Don’t Look Back in Anger Lyrics

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

“Don’t Look Back in Anger” was released as the fourth single off of (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, February 19th 1996. In 2006, it was included in the “Best Of”-compilation Stop The Clocks and in 2010 it was included in the singles collection Time Flies… 1994-2009.

Noel Gallagher also admits that he was under the influence of illegal substances when he wrote the song and to this day he claims he does not know what the lyrics mean.

In late May 2017, the song became a symbol for the Manchester’s spirit and resistance following the terrorist attacks during an Ariana Grande concert, when a crowd of Mancunians started singing it, at the end of a minute of silence to honour the victims of the attack.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Oasis say about "Don't Look Back in Anger"?
Genius Answer

Noel on the song’s creation:

I went up to The Manor when Paul Weller was recording Stanley Road and that’s when I did my bit on Walking On Guilded Splinters. He played me his song, Wings Of Speed, and that was the feel I tried to get on Don’t Look Back In Anger. I did it live for the first time at Sheffield Arena. Should people put their lives in the hands of a rock n’ roll band? If it’s us then, yeah, I think they can.

Noel on the song’s meaning:

It’s about not being upset about the things you might have said or done yesterday, which is quite appropriate at the moment. It’s about looking forward rather than looking back. I hate people who look back on the past or talk about what might have been.

Noel has described it as “a cross between “All the Young Dudes” and [something] The Beatles might have done.”

Who is Sally?
Genius Answer

Noel: “I don’t actually know anybody called Sally. It’s just a word that fit, y'know, might as well throw a girl’s name in there. It’s gotta guarantee somebody a shag off a bird called Sally, hasn’t it?”

What was the writing process like?
Genius Answer

Noel told Uncut in 2007 that he was trying to come up with lyrics for the music he’d written when Liam asked him if he had just sung “So Sally can wait.” He hadn’t, but loved the line and it inspired him to finish the song.

Noel also acknowledges that lines from the song – most noticeably “gonna start a revolution from my bed” – were taken from a cassette tape containing John Lennon’s memoirs.

Where have I heard that piano intro before?
How did Noel defend his borrowing of elements from Beatles songs?
What does the title mean?
What is the meaning of the cover art?
What was the tracklist of the CD single release?
Credits
Written By
Synthesised Strings
Lead guitar
Tambourine
Recorded At
Rockfield Studios, Wye Valley, Monmouthshire, Wales
Release Date
February 19, 1996
Don’t Look Back in Anger Interpolations
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