Noel Gallagher on Don't Look Back In Anger: "That song is more important than I'll ever be"

15 May 2025, 14:00 | Updated: 15 May 2025, 15:58

Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger (Official HD Remastered Video)

Noel Gallagher has dubbed the song his "Hey Jude," but why has the Oasis track become so meaningful? Radio X investigates...

By Jenny Mensah

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Radio X Song Profile

Artist: Oasis
Title: Don't Look Back In Anger
Written by: Noel Gallagher
Produced by: Noel Gallagher and Owen Morris
From the album: (What's The Story) Morning Glory, released 2nd October 1995
Single release date: 19th February 1996
Highest chart position: 1
Estimated copies sold in the UK: 3,600,000 (sales and streaming)

Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger single artwork. Picture: Press

Don't Look Back In Anger was already one of the most popular Oasis tracks of all time, but after the horrific Manchester Arena terrorist attack - which saw 22 killed at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017 - the Noel Gallagher composition became the city's unofficial anthem.

Since the horrific events of 22nd May 2017, it's no secret that the ballad was used as a song of "defiance," with Noel Gallagher even referring to it as a "hymn".

Shortly after the attack, he told Radio X's John Kennedy: "That song is more important than I'll ever be."

Watch him discuss the single in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing:

Noel Gallagher on Don't Look Back In Anger

Read more:

But when the song was first written in 1995, the Oasis guitarist and chief songwriter had no idea of the tragic events it would come to represent.

Released as a single on 19th February 1996, Don't Look Back In Anger was the fifth track to be taken from the band's 1995 (What's the Story) Morning Glory? album.

Evoking imagery of "rock 'n' roll band(s)" and John Lennon and Yoko Ono's iconic bed protest, it tells the story of a woman called "Sally" who looks back on her life without regret.

And so Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by
Her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger I heard you say

- Noel Gallagher

Speaking in an interview with NPR, the Oasis songsmith confirmed it was indeed about "defiance" even all those years ago.

The Manchester musician revealed: "It started off as a song of defiance, about this woman: She's metaphorically seeing the diary of her life pass by, and she's thinking, 'You know what? I have no regrets.' She's raising a glass to it."

But is Sally real or just a figment of Gallagher's imagination? "I wrote it after I came out of a strip club," the star told the outlet. So perhaps Sally was the name of a stripper he encountered on that fateful night?

However, some fans believe that it was The Stone Roses' Sally Cinnamon track which truly gave Gallagher the inspiration for his character.

Stone Roses - Sally Cinnamon

After all, it's no secret that he's previously credited Sally Cinnamon with being responsible for his entire career.

In a throwback interview, Gallagher said: "When I heard Sally Cinnamon for the first time, I knew what my destiny was."

Speaking about the Fools Gold outfit, he recalled: "We thought back in the day that you had to go to college or to be an art student to be in a band... Or be Paul Weller.

"And when I first went to see The Roses, they dressed the same. This is before the flares and all that. Nobody was cool in those days, they all wore drainpipe trousers and all that, but they looked exactly the same as we did in 'round about '88, '89 when it all went into colour..."

Watch the interview below:

Noel Gallagher about Stone Roses

Whether or not Sally was a stripper or the song simply saw Noel paying homage to one of his favourite bands, it's clear today the song has taken on a whole new meaning.

The Holy Mountain singer told NPR: "So, it starts off as a song about no regrets, and then it's ended up as this anthem of defiance about not being dragged down to the level of terrorists."

Watch the moment a woman first sang Don't Look Back In Anger at the vigil at Manchester's St. Ann's Square:

Manchester crowd sing Oasis song after minute's silence

The 1995 song became so powerful that even Noel's then-estranged brother Liam Gallagher decided to sing it for the first time ever at Glastonbury 2017- much to the surprise of the packed out crowd.

Liam Gallagher - Dont Look Back In Anger (acapella)

Now, when it comes to performing the track, Noel can't imagine ever taking it off his setlist.

He explained: "When I see teenagers in the crowd — who were barely born when Oasis split up, far less when we were together — that makes me think, 'Wow: We did something that was special and timeless, that generations have come along afterwards and they still get it'."

"It is difficult putting together a setlist, because you kind of think, 'Am I done with that song? How many more times am I gonna play it?'

"You're kind of obliged to at least give it a go. Don't Look Back in Anger - I don't think I'd be allowed out of the venue if I didn't play that. It's kind of like my Hey Jude."

Oasis album What's the Story Morning Glory label detail. Picture: Alamy

Luckily you can hear the man himself Noel Gallagher discuss his take on the single as today, Radio X has launched a radio station dedicated to Oasis, playing non-stop supersonic anthems 24/7!

To celebrate the legacy, spirit, and reunion of Oasis, we've created a pop-up radio station entirely dedicated to the Manchester band.

Fans are able to listen to Oasis’ extensive and legendary discography on the station including huge hits including Wonderwall and Live Forever, fan favourites such as Slide Away and Acquiesce, much-loved B-Sides like Half The World Away and The Masterplan, plus archived live tracks recorded exclusively for Radio X.

The station will take a trip into the Radio X interview archives to dig out chats with Noel, Liam and other Oasis band members and present curated shows including Oasis-themed Top 10s, Chilled hours, 90s and 00s dedicated shows, and the opportunity for fans to pick their ideal set list.

Radio X Oasis is available across the UK on DAB digital radio, and on Global Player, the official Radio X app, on your smart speaker (“play Radio X Oasis”), iOS or Android device. Picture: Radio X

In May 2017, Noel Gallagher marked his 50th birthday by guiding the most trusted man in music - John Kennedy - through each Oasis and High Flying Birds album.

Listen to his take on Don't Look Back in Anger and more on Radio X Oasis tonight (Thursday 15th May) from 7pm.

Radio X Oasis is available now, across the UK on DAB digital radio, Global Player, the official Radio X app, your smart speaker (“play Radio X Oasis”), and on iOS or Android.