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Shakermaker

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"Shakermaker"
Single by Oasis
from the album Definitely Maybe
B-side
  • "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?"
  • "Alive" (8-track demo)
  • "Bring It On Down" (live)
Released13 June 1994
Recorded1994
Genre
Length5:08
LabelCreation
Songwriter(s)Noel Gallagher
Producer(s)Oasis, Mark Coyle & Owen Morris
Oasis singles chronology
"Supersonic"
(1994)
"Shakermaker"
(1994)
"Live Forever"
(1994)
Definitely Maybe track listing
11 tracks
  1. "Rock 'n' Roll Star"
  2. "Shakermaker"
  3. "Live Forever"
  4. "Up in the Sky"
  5. "Columbia"
  6. "Supersonic"
  7. "Bring It on Down"
  8. "Cigarettes & Alcohol"
  9. "Digsy's Dinner"
  10. "Slide Away"
  11. "Married with Children"

"Shakermaker" is the second single by the English rock band Oasis, written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. The song was first released as a single on 13 June 1994 and later released on Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe. The single peaked at number eleven in the UK. It has been certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry.

Lyrics

Noel Gallagher states that the lyrics are taken from the world around him. For example, a Shaker Maker was a popular toy in the 1970s, the character of "Mr Soft" was taken from a Trebor Soft Mints commercial, which featured Cockney Rebel's song "Mr. Soft", "Mr. Clean" is a song by The Jam, one of Gallagher's favourite bands, Mr Benn is a British children's cartoon and the entire last verse - "Mr Sifter sold me songs / When I was just 16 / Now he stops at traffic lights / But only when they're green" - was written in a taxi on the way to the recording studio to record the song. Apparently, Liam Gallagher was pestering Noel to finish the song. At this point, the taxi stopped at the traffic lights outside "Sifters" (a record shop on Fog Lane, Didsbury, Manchester), named after people 'sifting' through records and run by Peter Howard since 1977.[2] Noel penned the lyric and it became part of the song. Noel used to frequent the store to buy old records before Oasis started releasing albums.

Following the song's release, Oasis were sued by Coca-Cola and forced to pay $500,000 in damages to the New Seekers after it was alleged that they had lifted words and melody from "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing". When asked about the incident, Noel Gallagher joked "Now we all drink Pepsi."[3]

Music

The song illustrates Noel Gallagher's habit of borrowing from the past: the chords are a simple twelve-bar blues progression (albeit with the V (F) raised to a flat-VII (A)). The melody for the verse was originally taken from "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" by Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, Bill Backer and Billy Davis. An Oasis tribute band called No Way Sis released a cover version of "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" in the style of "Shakermaker", emphasising the similarity between the two songs. This cover reached #27 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1996.[4] Oasis were sued over this similarity and were forced to change their composition.[5]

B-sides

The song was released with three B-sides: "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?" (first appearing on the Live Recordings demo tape), sung by Noel Gallagher, which is instrumentally similar to "Married with Children" from Definitely Maybe and features nostalgic lyrics and two-part[clarification needed] backing vocals by Liam; "Alive", a rough demo of an early rocker, and a live version of "Bring It on Down".

Personnel

Track listings

  • CD CRESCD 182
  1. "Shakermaker" - 5:08
  2. "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?" - 2:41
  3. "Alive" (8-track demo) - 3:56
  4. "Bring It on Down" (live) - 4:17
  • 7" CRE 182
  1. "Shakermaker" - 5:08
  2. "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?" - 2:41
  • 12" CRE 182T
  1. "Shakermaker" - 5:08
  2. "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?" - 2:41
  3. "Alive" (8-track demo) - 3:56
  • Cassette CRECS 182
  1. "Shakermaker" - 5:08
  2. "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?" - 2:41
  • CD Maxi-Single Shakermaker HES 661377 2
  1. "Shakermaker" - 5:11
  2. "D'Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman?" - 2:41
  3. "Alive" (8 Track Demo) - 3:57
  4. "Bring It On Down" (Live) - 4:18
  5. "I Will Believe" (Live) - 3:48
  6. "Cloudburst" - 5:19

Music video

The music video was shot in Burnage, Manchester just outside the Gallaghers' childhood home. The field they are playing football in is Didsbury Toc H Sports Ground in Ford Lane, Didsbury in South Manchester.

The album Liam shows to the camera is Paul McCartney's 1973 album Red Rose Speedway. The music video garnered 1.8 million views on YouTube.[6]

References

  1. ^ Partridge, Kenneth (29 August 2014). "Oasis' 'Definitely Maybe' at 20: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  2. ^ Dianne Bourne (14 October 2014). "Mr Sifter stars in Liam Gallagher's new Pretty Green fashion shoot". Manchester Evening News.
  3. ^ [{cite web|https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/oasis/news/artists/8865/55193/55218]}
  4. ^ "NO WAY SIS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  5. ^ Mundy, Chris (2 May 1996). "Ruling Asses: Oasis". Rolling Stone. pp. 32–35, 68.
  6. ^ "Oasis - Shakermaker". YouTube. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2019.