Oasis “Cigarettes & Alcohol” (1994)

“Cigarettes & Alcohol” has been the soundtrack to many a night of debauchery, but it’s so much more: as Alan McGee of Creation Records said upon hearing, "Is it worth the aggravation to find yourself a job when there's nothing worth working for?”, this song was one of the greatest social statements made in modern music.

Yes, it’s complete hedonism and the riff is ripped off from T.Rex, but this is unbelievable rock ‘n’ roll; Noel Gallagher grabbing hold of a disillusioned generation and telling them to live it anyway, as one or two 19th-century German philosophers may have done.

The crazy thing about many of Oasis’ early singles is the quality of the songs that never made it onto the main albums (releasing a collection of B-sides,The Masterplan, was a pretty shrewd move). A live cover of The Beatles’ nonsensical “I Am The Walrus”, often played by Oasis at the end of sets, is good fun but far from the highlight here.

That would be the unbelievable, almost dreamy “Listen Up”. Liam’s drawl is so perfectly wrapped around the lead guitar that it’s impossible to get through the chorus without feeling your soul being drawn out and sailing on the same river mentioned in the song. 

Fuck me if the guitar that kicks in at “Sailing on the river alone” isn’t perfection. There’s a real combination of worldliness with young naivety; maybe the combination of Noel’s words with Liam’s youthful voice. “I don’t believe in magic, life is automatic” is just infectious.

Other than some sumptuous Gallagher sounds, the song is not so typical of Oasis at the time. A lot of Definitely Maybe is about trying to get away from home, whereas our protagonist here is trying to get back. The lyrics seem to relate more to being kept down ‘the man’; though as often with Noel, the words are delightfully vague enough that most people could read something personal into them.

Last on the record is fan favourite “Fade Away”, a really energetic song with a punk-like riff that still conveys unbelievable sadness. In a way, this is the introspective part of its A-side - after all, why is it that nothing seems worth working for? 

“When I was young I thought I had my own key

I knew exactly what I wanted to be

Now I'm sure

You've boarded up every door”

This theme, of trying to hold onto your childhood purity and dreams, is present in other Oasis songs of that era, such as “D’Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman.” But that’s one for another day...