We all face constraints everyday. Within the demands of our work, our personal lives and most often our motivation to get anything done in day-to-day life. With a new year comes a new expanse of things to be done and expectations on yourself to make 2013 ‘your year’. Talk about pressure. So I’m proposing ‘Whatever’ by Oasis as a track to listen to when these constraints threaten to push you to the edge of sanity, no matter your take on the Gallagher brothers.
Released in December 1994 as a stand-alone single between debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ and its raw story-telling of working class life and ‘What’s The Story Morning Glory?’ the pinnacle of Oasis’s work according to popular opinion, the Gallagher brothers hit on something both refreshing and real with this track.
Not thematically based on love or hate, or any particular ambition, ‘Whatever’ conveys the importance of individual freedom with simple lyrics, framed by incredible strings from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It was their first single to enter the top 5, setting a precedent for every Oasis single released after that to meet, but never exceed in terms of how long it remained in the UK singles chart.
Although typical of Oasis’s Britpop rock sound, this single with its orchestral element and lyrics is one that can arguably reach and inspire anyone, regardless of musical taste. Written prior to the band’s peak in consumption of sex drugs and the ultimate rock n’ roll lifestyle, it reflects a principle that is integral to any attitude for a new era. Taking on the New Year with the lyrics “I’m free to be whatever I/Whatever I choose/And I’ll sing the blues if I want” in mind encourages the positive, self-confident attitude needed to brave the post-Christmas, new-goal-ridden days of January. And the rest of 2013 for that matter.
‘Whatever’ is shaded by Oasis’s honest beginnings, but showing enough of their developed sound and style to show exactly where they were going and what they were capable of. Making musical history. And if that’s not an inspiration that’ll push you through 2013, I don’t know what is.