One of Us

Album: Why Me? Why Not (2019)
Charted: 50
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This breezy song centers on the broken relationship between Liam Gallagher and someone very close to him. It is likely that the person Liam is talking to is his older brother Noel Gallagher; they have been openly feuding since the breakup of Oasis.

    You were always one of us
    Act like you don't remember
    You said we'd live forever
    Who do you think you're kidding?


    "One of Us" references Oasis' classic track "Live Forever," giving us a further clue that it is Noel whom Liam is addressing.
  • "One of Us" is described in a press statement as "a song which expresses hope that a fractured relationship can be salvaged in the future." According to Liam, the song centers on "family, friendship and a sense of belonging."
  • Liam Gallagher penned the song with Andrew Wyatt. The American co-wrote with Gallagher nine out of the eleven tracks on Why Me? Why Not.
  • Gallagher said the song's gospel outro reminds him of The Sweet Inspirations. The American gospel/R&B girl group was founded by Cissy Houston, mother of the late Whitney Houston. As well as singing backup for many stars such as Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick, they had their own hit in 1968 with "Sweet Inspiration."
  • Gene Gallagher, Liam's son, makes his recording debut on this song playing the bongos. "First time he's ever done it," his proud father told Q magazine. "Cans on, tap tap tap. He got the groove in one take."
  • That's songwriter Andrew Wyatt singing the Sweet Inspirations-like coda. Liam commented to Q Magazine: "It's like he's got five black chicks trying to get out of him."
  • The song's nostalgic black-and-white music video finds Gallagher revisiting his past with a series of childhood photographs in a field. Eventually, he enters a warehouse with "August 28, 2009" printed on a door. That was the date of Liam and Noel's backstage fist-fight in Paris, which ended with Noel quitting Oasis. The video was released exactly a decade later on August 28, 2019.

    Liam roped in Peaky Blinders director Anthony Byrne to film it. The concept was written by Stephen Knight, who is the creator of the BBC show.
  • "One of Us" was the last track Gallagher recorded for the album. He told the Los Angeles Daily News that he feels it has a "Wonderwall"-y vibe, saying, "It's got a skippy drum beat and all that."

    Gallagher added that lyrically, the song is about family. "Obviously, I've got a brother called Noel I don't get on with, but I've got another brother, Paul, that I do," he added. "It has got a bit of that. It's got a lot of things, really. I like the groove of it."

Comments: 2

  • Riley Shenton from Uk It’s definitely about Noel as he says that act like you don’t remember you said we’d live forever (written by Noel) he calls him kid at the beginning and Liam also says act like you want more, which is what Noel famously said in a interview about him having a rolls Royce, 3 stalkers, playing on the board at city etc and at the end he screams I WANT MORE!
  • Tim from St Louis, MoDefinitely does seem like he's referencing Noel, but also himself as Liam's nickname within Oasis was "the kid". Liam's explanation of it being about family sounds like it could be very accurate, but it may be his "Oasis family" that he's referring to as well, which includes Noel.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Kiss

KissFact or Fiction

Kiss is the subject of many outlandish rumors - some of which happen to be true. See if you can spot the fakes.