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Supersonic (Oasis song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Supersonic
| cover = Oasis supersonic sleeve.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Oasis
| album = Definitely Maybe
| B-side =
* "Take Me Away"
* "I Will Believe" (live)
* "Columbia" (white label demo)
| released =
| recorded = 19 December 1993
| studio = The Pink Museum, Liverpool
| genre = Britpop
| length =
* (album version)
* (radio edit)
| label =
* Creation
* Epic
* Helter Skelter
| writer = Noel Gallagher
| producer =
* Oasis
* Mark Coyle
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Shakermaker
| next_year = 1994
| misc =
}}
"'Supersonic'" is a song by the English rock band Oasis, released as their debut single on 11 April 1994. It appeared on their debut studio album 'Definitely Maybe' (1994). The single reached number 31 on the UK Singles Chart, 22 on the UK Indie Singles Chart and 11 on the US 'Billboard' Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"Supersonic" was written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher and recorded at the Pink Museum Studio in Liverpool, England in December 1993. It was produced by the band alongside producer Mark Coyle, with no additional production or remixing through producer Owen Morris. Two music videos were produced for the song.
Writing
"Supersonic" was written and recorded in a single day at the Pink Museum Studio, now known as the Motor Museum, in Liverpool on 19 December 1993. Guitarist Noel Gallagher claimed that he wrote the song in half an hour, while his studio colleagues were taking a break from recording to eat a Chinese meal. Rather than joining them, Noel remained in the studio's backroom working on his guitar riff and finished writing before they returned. Guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs recalled:
In contrast, drummer Tony McCarroll wrote in his 2010 book 'The Truth': "Now, I know that Noel is the main songwriter for Oasis, but there were many instances like this where the band as a whole and The Real People too were integral to the composition of a song". He also stated that Noel did not want to credit the Real People as co-producers of the song.
The guitar solo has a striking resemblance to the riff to "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison, though Noel Gallagher has denied deliberately copying it.
Recording
On 16 December 1993, Oasis performed at Liverpool's Krazy House club, supporting the Real People. Shortly after the gig, they went to the Pink Museum with engineer Dave Scott for a few days to record "Bring It on Down" for a potential single release, at the request of Creation Records co-owner Alan McGee; however, the intended song recording was discarded due to a disagreement over McCarroll's drumming, according to Noel. Oasis also attempted to record a studio version for "I Will Believe", but Scott dismissed it because he felt it sounded like an early 1980s indie pop song. Instead, Noel wrote the song "Take Me Away", which was quickly recorded acoustically.
On the last day of the sessions after recording only one acoustic song, Oasis began jamming together, attempting to work on a new martial. Bonehead began playing rhythm guitar over McCarroll's drumbeat, while singer Liam Gallagher rattled his tambourine. Noel soon joined them and played a melody over the rhythm. The Real People's bassist Tony Griffiths suggested them to develop their jam because it has the potential to be a hit single. After Noel wrote the lyrics and melody, Liam's vocals were recorded in one take, with Tony guiding Liam's vocals through the melody. Tony also contributed backing vocals to the track, which were layered five times. Scott had to remove a take of "I Will Believe" to record "Supersonic" because he did not have a spare tape.
To record "Supersonic", Bonehead used a Gibson SG guitar owned by Scott and a Marshall JCM900 amplifier owned by the Real People's singer Chris Griffiths. Noel played an Epiphone Les Paul guitar through a Watkins Dominator MKIII combo amp. Additional overdubs for Noel's lead guitar were added. To add handclap tracks, Scott had to remove McCarroll's hi-hats. According to Scott, "Supersonic" was recorded and mixed in 11 hours, while Noel said it only took eight hours to be completed. Though it was originally recorded as a demo, it was never re-recorded or remixed, and this refers to producer Owen Morris, who later reworked on some other tracks on 'Definitely Maybe' prior to its release. After finishing the recording, Oasis introduced the track to McGee for their then-upcoming debut single; he was impressed. "Supersonic" was mastered by engineer Vlado Meller at Sony Music Studios in New York.
Release and commercial performance
"Supersonic" was released as a single in Ireland on 5 April 1994, in the UK on 11 April and in the US on 11 September. It was included as the sixth track on Oasis's debut album 'Definitely Maybe', released on 29 August 1994. The UK single was released by Creation on CD, 12 and 7-inch vinyls, and peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart, the band's second lowest-peaking single after "Half the World Away", which peaked at number 56 in November 2015. However, "Supersonic" sold over 240,000 copies, making it their 14th biggest-selling single in the UK, even outselling their 2002 number one single "The Hindu Times" and their 2005 number one hits "Lyla" and "The Importance of Being Idle".
'NME' named "Supersonic" the "Single of the Week" in its issue of 9 April 1994; the magazine included it on its compilation 'Singles of the Week 1994', released in January 1995. "Supersonic" was Oasis's first single to chart in the US; it entered the 'Billboard' Modern Rock Tracks chart at number 33 in early October 1994 and peaked at number 11 on 10 December. By the end of October 1994, "Supersonic" was played on 38 US radio stations. By the end of 1994, the song became the most track played on the WENZ Cleveland radio station. "Supersonic" was included on the band's greatest hits albums 'Stop the Clocks' (2006) and 'Time Flies... 19942009' (2010).
Cover
The cover depicts the band and their instruments at Monnow Valley Studios in Wales. Photographer Michael Spencer discussed the cover art in an interview:
Music video
There are two music videos for the song. In the UK version the band is playing at a roof of a hotel near King's Cross Station. The US version shows the band driving a car and playing in a hemispherical structure, nearly identical to the "Some Might Say" video.
Other appearances
The song appeared on 'Rock Band' on 1 September 2009 as a live version.
The song's title was used for 'Oasis: Supersonic', a 2016 documentary about the band by director Mat Whitecross.
Track listings
All tracks are written by Noel Gallagher.
* 'UK single and European maxi-single (CD)'
* 'Australian single (CD, cassette)'
# "Supersonic" 4:46
# "Take Me Away" 4:34
# "I Will Believe" (live) 3:46
# "Columbia" (white label demo) 5:24
* 'UK single (12")'
# "Supersonic" 4:46
# "Take Me Away" 4:34
# "I Will Believe" (live) 3:46
* 'UK single and French jukebox single (7")'
* 'European single (CD)'
# "Supersonic" 4:41
# "Take Me Away" 4:29
* 'Japanese EP (CD)'
# "Supersonic" 4:42
# "Shakermaker" 5:10
# "Columbia" (white label demo) 5:26
# "Alive" (8-track demo) 3:57
# "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?" 2:41
# "I Will Believe" (live) 3:47
* 'US promo (CD)'
# "Supersonic" (edit) 3:40
# "Supersonic" (LP version) 4:40
* 'US single (cassette)'
# "Supersonic" 4:43
# "Slide Away" 6:32
Credits and personnel
Adapted from the CD single liner notes, except where noted:
'Oasis'
* Liam Gallagher lead vocals, tambourine, handclaps
* Noel Gallagher lead guitar, pick slide guitar, handclaps
* Paul Arthurs rhythm guitar
* Paul McGuigan bass guitar
* Tony McCarroll drums
'Additional musicians'
* Tony Griffiths backing vocals
'Technical'
* Oasis production
* Mark Coyle production; mixing
* Dave Scott engineering
* Vlado Meller mastering
'Sleeve cover'
* Brian Cannon sleeve design, art direction
* Michael Spencer Jones photography
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Notes and references
Footnotes
Citations
Sources
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