Every Oasis song with Noel Gallagher on vocals

Posted On August 27, 2024August 27, 2024

Noel Gallagher never saw himself as someone cut out to be a frontman. He could write songs that spoke to people on a deep level, but he needed a translator to get his point across when he started writing Oasis tunes for his brother. When he did step behind the microphone on occasion, though, Noel had the ability to deliver another musical colour to the Manchester legends that no one had heard before.

Much like Keith Richards would occasionally lend a hand to The Rolling Stones by singing some tunes, Noel was always in charge of the more sentimental side of the group. While Noel knew that Liam’s trademark snide vocal could carry them for years, he knew that he would need something else when it was time for the group to tone things down a bit.

Then again, the most magical moments came when both of them were singing together. It’s impossible for fans to forget their duets on hits like ‘Acquiesce’ and ‘Let There Be Love’, and even when Liam is carrying a tune like ‘Stand By Me’, hearing Noel’s emotional vocal right behind him wasn’t just for show. They could fight amongst each other, but they were always a united front whenever they played together.

Once the group split up, though, those countless ditties that Noel sang for the group were what inevitably gave him experience working with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, having already turned in time either relieving Liam at shows or insisting on singing something himself. But for as much of a stoic genius he is, what exactly makes Noel’s voice stand out compared to that of his brother?

…But why does Noel sing Oasis songs?

From day one, Noel never loved the idea of being the Ian Brown or Morrissey of his generation. He was much more suited with a guitar in his hand and crafting melodies for other people to sing, so why bother having to develop Lead Singer Disease and become a diva to work with? Then again, songwriting isn’t always linear, and sometimes Noel hit on something that was a lot closer to the bone.

When working on his first official vocals for Oasis, Noel was usually relegated to the more downtempo material, either playing folksy cuts like ‘D’Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman?’ or the heartwrenching ‘Sad Song’. As Noel started to get more comfortable with his craft, he began stepping up to sing much more, even putting his signature stamp on ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ after telling Liam he could either sing that or ‘Wonderwall’.

But Noel never seemed to perform by himself as a way to spite his brother by any stretch. This was all about the delivery, and just like Noel would have never taken a swing at ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’, it made little sense for Liam to try his best to put some swagger behind ‘Where Did It All Go Wrong?’

How many Oasis songs has Noel Gallagher sung?

Over the years, Noel would eventually get much more comfortable as the group’s co-leader whenever Oasis played live. As much as he liked the idea of being off to the side, it wasn’t necessarily an accident for ‘The Chief’ to have either a co-lead vocal with Liam or his own featured spot on every subsequent project after Definitely Maybe. While there is still no contest about who the group’s singer is, Noel has enough material under his belt to give his brother a run for his money.

Going through Oasis’s official discography, Noel has been behind the microphone for a lead or co-lead vocal on 51 Oasis tracks, including hits like ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ and underrated deep cuts like ‘Mucky Fingers’. While it was almost a 50/50 split between the brothers on their final album, Dig Out Your Soul, Noel always possessed a distinct timbre to his voice that Liam could never match.

Whereas half of Oasis’s discography is about unfiltered rock and roll, Noel’s best moments came from having pure emotion behind his delivery, whether that was shouting their cover version of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ or sounding like he’s tenderly lulling us to sleep on the one-off demo ‘Don’t Stop’. Many of Oasis’s songs belong to ‘Our Kid’ the minute that he starts singing, but Noel was the one injecting pure heart into the material.

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