"Rock 'n' Roll Star" is a song by English rock band

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Definitely Maybe ''Definitely Maybe'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released on 29 August 1994 by Creation Records. The album features Noel Gallagher on lead guitar, backing vocals and as chief songwriter, Liam Gallagher on lead vo ...

'' (1994). Like the majority of the band's songs from this era, it was written by lead guitarist

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...

, who said that "Rock 'n' Roll Star" was one of only three songs in which he wanted to say something: "I've pretty much summed up everything I wanted to say in "Rock 'n' Roll Star", " Live Forever" and "

Cigarettes & Alcohol "Cigarettes & Alcohol" is a song by the English rock band Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher. It was released on 10 October 1994 by Creation Records as the fourth and final single from their debut album, ''Definitely Maybe'' (1994), and their seco ...

", after that I'm repeating myself, but in a different way". It was released as a radio single in America. The song's video, directed by

Nigel Dick Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is an English music video director and filmmaker. Originally from Catterick, North Yorkshire, he is based in Los Angeles, California. He has directed music videos for artists such as Britney Spears, Toto, Ba ...

, consists of clips of the band performing the song from their Live by the Sea gig at

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

, interspersed with clips of them, filming each other, on

Southend Pier Southend Pier is a major landmark in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom. Extending into the Thames Estuary, it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. The bill to build the new pier, to replace a previous timber jetty, received roya ...

, in and around the amusement park, 'Adventure Island' then named 'Peter Pan's Playground' and in the bowling alley, which subsequently burnt down. The song was featured on the band's 2000 live album and DVD, '' Familiar to Millions''; another live version was recorded at a 2 July 2005 concert at the

City of Manchester Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium, currently known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, and commonly shortened as The Etihad, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City, with a domestic football capacity of 53, ...

and released on the band's single " Let There Be Love" in late 2005.

Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis and fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a succes ...

performed the song as part of the One Love Manchester charity concert on 4 June 2017 in aid of those affected by the

Manchester Arena bombing The Manchester Arena bombing, or Manchester Arena attack, was an Islamic terrorism in Europe, Islamic terrorist suicide bombing of Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, on 22 May 2017, following Dangerous Woman Tour, a concert by the Americ ...

. He also played the song on the Definitely Maybe Tour 30 in 2024 as the opening song, like the track listing on

Definitely Maybe ''Definitely Maybe'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released on 29 August 1994 by Creation Records. The album features Noel Gallagher on lead guitar, backing vocals and as chief songwriter, Liam Gallagher on lead vo ...

. British indie electropop band

Kero Kero Bonito Kero Kero Bonito (KKB) are a British indie pop band formed in London in 2013. The band consists of vocalist Sarah Midori Perry and producers and multi-instrumentalists Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled. Their musical style consists of indie pop, ele ...

released a cover of the song in September 2017, reinterpreting the song as a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

track.

Critical reception

Steve Baltin from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' picked the song as Pick of the Week, writing, "If any one song from their debut CD, ''

'', shows why Oasis have received the warm response they have from American audiences, this is the track. Against a wild but infectious backbeat, singer

captures the fantasy of adolescents everywhere. Yet, this is more than a dream, it's a statement we will make the fantasy come true. With their dazzling updating of the great pop hooks of the '60s, Oasis are well on their way to reaching the stardom they sing about. Look for this one to be a tremendously effective follow-up to “ Live Forever” on Modern Rock outlets everywhere, with selected AOR stations realizing the joy of this track as well. This is what pop music should be." In 2024, '' Paste'' and ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked "Rock 'n' Roll Star" number twelve and number nine, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Oasis songs.

Personnel

Oasis *

– lead vocals, tambourine *

– lead guitar, backing vocals *

Paul Arthurs Paul Benjamin Arthurs (born 23 June 1965), better known as Bonehead, is an English musician. He is best known as the co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Oasis, playing with the band from its inception in 1991 until his departure in ...

– rhythm guitar * Paul McGuigan – bass *

Tony McCarroll Anthony McCarroll (born 4 June 1971) is an English drummer and one of the founding members of the English rock band Oasis, as their drummer from 1991 until his dismissal in April 1995. He played the drums on their debut studio album, ''Definit ...

– drums Additional personnel * Mark Coyle – production,

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

*Oasis – production *

Owen Morris Owen Morris (born in Caernarfon, Wales) is a Welsh record producer who has worked with rock bands including Oasis, the Fratellis, Ash, the View, Loso and the Verve. Biography Morris started working in the music industry as a sound engineer at ...

– additional production, mixing * Barry Grint – mastering at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

, London * Anjali Dutt – engineering * Dave Scott – engineering, mixing * Roy Spong – engineering

Charts

Certifications

References

1994 songs 1995 singles Oasis (band) songs Music videos directed by Nigel Dick Songs written by Noel Gallagher Song recordings produced by Noel Gallagher Song recordings produced by Liam Gallagher Music television series theme songs {{1990s-rock-song-stub