When Oasis released Heathen Chemistry, the Manchester band was undergoing many changes. It marked the final Oasis album to feature drummer Alan White. But the new chapter also welcomed the steady addition of guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell. The reliability of Archer and Bell helped to (somewhat) calm the chaos that often defined Noel and Liam Gallagher’s band. The album features two of Noel’s best post-Britpop anthems: “Little By Little” and “Stop Crying Your Heart Out”; and the latter track offers timeless advice from Oasis.
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About “Stop Crying Your Heart Out”
Written by Noel Gallagher, the ballad describes the universal despair of fading memories and forgotten loved ones. Liam sings this one and assures the listener that the fading stars will someday return.
Many of Noel’s biggest songs—from “Wonderwall” to “Champagne Supernova”—remain open to interpretation, which gives the anthems a wider appeal. They can mean anything and everything to anyone.
“You’ll never change what’s been and gone.”
The End of Britpop and a New Era
Oasis ended the Britpop era with Be Here Now in 1997. Long songs and dense overdubs weighed down the third album. It distilled the excess of the band and the time—most notably on the nine-minute epic “All Around The World”.
When the Gallagher brothers entered the studio to record Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants, they did so without co-founding members Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and bassist Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan.
Then, they started a record label, Big Brother, following the closure of Creation Records. But amid the changes, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” sounds like vintage Oasis. And it may be as close as they came to the early sound that helped transform the face of guitar music in the UK.
The heavy psychedelia and electronica of Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants were replaced by more familiar parts of the band’s DNA: The Beatles, The Kinks, and The Who.
Yet, Oasis always existed on shaky ground. Whether or not the brothers were fighting, one quit, or the band was on the verge of breaking up, all remained open questions. So, Heathen Chemistry feels like a transition album with new bandmates in a new chapter while also reaching back to the old songbook.
Some thought Oasis should stop. However, their best post-Britpop album, Don’t Believe The Truth from 2005, still lay ahead.
Oasis Reunion
It took 15 years for Oasis to reunite after breaking up in 2009. But the reunion wasn’t guaranteed, and some thought it would never happen.
Noel said it wouldn’t happen. Liam, too. In 2019, he told Rolling Stone that “Oasis is done. If you missed them, that’s f*cking tough luck.”
For fans who missed Oasis in the 1990s, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” did actually promise a return.
“We’re all of us stars
We’re fading away
Just try not to worry
You’ll see us someday.”
Photo by Giuseppe Aresu/Shutterstock
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