Live Forever

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This article is about the song by Oasis. For the flower, see Sedum

"Live Forever" is a song by British rock group Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher. It was released as the third single from their first album Definitely Maybe on 8 August 1994, and was their first single to enter the top ten in the United Kingdom(something every single has done since), peaking at #10 and spending over a year in the charts.

Whereas Oasis' previous singles, "Supersonic" and "Shakermaker", had been rather superficial — using bizarre and vivid imagery, rather than any strong lyrical content — "Live Forever" is seen as Oasis' crossover track. Noel Gallagher cites this as the point at which people began to take the band seriously. He has commented on the reaction to the single a few times; once suggesting that people thought that Oasis were "a bunch of chancers singing about traffic lights and my friend Mr. Soft" until "Live Forever" came out, which is, as he puts it, when people started to say "Hang on, there's something here, and you can't deny it." He has also given his thoughts on the song's success and quality: "People said to me after 'Live Forever', 'Where are you gonna go after that?' And I was like, I don't think it's that good. I think it's a fucking good song, but I think I can do better."

It has been claimed that the song is an ode to Peggy Gallagher, mother of Noel and Liam, and her love of gardening is referred to in the song. However, Noel explains it as a song about two close friends, using the line "We see things they'll never see" as an example, as he finds old friends do tend to laugh at jokes and stories that bemuse others.

The video for "Live Forever" is also noteworthy as it featured their drummer Tony McCarroll being buried alive by the other band members. Less than a year later he and the band had parted company. Some of the UK version of the promo video was filmed in Strawberry Fields Memorial — the area of New York's central park dedicated to John Lennon. The house on the cover of the single is 251 Menlove Avenue, the childhood home of Lennon.

Track listing

"Live Forever"
"Up In The Sky" (acoustic)
"Cloudburst"
"Supersonic" (Live at Gleneagles, 6th February 1994)

"Cloudburst" heavily resembles the Stone Roses b-side "Standing Here". Contrary to what it says on the sleevenotes, the live version of "Supersonic" was recorded at a gig at the Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland on the 6th February 1994 and not in April '94.

Sample

["Live Forever"] ([file info])
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* Problems listening to the file? See [Media helpmedia help].

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