The Alternative Number Ones: Oasis’ “Wonderwall”

In The Alternative Number Ones, I’m reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it’s for members only. Thank you to everyone who’s helping to keep Stereogum afloat.

Oasis just had a big fucking moment for themselves. After 16 years of publicly sniping at one another, brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher finally patched things up enough to take their old band out on a global stadium tour. The mass rapture that greeted them was bigger than anything I could've predicted, and I would've predicted a lot. It was already a lock that the Oasis reunion was going to be a cultural tidal wave in the UK. Over there, solo Gallagher brothers could still play gigantic shows even before the reunion. At this point, Oasis fandom is written into British cultural identity as much as tea and crumpets. But Oasis got that same reaction all over the planet. It was truly something to behold.

I didn't see the Oasis reunion. I like Oasis just fine, but I've never been a massive fan like that. It seemed like it would be a lot of time and money, and I remembered all the reports that Oasis were a lousy live band even at their peak. Still, I thought about it. I thought pretty hard. I know people who flew out to the UK for the first shows on the tour, and I know plenty more who carefully plotted out which North American shows would have the best vibes. (Mexico City looked lit.) Even without being there myself, I've tasted a little bit of that feeling in the air. I've been wearing a lot more soccer jerseys in the past few months. If I'm painfully honest with myself, that's probably not a coincidence.