With (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis build off the success of their sterling debut album, Definitely Maybe. Though less of a guitar-rock record than Definitely Maybe, Morning Glory boasts a more melodic, introspective quality with several spectacular ballads serving as album highlights. Oasis have never been shy about wanting to be one of the biggest bands in the world, and with Morning Glory, they’re well on their way.
Relationships Gone Wrong
Oasis are led by singer Liam Gallagher and his songwriting brother Noel. And while Noel’s lyrics aren’t particularly strong or memorable, the muscular power of his music, matched with Liam’s endearingly nasally vocals, help push the album’s themes across. Morning Glory deals largely with relationships, but rather than the typical lovey-dovey sentimentality of pop bands or the furrowed-brow angst of grunge, the group’s songs are wistful and melancholic. If Definitely Maybe felt bratty and exuberant, like a fun-filled night out on the town, then Morning Glory sounds like the morning after, suffering from a hangover and assessing the damage done. Morning Glory may seem less exciting than its predecessor at first, but its rewards are deeper and more profound.Beautiful Ballads
A trio of superb ballads form the heart of the album, and they offer three different viewpoints on the difficulties of making love last. “Wonderwall” is a nervous assessment of a relationship at a crossroads. Singing his brother’s words, Liam wonders aloud if love can ever heal the void within himself and whether his girlfriend still feels anything for him. “Don’t Look Back in Anger” is grander musically, conjuring comparisons to John Lennon’s “Imagine,” but its mood is much more downcast. With Noel taking over lead vocals, the song addresses a lover who has already abandoned the narrator, and now there’s only the wreckage of the breakup to piece through. Finally, “Champagne Supernova” stretches past seven minutes for a psychedelic rumination that calls to mind what the Beatles achieved with their trippy “Tomorrow Never Knows.” The lyrics may be maddeningly vague – something about cannonballs and landslides – but the music creates a powerful mood of regret but also acceptance. As the last track from Morning Glory, “Champagne Supernova” ends the album on a note of reconciliation – even if the lovers can’t remain together, maybe there is still hope for a better day tomorrow.A Song for Every Mood
Morning Glory’s hushed vulnerability may be the album’s most noticeable quality, but Oasis are just as comfortable in other modes as well. “Morning Glory” is a fierce rocker about drugged-out recklessness that’s compelling in its furious abandon, managing to make the jet-set lifestyle both frightening and weirdly exciting. And showing a droll sense of humor, “She’s Electric” rides a rollicking beat for a tale about one unusual gal from a “family full of eccentrics.” More so than on Definitely Maybe, Morning Glory demonstrate a band that can easily transition across different genres, and consequently the album breezes from one fantastic track to the next.An Oasis Triumph
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? delivers on the promise of Definitely Maybe, proving that Oasis can write both propulsive hard rock songs and heartbreaking ballads. Beyond its great set of songs, Morning Glory is alive with the spirit of being young, celebrating the highs and mourning the lows with equal aplomb.Best Tracks:
“Wonderwall”“Some Might Say”
“Don’t Look Back in Anger”
“Champagne Supernova”
“Cast No Shadow”
Release date – October 3, 1995
