Noel Gallagher didn’t want Oasis to release anthem ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ as a single.
Noel Gallagher Didn’t Want Oasis to Release “Cigarettes & Alcohol” as a Single
Watch Oasis legend explain why he disliked the idea of releasing the “Definitely Maybe” track in this throwback interview.
Did you know the Oasis anthem “Cigarettes & Alcohol” wasn’t supposed to be a single?
In an old interview, Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher revealed the band didn’t want to release a fourth track from Definitely Maybe.
Noel Gallagher’s Thoughts on the Single
“We were in the States when it came out as the fourth single from Definitely Maybe. We got pressured to release it,” explained Noel in the Lock the Box interview from their Stop the Clocks DVD.
Watch him explain why:
Noel Gallagher Didn’t Want Oasis to Release “Cigarettes & Alcohol” as a Single
“I didn’t like the idea at all. I thought, ‘Fourth single? F**king hell. I don’t know about that.'”
“But then we were in Detroit, and we got a call. Not only was it in the charts, but it was our biggest-selling single.”
He added: “I remember putting down the phone and thinking, ‘Now we’re fking talking. This is going to get fking stupid.'”
“Cigarettes & Alcohol” Became a Huge Success
“Cigarettes & Alcohol” was released as a single on 10th October 1994. It reached Number 7 in the UK charts.
Oasis aren’t the only band who didn’t want to release one of their biggest hits.
The Verve Also Had Doubts About “Sonnet”
Speaking to Radio X in 2018, Richard Ashcroft called The Verve’s “Sonnet” “powerful” and “beyond him.”
However, he revealed the band initially didn’t want to release it. Their label pressured them to put out a fourth single from the album.
At first, they refused, not wanting to “milk it.”
Source: Radio X
Photo: Getty