Everything Flows: Wonderwall

Thursday 6 October 2016

Wonderwall

Cover version of the month #17

Ryan Adams covers Wonderwall

I think Ryan Adams is the only person to have ever got that song right
Noel Gallagher

Wonderwall was the song that truly sent Oasis stratospheric. There had already been lots of talk of The Beatles and comparisons through songs like Live Forever and Slide Away, but much of the earlier Oasis material tipped more of a nod to the ferocity of The Pistols with a dab of T-Rex, rather than the Fab Four.

Wonderwall changed everything. Oasis had released a number of acoustic b-sides, but this was the first acoustic single. In the Autumn of 1995 it felt like the whole world was singing it. Somehow it was kept off the number 1 slot by Robson and Jerome!

Oasis crossed over with Wonderwall. They had already won hearts and fans across the world, but all of a sudden they had a song that kids and their Gran's could sing. Noel Gallagher once said he wanted to hear his songs being whistled by the milkman. The butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker were all whistling them, humming them, singing them.....everyone was.

The original Oasis version of Wonderwall

Many songwriters (and bands) tire of playing their most famous hits at times. Liam sang it, then Noel took over, then the crowd practically sang it for the band or for Noel as a solo artist. Liam's voice sounded soulful, Noel's made it more tender, stadiums singing in unison made it an anthem.

Noel tired of Wonderwall, but hearing it being covered by Ryan Adams changed things......and it changed how Noel would go on to perform the song.

I went to see Ryan Adams in Manchester...so he's playing away and he just does Wonderwall right in the middle of the set. The f**king place went silent. It was so beautiful. I was just like 'F**king Jesus Christ what a f**king song!' Afterwards I told him, 'You can have that song, man, because we could never quite get it right. Noel Gallagher

Post hearing Ryan Adams

And here is a wonderful heart wrenching version by Ryan, silencing a huge Glastonbury crowd. Pretty astonishing! To have the balls and talent to perform like this to such a huge crowd is incredible. Adams slows things down, Wonderwall suddenly sounds like a song written many moons ago by a seasoned country singer with a broken heart. His delivery is beautiful, enhancing the soul the song always had and also increasing its beauty.

I know who I'm singing it to....unfortunately I don't think she does.
Ryan Adams

Ryan is a serial coverer of songs....and albums. He's covered Is This It? by The Strokes and 1989 by Taylor Swift in full. What else? Pretty much anything by anyone - from Elvis to his near namesake Bryan Adams!

So expect to see Ryan Adams featured again on a future cover of the month blog.