"Songbird" 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 ...

from 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 ...

'', and is the first single by Oasis written by vocalist

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 ...

. Released on 3 February 2003, the song reached number three 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 ...

, 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 the top 10 in Ireland and Italy. During an interview with ''The Matt Morgan Podcast'', Liam's brother and bandmate

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 ...

called the track a "perfect" song.

Composition

Liam has said of the song: "I like beautiful things . . . It's not all dark in Liam World. I take me shades off every now and again and have a look at the world and see some nice things." Noel Gallagher stated jokingly in an interview with

Patrick Kielty Patrick Kielty (born 31 January 1971) is a Northern Irish comedian and television personality. Background Kielty was born in County Down, Northern Ireland, and grew up in the village of Dundrum. He is one of three sons born to the businessm ...

that Liam decided to "write a song about his bird", and states the title "Song . . . bird" in a cave man like manner. The song was written as a tribute to then-fiancée

Nicole Appleton Nicole Marie Appleton (born 7 December 1974) is a Canadian singer and television presenter. She is a member of the British girl group All Saints and Canadian duo Appleton with her elder sister Natalie Appleton. Early life Appleton was born ...

. "Songbird" was composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

using

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

at 132

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

Release and other versions

The song was released as the fourth single from the band's ''

'' album, on 3 February 2003 and peaked at number three on the

. It is the only track from ''Heathen Chemistry'' included on the band's first

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

Stop the Clocks ''Stop the Clocks'' is a compilation album by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 20 November 2006 by Big Brother Recordings. The "retrospective collection" is an 18-track double album with the featured songs chosen by Noel Gallagher ...

'', as well as the only track written by Liam included on it. Being written by lead singer

, it was the first time the band had released a single not written by his brother Noel. "(You've Got) The Heart of the Star" and "Columbia" are

B-sides 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 ...

, the latter of which was recorded live at the

Glasgow Barrowlands The Barrowland Ballroom (also known as Barrowlands) is a dance hall and music venue in Glasgow, Scotland. History The original building opened in 1934 in a mercantile area east of Glasgow's city centre, built by Maggie McIver, the "Barras Quee ...

, in October 2001. The demo of the song is a typical Oasis approach to the song, featuring overdriven guitar and a stronger beat, as well as a guitar solo.

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as t ...

has said that she and Liam played a version with her whistling and Gallagher playing guitar and singing, this was noted in the book ''Kurt and Courtney: Talking''. Gallagher played the song for

UK Radio Aid UK Radio Aid was a charitable event in the United Kingdom held on Monday 17 January 2005 to raise money for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal for the victims of the Asian tsunami. Format The event consisted of a twelve-hour radio show ...

in January 2005. In December 2017, Irish music school The Music Yard used the song's melody for their Christmas song "Talking to a Snowman".

Critical reception

Doug Levy for ''CMJ New Music Report'' said that Gallagher had a "surprising talent for songwriting", referring to "Songbird" and album tracks "Better Man" and "Born on a Different Cloud". ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine's Chuck Klosterman said "Songbird" was one of the two "most compelling songs" on the album.

Music video

The video features Liam performing the song in

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

in London, whilst playing an acoustic guitar under a tree, and alternately chasing and being chased by a dog. The video also has an appearance by Appleton.

Track listings

* 7-inch single :A. "Songbird" :B. "(You've Got) The Heart of a Star" * UK CD and 12-inch single # "Songbird" # "(You've Got) The Heart of a Star" # "Columbia" (live) * UK DVD single # "Songbird" # "Songbird" (demo) # Exclusive interview and live performance footage * Japanese maxi-CD single # "Songbird" # "Songbird" (demo) # "Columbia" (live)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

'Songbird' song of the day on thishereboogie.com 18 September 2008
{{Authority control 2003 singles Epic Records singles Number-one singles in Scotland 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 Liam Gallagher