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Some Might Say

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"Some Might Say"
Single by Oasis
from the album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
B-side
Released24 April 1995 (1995-04-24)
Recorded24–26 February 1995[1]
StudioLoco, Wales
Genre
Length5:28
LabelCreation
SongwriterNoel Gallagher
Producers
Oasis singles chronology
"Rock 'n' Roll Star"
(1995) 		"Some Might Say"
(1995) 		"Roll with It"
(1995)
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? track listing
12 tracks
  1. "Hello"
  2. "Roll with It"
  3. "Wonderwall"
  4. "Don't Look Back in Anger"
  5. "Hey Now!"
  6. Untitled
  7. "Some Might Say"
  8. "Cast No Shadow"
  9. "She's Electric"
  10. "Morning Glory"
  11. Untitled
  12. "Champagne Supernova"
Music video
"Some Might Say" on YouTube

"Some Might Say" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was released by Creation Records as the first single from their second studio album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), on 24 April 1995. The song was written by the band's lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. It became the band's first UK number one single, topping the Official Singles Chart for the week of 30 April–6 May 1995 and displacing Take That's "Back for Good".[3] The single was also the last to feature all five original members, as drummer Tony McCarroll was fired one week after its release.[4]

The single release was also named an EP in the Stop the Clocks booklet. It is thus one of the only Oasis singles to officially be also categorised an extended play.

Background

"Some Might Say" was the earliest song written for (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. The band recorded a demo of the track in July 1994 at Maison Rouge Studios, during the recording of the single "Whatever" with producer Owen Morris.[5] The original demo version of the song lasts 6:33 while the final version is 5:26 long.

In a 2016 interview, Noel Gallagher said he preferred the demo version of "Some Might Say" over the final version, describing the demo as "dirtier and sleazier" than the Oasis version which is "more Britpop".[6] The demo version was later released as a bonus track on the Japanese CD single. The track was also inspired by the song "Fuzzy" by Grant Lee Buffalo.[7] Its b-side "Headshrinker" was the last Oasis track to feature original drummer Tony McCarroll, whose firing was publicly announced on 30 April. The rest of the tracks on the album feature his replacement, Alan White, on drums. Oasis performed the song on two episodes of Top of the Pops, the first being McCarroll's final performance with the band and the second being White's first.

Single artwork

The sleeve artwork was created by Brian Cannon of Microdot. It was shot on 23 January 1995, on the disused platform of Cromford railway station in Derbyshire, England, with much of the imagery being inspired by lyrics taken from the single. The overall concept was based on the lyrics, "... standin' at the station, in need of education in the rain"; education being required to learn the station was, at the time, disused.[8]

It features Cannon's father with a wheelbarrow - which he created by welding a wheel and handles onto a sink - full of fish, from the lyrics, "The sink is full of fishes". Cannon's mother is also present, holding a mop, as well as Carla Knox, barmaid of Cannon's local pub.[8] The silverware on Knox's head is a play on the lyric, "She's got dirty dishes on her brain." Liam Gallagher can be seen on the bridge whilst Noel can be viewed with a watering can on the platform. Matthew Sankey, Cannon's aide, plays a homeless man, a reference to the lyrics "... the man who cannot shine" and "... the man who lives in hell".[9] Cannon considers the art to be his favourite of all the Oasis sleeves he designed.[10]

Critical reception

David Stubbs from Melody Maker named the song Single of the Week, writing, "'Some Might Say' is Oasis' best yet. Initially, like some, I thought Oasis were merely Mancunian chancers keeping The Stone Roses' seat warm but now I'm utterly hooked on those hooks. This just climbs and climbs and then the way that note just hangs there in the final crescendo and trails off, onward and upward, all the way to heaven...aahhh!!"[11] Both Leesa Daniels and Jordan Paramor from Smash Hits gave it a top score of five out of five. Daniels named it "a complete knicker elastic-snapping rock tune",[12] and said, "This is tremendous. It's one of those tunes where you'll hit the dancefloor, rip all your clothes off and get taken away for being a public nuisance."[13] In 2024, Paste and Rolling Stone ranked "Some Might Say" number four and number ten, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Oasis songs.[14][15]

In later appraisals, the track has been highlighted as a key Oasis single: Paste ranked it fourth in the band’s catalogue in 2024, while Rolling Stone placed it tenth on its 2024 list of the 40 best Oasis songs.[16][17]

Promotional video

A planned promo video shoot was reportedly abandoned when Liam Gallagher failed to attend; a compilation using pre-existing clips (including "Cigarettes & Alcohol" and "Supersonic") was circulated instead.[18]

Track information

In an interview promoting the compilation album Stop the Clocks, Noel stated "Some Might Say" is the "archetypical Oasis song" and "defines what Oasis is". He added "Some Might Say"'s B-side, "Acquiesce", was also the song that defined Oasis. In the 2003 documentary Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop, journalist Jon Savage recalls watching Oasis perform "Some Might Say" for the first time on Top of the Pops with tears in his eyes as he believed it marked a turning point in British culture, coinciding with the May local elections where the then-Conservative Government of John Major were trounced in the local elections.

