# Whatever (Oasis song)

"Whatever" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. Written by the band's lead guitarist, Noel Gallagher, it was released on 18 December 1994 by Creation Records as the band's first non-album single. A subsequent out-of-court settlement awarded a co-writing credit to Neil Innes.

## History

At six minutes and twenty-one seconds, "Whatever" was the longest single the band had released up to that point (it was later surpassed by "Champagne Supernova"). The song follows an AB structure, which differs from Verse-Chorus, as the main hook occurs at the beginning of the song. The song suddenly changes key during the bridge, before returning to the main chord progression of the song, which repeats for a two-and-a-half-minute outro in which, one by one, each instrument cuts out until only the strings are playing. Finally, the song ends with an extended, recorded applause track.
The Christmas single was released in 1994 as a stand-alone single, bridging the gap between Oasis' debut album, Definitely Maybe, and their second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. "Whatever" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 3. The single was later included on the compilation album Time Flies... 1994–2009. The strings were played by the London Session Orchestra which featured former Electric Light Orchestra violinist Wilfred Gibson. The orchestration was arranged by Nick Ingman and Noel Gallagher.
"Whatever" has sold 540,000 copies to date. The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart on 20 June 2010 at number 64, due to the release of Time Flies, and was the first time that it had been available to purchase as a music download.
The song has been used by Coca-Cola in its 2012 campaign celebrating its 125th anniversary and also in Italian Vodafone commercials. It was also used by Asahi Breweries for their Asahi Off beer commercials in Japan.

## Critical reception

Both Melody Maker and NME named 'Whatever' Single of the Week. Melody Maker editor Everett True said the song "is absolutely f***ing stunning — from the strummed acoustic and Rolling Stones-esque sentiments (I'm free to be whatever I...whatever I choose), the f***-off strings and inch-perfect handclaps, right through to the final applause." NME editor Tommy Udo wrote, "'Whatever' is only the best single of 1994, only the best Oasis single of 1994, because I feel reasonably confident that they'll do one better every time. Basically it pisses over everything else. A song to die for, with a descending scale and a f—ing string section: from 'Love Me Do' to 'All You Need Is Love' in under a year. The fact that it sounds like any number of other songs is a mark of the confidence that Oasis have in their songwriting: amateurs borrow, pros steal and look you straight in the eye, unashamed." Music & Media commented, "Anyone who has attended one of their live gigs knows how well they do the Beatles' 'I Am the Walrus'. Backed by a symphony orchestra they now have made their own seaworthy Walrus."

## Authorship dispute

Oasis settled out of court with EMI as the record label claimed that the song borrowed portions of Neil Innes's "How Sweet to Be an Idiot". Innes received a songwriting credit and a share of the royalties. The portion of the melodic line in question are the eight notes that accompany the lyrics "How Sweet to be an Idiot"/"I'm free to be whatever I" of the Oasis version, appearing 40 seconds after the start of the Innes version.

## Live performances

"Whatever" had been performed live by Oasis many times, sometimes with the string arrangement which accompanies the single version, sometimes without. They often ended live versions of the song with lyrics adapted from The Beatles song "Octopus's Garden". They had also been known to add the lines "All the young blues [sic]....carry the news...," in reference to the David Bowie song "All the Young Dudes" (first recorded by Mott the Hoople), with the changing of "dudes" to "Blues" being a reference to the then nickname of Man City. At their famous performances at Maine Road in April and Knebworth in August 1996, the song was accompanied throughout by harmonica player Mark Feltham.
Noel Gallagher later revisited "Whatever," adding the song to his setlist during his first tour with his band High Flying Birds. Both he and Liam still perform the song semi-regularly on tour.

## B-sides

One of the single's B-sides, "Slide Away", was already featured on their debut album, Definitely Maybe. The other two—"(It's Good) to Be Free" and "Half the World Away"—were later featured on the B-side compilation The Masterplan. "Slide Away" and "Half the World Away" would also be featured on Oasis' 2006 compilation album Stop the Clocks, but "Whatever" itself was not included. "Half the World Away" was chosen as the theme tune to The Royle Family. "(It's Good) to Be Free" was mentioned by Liam under the name "Live by the Sea" before its official release.

## Track listings

All tracks are written by Noel Gallagher.

## Personnel

* Liam Gallagher – lead vocals, tambourine
* Noel Gallagher – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
* Paul Arthurs – rhythm guitar, piano
* Paul McGuigan – bass guitar
* Tony McCarroll – drums
* Uncredited – orchestra, handclaps

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Platinum | 600,000$^‡$ |
| $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
| United Kingdom | 18 December 1994 | 7-inch vinyl12-inch vinylCDcassette | Creation | |
| Japan | 22 December 1994 | CD | Epic | |