…at least to me, it is.
Nineties anthem from iconic rock band is crowned the best British song of all time
and here it is: Live Forever (Oasis)
Okay, I admit that I’m not the best one to judge this poll-driven decision, especially as I couldn’t hum or whistle any Oasis song with a gun pointed at my head.
But I would humbly suggest that this silly, simplistic song isn’t only not the best British song of all time, but it doesn’t even come close to songs like, oh, the Beatles’ Hey Jude or for that matter The White Cliffs Of Dover or Keep The Home Fires Burning, to name but three that predate Oasis’ jangling, annoying ditty.
This is why all GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) comparisons are irretrievably flawed: different eras breed different greats, and if we’re even going to compare a nondescript song of thirty-odd years ago with songs that have emerged since then, I’d also suggest that Live Forever doesn’t match up to Adele’s Rolling In The Deep, which sold over twenty million singles (and which I don’t especially care for, either).
Pointless nonsense. I’m kinda sorry I even took any notice of it. Sorry.
Even for people who quite like Oasis, Live Forever is a weird choice. There are at least three other songs on the same album that track came from that I prefer, and I wouldn’t rate any of them as the best British song of all time either.
I look at the Rolling Stone top whatever lists from time to time and I’ll give some of the albums, songs, musicians a try. some I like, others I don’t. I don’t think of these lists as authoritative. Rather I just look at them is a direction in which to explore.
Your pick of “Hey Jude” is certainly better than anything Oasis excreted, but I’m not a fan of that song either. I think there are better songs from the Beatles.
Well, for more pointless nonsense I’m of the opinion that the best rock music all came out in one year – 1971.
As an example (I’m ‘way too lazy to put together my own list) take a look at the following from the “Jazz and Pop Critics Poll” for ’71:
https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres71.php
No matter how you cut it, if you were listening to rock-‘n-roll or just rock, that’s an impressive set of albums from an impressive set of groups. If they existed between 1968 to 1975, they put out their best album in 1971.
Just one old phart’s opinion.
Shouldn’t it be British Tribal Music?
https://youtu.be/DPNSNC5QAkE?si=85NaLfsK-LeyL3Jb
Land of Hope & Glory?
Jerusalem?
Pretty much anything from Handel’s Messiah?
Oasis don’t even register.
Quentin, I was headed the same place you got to. Other possibilities, in the order they popped up from my elderly neurons:
Amazing Grace
Greensleeves
Men of Harlech
Scotland the Brave
I expect all our suggestions to be known in 100 years. All of Oasis will be forgotten in 50.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”
Being (blissfully) similarly ignorant of this ditty, and having only cursory familiarity with Oasis, I made the mistake of crawling to EwwChoob to have a listen. (In “Private Mode”, thank God, so the algo-monkeys won’t touch me.) I made it about three seconds into the vocals and then I bailed out. In general, I hate about 99.999875% of every song that has been released since 1991 (when “Grunge” took over), and I despise THIS “singing” style, which is the same vomitous mode as “Rat In a Cage”. If this truly is the Best Song that The Sceptered Isle has ever released, then we need to roll up all our military bases and let them fall to their mohammaden barbarian invaders. 1066-2025. They had a helluva run.
I got through maybe ten seconds, and decided that guy on the wall chair should take the vice grips off his nuts before recording his “music.”
I couldn’t hum, whistle or even name an Oasis tune even if I had a gun pointed at my head.
Every time I see a poll of critics, regular folks, or whomever about what’s the best fill-in-the-blanks song, or guitar player, drummer, left-handed dulcimer player, etc. If I read it my usual response is “What the hell were they thinking?!?” Consequently, I don’t read about them anymore. I like what I like, you like what you like, maybe there will be some overlap.
Oasis? That whiny lead singer of theirs is enough to get me to change channels whenever I hear one of their “songs” come up.