(Credits: Far Out / Jill Furmanovsky)
To say that Oasis are fans of The Beatles is like saying that the Gallagher brothers have a few minor disagreements. From the first time the band got traction on the charts, the comparisons with the Fab Four couldn’t be denied, from their melodic sensibilities to Liam Gallagher looking an awful lot like John Lennon. While they were happy to draw influence from one of their favourite acts, there was only one time when a proper Beatle appeared on one of their songs.
Then again, many keen-eared listeners would notice that many of the group’s greatest songs were already hiding different Beatle tricks up their sleeves. Not since Electric Light Orchestra had someone been this blatant in punching ideas from the Fab Four, with Noel putting different melodic touches that were taken entirely from the band, from the George Harrison solo hiding in ‘Supersonic’ to the ‘Imagine’-inspired piano intro that kicks off ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’.
None of the members were looking to hide their influences, either. Even when compiling their single covers, there were always obligatory references to their favourite band from Liverpool, including a picture of John Lennon’s house being used as the cover for the single ‘Live Forever’.
By the time the band had entered the 2000s, though, they had come a long way from their Britpop-flavoured heyday. Wanting to make something a lot more streamlined than their previous work, albums like Heathen Chemistry saw them making songs that focused on raw rock and roll rather than stealing from The Beatles directly.
Once Don’t Believe the Truth came out, though, the band started to get back in touch with their classic rock roots, including Liam assuming a vocal affectation as close to John Lennon as he had ever gotten. Though the group got heavier on their swan song, Dig Out Your Soul, Liam would write one of his masterpieces with one of his childhood heroes in mind.
On its own, ‘I’m Outta Time’ is one of Liam’s most accomplished songs, featuring a fantastic melody reminiscent of the soft singing that he had done on tracks like ‘Songbird’. Even though Liam could make songs on par with his brother by now, the track’s outro is where he leaves it up to the musical gods.
After singing the song’s title to close out the track, the faint sounds of a record player can be heard, with an iconic voice taking over for Liam’s nasal croon. As the band plays out, John Lennon can be heard in the background, saying, “As Churchill said, ‘It’s every Englishman’s inalienable right to live where the hell he likes.’ What’s it going to do, vanish? Is it not going to be there when I get back?”.
Taken from an interview Lennon had done in the 1970s, the snippet of dialogue would prove bittersweet for the former Beatle, who had not returned to England before his untimely death in 1980. Considering the song is about making up for lost time that will never be fully realised, Liam could easily be singing from his idol’s perspective, lamenting how time didn’t work out the way he had planned it.
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Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
