Half the World Away
Encyclopedia
"Half the World Away" is a song by English rock
band Oasis
. It is well known as the theme tune to the popular BBC
sitcom The Royle Family
.
The song was written by Oasis' lead guitarist Noel Gallagher
, who also provides lead vocals. The song is a slow acoustic tune with plodding keyboards, and the lyric - much like "Rock 'n' Roll Star
", one of Oasis' most famous songs - expresses a desire to leave a stagnant life in a boring city. The song is primarily in C Major
.
Recorded at The Congress House Studio, Austin
, Texas
in October 1994, "Half the World Away" was first released as a B-side
to "Whatever" on 18 December 1994, reaching #3 in the UK charts.
The song gained mass public exposure when it was selected by Caroline Aherne
and Craig Cash
to be the theme tune to their sitcom The Royle Family. The series revolved around the sitting room of a lazy working-class family and was set in Manchester
, the hometown of Oasis. Although it had modest beginnings, the series soon became a cultural phenomenon in England and its theme became well known. The opening credits of the series edited together the first stanza
of the first verse and the second stanza of the first chorus. The end credits, which would cut in immediately after the final joke of the episode - so as to add weight to it - began with the second stanza of the final chorus and would see the song through to the coda
. When Gallagher was originally approached about using an Oasis song for a series about a working class family in Manchester, he suggested "Married with Children
" and was confused when "Half the World Away" was chosen. On tour in America when The Royle Family was first screened, he claims the penny did not drop until he returned to the United Kingdom to find the series a huge success and viewed it, feeling the song was perfect for the series. He now claims not to think of "Half the World Away" as an Oasis song, but rather as the theme tune to The Royle Family.
In 1998 the song was included in The Masterplan
; a collection of Oasis' best b-sides. The collection was a success, peaking at #2 in the UK charts. The track is also included on Oasis' compilation
album Stop the Clocks
, which also reached #2.
In interviews, Gallagher - who is famous for "borrowing" from other musicians - has admitted the tune to "Half the World Away" was adapted from "This Guy's in Love with You
" by Burt Bacharach
and Hal David
. He commented "It sounds exactly the same. I'm surprised he hasn't sued me yet!" Gallagher sang "This Guy's in Love with You
" live in 1996 at a Burt Bacharach concert at the London Festival Hall while Bacharach accompanied him on piano and conducted the orchestra.
(some dispute over McCarroll playing drums as he claims in his autobiography Oasis:The Truth that Noel recorded a drum track so it could be either Gallagher or McCarroll playing on the mixed take.)
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
. It is well known as the theme tune to the popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom The Royle Family
The Royle Family
The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, and specials from 2006 onwards...
.
The song was written by Oasis' lead guitarist Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
, who also provides lead vocals. The song is a slow acoustic tune with plodding keyboards, and the lyric - much like "Rock 'n' Roll Star
Rock 'N' Roll Star
"Rock 'n' Roll Star" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It is the opening track from their record breaking debut album, Definitely Maybe. Like the majority of the band's songs from this era, it was written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. Noel said that "Rock 'n' Roll Star" was one of only...
", one of Oasis' most famous songs - expresses a desire to leave a stagnant life in a boring city. The song is primarily in C Major
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
.
Recorded at The Congress House Studio, Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in October 1994, "Half the World Away" was first released as a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to "Whatever" on 18 December 1994, reaching #3 in the UK charts.
The song gained mass public exposure when it was selected by Caroline Aherne
Caroline Aherne
Caroline Mary Aherne is an English comedian and BAFTA winning writer and actress, best known for Mrs Merton and The Royle Family.- Background :...
and Craig Cash
Craig Cash
Craig Cash is an English comedy actor, BAFTA award-winning writer and also a director.-Biography:Cash is best known for playing slightly dull and dopey working-class northern men, particularly Dave Best in the hugely successful BBC sitcom The Royle Family, which he co-wrote with Caroline Aherne...
to be the theme tune to their sitcom The Royle Family. The series revolved around the sitting room of a lazy working-class family and was set in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the hometown of Oasis. Although it had modest beginnings, the series soon became a cultural phenomenon in England and its theme became well known. The opening credits of the series edited together the first stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
of the first verse and the second stanza of the first chorus. The end credits, which would cut in immediately after the final joke of the episode - so as to add weight to it - began with the second stanza of the final chorus and would see the song through to the coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
. When Gallagher was originally approached about using an Oasis song for a series about a working class family in Manchester, he suggested "Married with Children
Definitely Maybe
Definitely Maybe is the debut album by English rock band Oasis, released in August 1994. It was an immediate commercial and critical success in the UK, having followed on the heels of singles "Supersonic", "Shakermaker" and "Live Forever"....
" and was confused when "Half the World Away" was chosen. On tour in America when The Royle Family was first screened, he claims the penny did not drop until he returned to the United Kingdom to find the series a huge success and viewed it, feeling the song was perfect for the series. He now claims not to think of "Half the World Away" as an Oasis song, but rather as the theme tune to The Royle Family.
In 1998 the song was included in The Masterplan
The Masterplan
The Masterplan is a compilation album by English rock band Oasis, comprising B-sides which never made it onto an album. The album was originally intended for release only in areas such as the United States and Japan, where the tracks were only available on expensive European import singles. It was...
; a collection of Oasis' best b-sides. The collection was a success, peaking at #2 in the UK charts. The track is also included on Oasis' compilation
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album Stop the Clocks
Stop the Clocks
Stop the Clocks is a compilation album by English rock band Oasis, released on 20 November 2006. The "retrospective collection" is an 18-track double album with the featured songs chosen by Noel Gallagher; however, it does not actually include their song "Stop the Clocks" after which the album is...
, which also reached #2.
In interviews, Gallagher - who is famous for "borrowing" from other musicians - has admitted the tune to "Half the World Away" was adapted from "This Guy's in Love with You
This Guy's in Love with You
"This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach.The recording's origin occurs, as...
" by Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
. He commented "It sounds exactly the same. I'm surprised he hasn't sued me yet!" Gallagher sang "This Guy's in Love with You
This Guy's in Love with You
"This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach.The recording's origin occurs, as...
" live in 1996 at a Burt Bacharach concert at the London Festival Hall while Bacharach accompanied him on piano and conducted the orchestra.
Trivia
- Former The JamThe JamThe Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
front man and close friend of Noel Gallagher Paul Weller claims "Half the World Away" is his favourite Oasis song. - The song was also used as an intro in the Season 2 finale of SpacedSpacedSpaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
during a parodyParodyA parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the opening credits to The Royle Family.
Personnel
- Noel Gallagher: Vocals and electric guitar.
- Paul Arthurs: Acoustic guitar and keyboards.
- Paul Mcguigan:Bass guitar.
- Tony McCarroll: Drums?
(some dispute over McCarroll playing drums as he claims in his autobiography Oasis:The Truth that Noel recorded a drum track so it could be either Gallagher or McCarroll playing on the mixed take.)