"Little by Little" is a song by English rock band
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
, first released as the sixth track on their fifth studio album, ''
Heathen Chemistry
''Heathen Chemistry'' is the fifth studio album by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 1 July 2002 by Big Brother Recordings. It is the first Oasis studio album recorded with guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell, who both joined th ...
''. In September 2002, it was released with "
She Is Love
"She Is Love" is a song by English rock band Oasis, first released as the ninth track on their fifth studio album, ''Heathen Chemistry, ''written and sung by guitarist Noel Gallagher''. ''In September 2002, it was released with " Little by Li ...
" as the first (and only)
double A-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
single by the band, peaking at number two on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and number nine on the
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...
. "Little by Little" by itself reached number two on the
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart was a chart compiled by the American-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan, which began publication in November 1996. It was published every Wednesday and also published on Thursday by '' Jam!''/Canoe. I ...
and number five in Italy.
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
provides lead vocals on both tracks, which he also wrote.
The promo video to the song featured a guest role by
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes '' Trainspotting'' (1996), ''The Full Monty'' (1997), ''The World Is Not Enough'' (1999), ''Angela's Ashes'' (1999), '' The Beach'' (2000), ''28 Weeks Later'' (20 ...
. The cover art for the single is an homage to
Robert Indiana
Robert Indiana (born Robert Clark; September 13, 1928 – May 19, 2018) was an American artist associated with the pop art movement.
His iconic image LOVE was first created in 1964 in the form of a card which he sent to several friends and acq ...
's ''
Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
'' artwork series.
Background
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He achieved fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis from 1991 to 2009, and later fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2009 to 2014, before starti ...
was originally meant to record lead vocals for "Little by Little", but according to Noel, he couldn't manage it. "It's a shame 'cos that would have made it extra, extra special. When it came to him (recording the vocals) you could see he was going, 'I'm not going to fucking get it.' And we were all willing him to get it. I went in and did a version and you could see he was sat at the desk going, 'Fucking bastard. He's got it.' But he doesn't want to do anything that's shit."
Music video
There are two versions of the music video, one being Noel Gallagher sitting on a doorstep singing and playing guitar as people (including
Gem Archer
Colin Murray Archer (born 7 December 1966) is an English musician and singer, best known as a member of the English rock bands Oasis, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, making him, alongside Chris Sharrock, one of the only member ...
) throw money to him. A small man (played by
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes '' Trainspotting'' (1996), ''The Full Monty'' (1997), ''The World Is Not Enough'' (1999), ''Angela's Ashes'' (1999), '' The Beach'' (2000), ''28 Weeks Later'' (20 ...
) mimes to Gallagher. It then shows Carlyle's character at a bus stop with
Alan White and then grows to normal size and trips over but is helped up by
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He achieved fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis from 1991 to 2009, and later fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2009 to 2014, before starti ...
. Carlyle's character is then last seen growing to giant size, walking into a forest and then into farmland. The alternate version shows the band playing in a concert at
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London parks ...
in 2002.
Track listings
* UK 7-inch single and European CD single
# "Little by Little"
# "
She Is Love
"She Is Love" is a song by English rock band Oasis, first released as the ninth track on their fifth studio album, ''Heathen Chemistry, ''written and sung by guitarist Noel Gallagher''. ''In September 2002, it was released with " Little by Li ...
"
* UK 12-inch and CD single, Australian CD single
# "Little by Little"
# "She Is Love"
# "
My Generation
"My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs. The song was named the 11th greatest song by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It becam ...
"
* UK and European DVD single
# "Little by Little"
# "Little by Little" (demo)
# ''10 Minutes of Noise and Confusion Pt. 3'' (
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London parks ...
, London, July 2002)
* European CD single—Special Tour Edition
# "Little by Little"
# "My Generation"
# "Columbia" (live)
# "Little by Little" (live video) (
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London parks ...
, London, July 2002)
Personnel
Oasis
*
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
– lead vocals and acoustic guitar
*
Gem Archer
Colin Murray Archer (born 7 December 1966) is an English musician and singer, best known as a member of the English rock bands Oasis, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, making him, alongside Chris Sharrock, one of the only member ...
– electric guitar
*
Andy Bell –
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
*
Alan White – drums and
tambourine
The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...
Additional musicians
*
Paul Stacey
Paul Stacey (born 27 September 1963) is a British guitarist and producer, best known for his work with Oasis, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and the Black Crowes.
Biography
Stacey's early work included the 1990s band, the Lemon Trees (with ...
–
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2002 singles
Oasis (band) songs
Song recordings produced by Andy Bell (musician)
Song recordings produced by Gem Archer
Song recordings produced by Liam Gallagher
Song recordings produced by Noel Gallagher
Songs written by Noel Gallagher