No One Lives Forever Lyrics
Celena Holtzberg
"Live Forever" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. Written by Noel Gallagher, the song was released as the third single from their debut album Definitely Maybe (1994) on 8 August 1994, just prior to that album's release. Gallagher wrote the song in 1991, before he joined Oasis.
Inspired by the Rolling Stones' "Shine a Light", "Live Forever" features a basic song structure and lyrics with an optimistic outlook that contrasted with the attitude of the grunge bands popular at the time. The song was the first Oasis single to enter the top ten in the United Kingdom, and garnered critical acclaim. In 2017, lead singer Liam Gallagher declared the song his favourite Oasis song.[3] The British Phonographic Industry certified the song double platinum in August 2021.[4]
Noel Gallagher began working on "Live Forever" in 1991, while working for a building company in his hometown of Manchester. After his foot was crushed by a pipe in an accident, he was given a less-strenuous job working in the storeroom, allowing him more time to write songs. One night, he was listening to the Rolling Stones' album Exile on Main St.; while playing one of his own chord progressions, Gallagher noted that it sounded good against one of the vocal melodies from the album: "It was the bit from 'Shine a Light' that goes [sings], 'May the good Lord shine a light on you'", Gallagher recalled. Gallagher incorporated the melody, changing the line to "Maybe I don't really want to know". For a period afterwards, that was the only part of the song Gallagher had completed.[5]
Noel Gallagher presented a fully composed "Live Forever" to the band for the first time in early 1993 during rehearsals. According to drummer Tony McCarroll, the band were admittedly awed by it.[6] The song was later instrumental in helping the band secure their record deal with Creation Records. Reflecting on when he first heard the song, Creation boss Alan McGee recalled, "It was probably the single greatest moment I've ever experienced with them".[5]
The demo version of "Live Forever" begins with an acoustic guitar intro. While recording the album version, the record's producer Owen Morris cut out this intro and replaced it with a drumbeat played by McCarroll. Morris further cut a second section in Gallagher's guitar solo. Gallagher was bemused by Morris' decision, and jokingly asked him through manager Marcus Russell to "not cut it in half again on the final mix".[7] Morris said that the removed part made him think of "Slash in leather keks with a wind machine on the Grand Canyon".[7][8]
The song begins with a voice whistling briefly and saying "Oh yeah", followed by a drum beat that plays unaccompanied for a few measures. An intermingling of the main guitar line, piano notes, and Liam Gallagher's vocals then enter.[9] Each verse begins with Liam singing the phrase "Maybe/I don't really wanna know/How your garden grows/'Cause I just wanna fly", and each verse ends with the falsetto refrain. A guitar solo appears after the second refrain of "You and I are gonna live forever". After the third verse and refrain section, Liam Gallagher repeats the line "Gonna live forever!" four times with 'ache in his voice', followed by one final guitar solo.[9]
The song is interpreted to be an ode to Noel and Liam Gallagher's mother Peggy.[10] In general the lyrics of the song stress an optimistic outlook. Noel Gallagher explained that "At the time . . . it was written in the middle of grunge and all that, and I remember Nirvana had a tune called 'I Hate Myself and Want to Die', and I was like . . . 'Well, I'm not fucking having that.' As much as I fucking like him [Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain] and all that shit, I'm not having that. I can't have people like that coming over here, on smack, fucking saying that they hate themselves and they wanna die. That's fucking rubbish. Kids don't need to be hearing that nonsense." While Gallagher has stated he did not intend "Live Forever" as a direct retort to Nirvana or their music (being a professed fan of the band), he contrasted the lives of Cobain and his band at that point, saying, "Seems to me that here was a guy who had everything, and was miserable about it. And we had fuck-all, and I still thought that getting up in the morning was the greatest fuckin' thing ever, 'cause you didn't know where you'd end up at night. And we didn't have a pot to piss in, but it was fucking great, man".[11] Gallagher considers the line "We see things they'll never see" the most important line of the song, explaining that old friends tend to laugh at jokes and stories that "no one else gets".[8]
"Live Forever" was released on 8 August 1994 as the band's third single, less than a month before the release of their debut album, Definitely Maybe.[13][14] Like the album cover, the picture sleeve for the single was one of several references to the Beatles that Oasis incorporated into their artwork.[15] In the case of "Live Forever", the sleeve image was a photo of John Lennon's childhood home at 251 Menlove Avenue in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton, taken by rock photographer Michael Spencer Jones.[15]
