Wonderwall – ‘the perfect football song’: Why England fans (like David Beckham) and players love singing Oasis

The term Wonderwall was first taken from the 1968 psychedelic and surreal film of the same name.

He sees Jane Birkin as the object of obsession of a man who lives next door, who slowly pokes holes in his wall so he can watch her (not creepy at all).

George Harrison provided the soundtrack to what was a Beatle’s first solo album, and that’s where avid record collector Noel encountered him.

The original working title of her song was Wishing Stone, but a clever twist on the lyrics resulted in her best-selling song (millions of records and billions of streams) and probably paid for her swimming pool, too.

Louder Than War author and Membranes musician John Robb, who released an Oasis book titled Live Forever: The Rise, Fall And Resurrection Of Oasis last year, says Wonderwall is the perfect song for football fans because of its heady mix of “euphoria” and “melancholy”.

“There’s something really melancholy about being a football fan because at every moment you’re about to lose, at every moment you’re about to win,” says the Blackpool fan.

“The song reflects both; it’s the perfect football song.”

He continues: “There’s something about the song that you can sing along to, but there’s an undertone of sadness that also lifts the chorus.”

Although it was not written as a football song, Robb recalls Noel mentioning the influence on his songwriting of time spent watching Manchester City on the terraces at the old Maine Road.

“Football is about community, friendship and everyone being together in the moment, and songs like this are perfect for that,” he adds.

“The best choir is on a football terrace, because there are a lot of people here who can’t really sing, who can’t sing together and in harmony.

“That’s pretty cool.”