"Wonderwall" | ||||||||||||
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Single by Oasis | ||||||||||||
from the album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | ||||||||||||
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Released | 30 October 1995 | |||||||||||
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Recorded | May 1995 at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales | |||||||||||
Genre | Britpop | |||||||||||
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Label | Creation | |||||||||||
Writer(s) | Noel Gallagher | |||||||||||
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Oasis singles chronology | ||||||||||||
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12 tracks |
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"Wonderwall" is a song by the English rock band Oasis, written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter Noel Gallagher. The song was produced by Owen Morris for their second studio album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995). According to Gallagher, "Wonderwall" describes "an imaginary friend who's gonna come and save you from yourself".
The song was released as the third single from the album in October 1995. "Wonderwall" topped the chart in Australia, New Zealand, and Spain. The song reached the top ten on another ten charts, including Canada and the United States at number 5 and 8, respectively, as well as number two on both the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart. The single was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry and certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
It remains one of the band's most popular songs; on 9 June 2013, it was voted number one on Australian alternative music radio station Triple J's "20 Years of the Hottest 100". Many notable artists have also covered the song, such as rock singer Ryan Adams in 2003, folk singer Cat Power, and jazz musician Brad Mehldau in 2008.
Noel Gallagher told NME in 1996, that "Wonderwall" was written for his then-girlfriend, Meg Mathews. However, after Gallagher divorced Mathews in 2001, he said the song was not about Mathews: "The meaning of that song was taken away from me by the media who jumped on it, and how do you tell your Mrs it's not about her once she's read it is? It's a song about an imaginary friend who's gonna come and save you from yourself".