"Some Might Say" was the 31st-biggest-selling single of 1995 in the UK. It has sold over 458,000 copies the UK as of April 2015.[19] There is a banner at Etihad Stadium that reads "Some might say we will find a brighter day" in reference to a line of the song.[20]

Track listings

All songs are written by Noel Gallagher except where noted.

B-sides

All of the single's original B-sides were included on The Masterplan album. "Talk Tonight" is one of many acoustic B-side tracks sung by Noel. It was inspired by the near-breakup of the band in Los Angeles in autumn 1994, when Noel walked out without telling anyone and headed for San Francisco. Noel was inspired to write the song after he met a girl while in San Francisco and talked to her for hours about his troubles with the band and life. "Acquiesce" was released as part of the Stop the Clocks EP in promotion of their compilation album, Stop the Clocks.

"Headshrinker", a fast tempo punk rockesque track, was originally written in 1992. Although rarely performed live, perhaps most famously at their Live by the Sea gig, it became a fan favourite, and in 2022, Liam released it as part of his Down by the River Thames live album recorded in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic caused venue closures. "Listen Up" was originally released as a B-side to "Cigarettes & Alcohol". "Bring It On Down - (Live)", a recording from the band's first ever radio session in 1993, was originally released as a B-side to "Shakermaker". Noel's rendition of the Beatles track "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" was later recorded during a radio session one month after the release of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?.

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 24 April 1995
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Creation [43]
Japan 13 July 1995 CD Epic Japan [32]

Appearances in other media

  • "Some Might Say" is a playable track in both Guitar Hero World Tour and the European version of Guitar Hero: On Tour. The song, as it appears on Guitar Hero, is the full version without the early fade from the album edit, which is not available on any other official or promotional Oasis release.
  • It is played in an episode of Jonathan Creek, "The Reconstituted Corpse".

References

  1. ^ "Oasis - Some Might Say - Sleeve Artwork Explained".
  2. ^ "(What's the Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Oasis". Official Charts. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Official Statement". www.oasisinet.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 1997. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Owen Morris on the making of Some Might Say | Oasis Recording Information". Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  6. ^ Noel Gallagher oasisnotizie (15 April 2016). Noel Gallagher and Fran Healy from Travis on the Some Might Say demo 9th April 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2025 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "Oasis – '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?' Track by Track with Noel Gallagher [25th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ a b Oasis – Some Might Say – Sleeve Artwork Explained, 28 February 2022, retrieved 17 March 2022
  9. ^ "Oasis - Some Might Say - Sleeve Artwork Explained". Microdot Boutique. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  10. ^ Anderson, Sarah (18 February 2011). "Brian Cannon's stunning album artwork in his own words". NME. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  11. ^ Stubbs, David (13 May 1995). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 34. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  12. ^ Daniels, Leesa (27 September 1995). "Albums: Best New Album". Smash Hits. p. 57. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  13. ^ Daniels, Leesa; Paramor, Jordan (26 April 1995). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 62. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  14. ^ Mitchell, Matt (25 August 2024). "The 15 Greatest Oasis Songs Ranked". Paste. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  15. ^ "The 40 Best Oasis Songs". Rolling Stone. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Matt (25 August 2024). "The 15 Greatest Oasis Songs Ranked". Paste. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  17. ^ "The 40 Best Oasis Songs". Rolling Stone. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  18. ^ Kaye, Ben (23 May 2024). "The music video Liam Gallagher refused to show up for". Far Out. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  19. ^ "Number 1 today in 1995: Oasis score their first chart-topper". Official Charts Company.
  20. ^ Winter, Henry (30 April 2012). "Manchester City return to Premier League summit after Vincent Kompany's goal secures victory over United". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  21. ^ Some Might Say (UK CD single liner notes). Oasis. Creation Records. 1995. CRESCD 204.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ Some Might Say (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Oasis. Creation Records. 1995. CRE 204.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ Some Might Say (UK cassette single sleeve). Oasis. Creation Records. 1995. CRECS 204.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ Some Might Say (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Oasis. Creation Records. 1995. CRE 204T.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ Some Might Say (Australia CD single liner notes). Oasis. Helter Skelter Records. 1995. HES 664059 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ^ Some Might Say (Japanese CD single liner notes). Oasis. Epic Records Japan. 1995. ESCA 6251.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ "Oasis – Some Might Say" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  28. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 20. 20 May 1995. p. 20. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  29. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  30. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (18.6. '95 – 24.6. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 16 June 1995. p. 24. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  31. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Some Might Say". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  32. ^ a b "サム・マイト・セイ | オアシス" [Some Might Say | Oasis] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Oasis – Some Might Say" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  34. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Oasis – Some Might Say". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  36. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  37. ^ "Independent Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 19 August 1995. p. 36. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  38. ^ "Oasis – Chart History: Hot Singles Sales". Billboard. Billboard. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  39. ^ "Árslistinn 1995". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  40. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1995" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  41. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1995". Music Week. 13 January 1996. p. 9.
  42. ^ "British single certifications – Oasis – Some Might Say". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  43. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 22 April 1995. p. 43.
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