RockLists.com
Cover of Definitely Maybe by Oasis
Cover: Definitely Maybe

Song · Oasis

“Live Forever” by Oasis

From the album Definitely Maybe (1994)

“Live Forever” by Oasis appears on 50 radio countdowns from 28 stations between 1995 and 2026. It was first released in 1994 on the album Definitely Maybe. Its best result is #4 on the Absolute Radio 100 Ultimate Britpop Anthems. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #33 alternative song of 1995, #467 alternative song of all time and #262 of the '90s.

50countdowns
28stations
#4best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1995–2026years charted

Watch

Oasis - Live Forever (Official Video)

Video from YouTube (Oasis). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Noel Gallagher wrote "Live Forever" and Oasis put it out on Creation Records in August 1994, the third single from Definitely Maybe and the last before the album arrived. Noel took his cue from the Rolling Stones' "Shine a Light", kept the structure plain and pointed the words toward hope, which set it well apart from the mood of the grunge bands who ruled the airwaves at the time.

Liam Gallagher sings it with a sneer that somehow turns into a hymn, Noel's electric guitar soars instead of shreds and he adds backing vocals, while Paul Arthurs' rhythm guitar, Paul McGuigan's bass and Tony McCarroll's drums keep it big and steady. Mark Coyle produced it with the band, and Owen Morris mixed it and added production. Two videos were made, one directed by Carlos Grasso, the other by Nick Egan.

It became the first Oasis single to break into the UK top ten and drew wide critical praise, and Liam named it his favourite Oasis song in 2017. It never went away: certified triple platinum in July 2024, it climbed to a new high of No. 8 in the UK after the band's reunion that August.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1995 60 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1995 107
1995 78 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1995 91
1995 31 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1995 101
1995 30 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1995 100
1995 17 Radio 104.1 Hartford-New Haven, CT WMRQ Top 104 Songs of 1995 104
1995 51 103.1 The Buzz West Palm Beach, FL The Buzz Top 103 Alternative Songs of '95 103
1995 18 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 95 Songs of 1995 95
1995 46 WDRE Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA WDRE Top 103.9 Songs of 1995 104

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1995 193 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 493 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1999 274 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 66 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 173 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 85 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 253 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 289 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 391 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2001 62 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2001 437 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 338 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 1138 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 290 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2004 216 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 99 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 147 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 67 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 100 Brit Songs of All-Time (May 2005) 100
2005 616 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2005 55 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2006 357 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 174 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 45 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 293 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 371 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 355 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 356 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 352 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 346 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 330 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 325 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2018 657 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2020 856 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 635 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2022 277 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 1392 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 603
2022 150 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2023 266 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2025 82 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2025) 100
2025 454 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2025 4 Absolute Radio Absolute Radio 100 Ultimate Britpop Anthems 100
2026 255 KXT KXT 917 Song Countdown 917

Charting alongside it in 1995

Best songs of 1995 →
  1. 1You Oughta KnowAlanis Morissette
  2. 2LumpThe Presidents of the United States of America
  3. 3Lightning CrashesLive
  4. 4Bullet With Butterfly WingsThe Smashing Pumpkins
  5. 5NameGoo Goo Dolls
  6. 6My FriendsRed Hot Chili Peppers

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Live Forever" by Oasis.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.