled that the track is important to his loyal fans over 20 years after its release.
He said: "It makes me feel – is it proud, the word I’m looking for? I don’t ever sit there and think that I wrote that, you know. I think it came from somewhere else. I think it was a song that was there somewhere, and if I hadn’t have written it, you know, Bono would have written it. You know, it’s like those great songs, ‘One’ and ‘Let It Be’ and yeah, I did just compare myself to Paul McCartney there. You know, they’re there. If they fall out the sky and land on your lap, then lucky you."
To hear Noel Gallagher’s interview with John Kennedy in full, tune in to ‘What A Life! Noel Gallagher at 50’ on Radio X, Sunday 28th May at 8pm.