The song had been part of the band's set for longer than a year at that point, and had amassed so many mentions in reviews of the group that, according to Harris, "its release [as a single] had long seemed inevitable."[10] In its review of the single, NME found "Live Forever" to be an improvement over Oasis's previous singles, concluding, "Basically, what thus far looked like obnoxious Manc arrogance suddenly looks like sheer effortlessness. A terrific record."[16]
While Oasis' first two singles, "Supersonic" and "Shakermaker", were modestly received, it was "Live Forever" that "got the world's attention".[5] "Live Forever" became Oasis' first top-ten hit, reaching number ten on the UK Singles Chart in 1994.[17] In 1995, the song charted in the United States, reaching number two and number ten on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Album Rock Tracks charts, respectively.[18][19] Noel Gallagher commented on the praise given to the song: "People said to me after 'Live Forever', 'Where are you gonna go after that?' And I was like, I don't think it's that good. I think it's a fucking good song, but I think I can do better."[20]
"Live Forever" has garnered additional acclaim years after its release. In 2006, "Live Forever" was named the greatest song of all time in a poll released by Q; the song had ranked ninth in a similar Q poll three years prior.[20] In 2007, "Live Forever" placed number one in the NME and XFM poll of the 50 "Greatest Indie Anthems Ever".[21] Pitchfork labelled the song as Oasis' best-ever track and said of the song: "It's an honest, aspirational sentiment just as the photo of John Lennon's childhood home on the single's sleeve is an honest, tasteful exhibition of fandom." The music site went on to praise the song for its 'fearless optimism'.[22] On 2 April 2018, Live Forever reached number one on Radio X's Best of British poll.[23] On 5 April 2021, "Live Forever" reached number one on Radio X's Best of British 2021 poll.[24] On 10 April 2023, it reached number one for the third time.
On 26 March 2022, Liam dedicated his performance of "Live Forever" to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died a day prior, during a Teenage Cancer Trust fundraiser at the Royal Albert Hall in London.[33]
Ahh. Truly the saddest lyrics in the song and possibly some of the saddest lyrics he has ever written (and trust me, this guy writes some pretty heavy stuff). Mayer is stating that when his lost love is marrying someone else, he will not speak against it. Rather, he will let her go and allow her to move on, regardless of the pain it will elicit.
Again, this lost love has evidently left her mark in his life; even as she is gone, perhaps with another man, he will never forget her. Who she was and his memories with her will forever morph who he is as a person until the day he dies.
I think this song fits the times hahha. Happy corona addition. Lost love is such a hard thing and I am sorry you have that your mom is you lost love and know that love is forever and you will never lose it. John is great at creating emotion in his songs and really liked the lyrics in this one. Great job, have a good day!
I adore this song. It encourages us all to quit looking to the future for our source of happiness. No matter how cautious you are, and how well you take care of yourself, you will die. No one escapes that fate. So why worry about it? I could be hit by a bus when I leave work today, there's just no way to know. But why should I cower at home? Go out, have fun. I'm really trying to take the message of this song to heart. This is my only shot at life, there's no everlasting sparkly paradise waiting for me. It sucks that we can't live as long as redwoods, but our life span is a hell of a lot better than that of a mayfly.
Heh. I know someone to dedicate this song to XD, because she's always "cowering in her house", and just can't accept that " no one lives forever". She needs to "throw a party"... and tonight, there IS a full moon in the sky.
Queen's song 'Who Wants To Live Forever' is a poignant exploration of the transient nature of life and the bittersweet reality of love. The lyrics, written by guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack of the 1986 film 'Highlander', reflect the story of immortal beings who must watch their loved ones age and die. The opening lines, 'There's no time for us, There's no place for us,' set a tone of existential longing and the recognition of an inevitable end.
The recurring question 'Who wants to live forever?' is both rhetorical and deeply philosophical. It challenges the listener to consider the value of immortality against the backdrop of love's finite nature. The song suggests that the beauty of life and love lies in their impermanence, encapsulated in the line 'This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us.' The lyrics also touch upon the pain of love, asking 'Who dares to love forever, Oh, when love must die?' This highlights the courage it takes to love fully, knowing that it will eventually lead to loss.
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