Talk:Don't Look Back in Anger

Recording dates

The article's infobox says the song was recorded in Spring/Summer 1995. Could someone more knowledgable than me on matters regarding Oasis please put the months it was recorded in. As someone who lives in the southern hemisphere, Spring/Summer is during the other side of the year (ie, September to March). Thank you. - Akamad 12:39, September 7, 2005 (UTC)

Song Meaning

If someone would care to update the song meaning to reflect the fact that Noel Gallagher has often stated that even he doesn't remember what it means, and all the other meanings are nothing but conjecture, that would be nice and make the article accurate, as it now is not. I'll do this as soon as I have time, but I don't right now. Thanks, BY =] -

Barron Yorkshire 12:39, September 16, 2005 (UTC)

Response section

In the "Response" section, why is it that only the "Commercial" part is tagged for improvement by expansion, but not the "Critical" (which is equally short), or "Legacy" sections? -- K1darkknight (talk) 19:57, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Johann Pachelbel

Why is there no word about the reference of this song to the Canon in D major by Johann Pachelbel in this article? When listening to the song it is obvious, and it is not just a inspiration but a copy. 77.3.58.46 (talk) 03:52, 14 June 2010 (UTC)

The Source

this John Lennon tape that Noel plagiarised, does anyone which tape he means, can it be linked to another page in the wikipedia, or an external page?

It was some bootleg recordings.--Crestville 16:49, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

Lyric "meanings" are ambiguous

Noel Gallagher himself has said he does not remember what "stand up beside the fireplace, take that look from off your face," or many of the other lines of this song refer to -- meaning anything posing as definitive explanation is nothing but conjecture, and should be labeled as such.

Noel Gallagher says a lot of things. His interviews are inconsistant. He definately said that the fireplace line was realted to the photograph story. I'll find a refernce for it if there isn't one.--Crestville 14:39, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Oasis author Paolo Hewitt revealed in an interview on tv that that line was because as a child, Noel looked quite moody when he had photos taken, and that his mother Peggy just told him to "cheer up" and stand by the fireplace for a photo. (Andrew07 (talk) 22:59, 22 March 2010 (UTC))

Fair use rationale for Image:Uk dont look back lg.jpg

Image:Uk dont look back lg.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 16:29, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

In the Stop the Clock bonus dvd, Noel says that Liam co-wroted the song. Can someone add Liam as the co-wroter? 67.68.107.222

idt s — Preceding unsigned comment added by 144.89.186.252 (talk) 07:43, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

"Love Is the Law"

Presumably this and/or Sally Cinnamon were influences on The Seahorses' "Love is the Law"?

Strap-on Sally chased us down the alley

We feared for our behinds

Oasis was a shop with shoes so hot

They were sure to blow your mind.

Stu ^{’Bout ye!} 11:27, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Patrick MacNee

In the music video section it says Patrick MacNee doesn't remember the filming of the music video. There is no citation, so is that just a joke put in by a vandal, or is it a genuine fact? It seems quite strange for it to be a true fact. I've searched for it on google and there are mentions of it, but I can't see an obvious news/gossip website article stating he can't remember it Forfica (talk) 19:47, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

I've now removed that "Macnee has no recollection of the filming of the video." from the music video section as it just seems silly to include something like that which is completely unverified. Feel free to put it back if you find a source. Forfica (talk) 12:17, 10 November 2009 (UTC)

Lennon

Does anyone know why John Lennon didn't get additional songwriting credits on this song, that's usually what happens when it comes out that a song plagiarized, the original artist gets partial credit. Especially with this having stuff from two Lennon songs, and stuff from his tapes. Iminrainbows (talk) 23:30, 9 January 2010 (UTC)

"Notable appearances in the media"

What's the definition here of "notable"? At the moment people seem to be interpreting it as "Every single show I've seen where the song has been played at some point", which is asking for trouble, surely? 86.130.99.187 (talk) 00:45, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

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Look Back in Anger

I'm surprised the article doesn't mention that the songtitle is an ironic reference to John Osborne's social realist play "Look Back in Anger" (1956), still remembered as the source of the phrase Angry Young Man, its style contrasting with the genteel and understated work of Terence Rattigan and others. Thanks to it, Northern and working class life came to be seen as fit subjects for drama, and for culture generally.

Nuttyskin (talk) 12:40, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Peer review

Don't Look Back in Anger

I've listed this article for peer review as I have recently made some improvements and would like feedback on the article as a whole. I think it should be rated much higher than C-class as it stands, and would like to know what else should be added to re-rate it as GA or above.

Thanks, DiamondIIIXX (talk) 20:13, 31 October 2025 (UTC)

Comments from LEvalyn

It's definitely improved! Some things I notice to keep working on, with a potential GA nomination in mind:

• I think the "it got X on this list" information in the lead is too detailed there. The reception section can spell them all out, and the lead can just give a broader summary like "in later decades, the song continued to be recognized on retrospective rankings of best songs".
• I added a few "citation needed" tags to the article, which would need to be addressed before a GA nomination.
• The "background and writing" section feels a bit unorganized/disorienting at present: it starts with the song already written, and then jumps around between different kinds of background information. I'd suggest trying to put all the composition/performance information in chronological order, and then using some sub-sections for the other aspects. Maybe sub-sections for "lyrical inspiration" (or just "Sally"?) and "Beatles influence"?
• I also feel like the "critical reception" section would benefit from some thematic re-organization; you might find the advice at WP:Copyediting reception sections helpful.
• In general, one-sentence paragraphs should usually be expanded or be combined with other information, since they can feel quite 'unfinished' otherwise.
• My Meta:Cite Unseen script flags a few sources as unreliable; you should consider whether these can be replaced or justified in context: 3 minutes with Marc; Far Out Magazine; Setlist.fm; Metro
  • Relatedly, the Oasis: Mad For It (1996, 2/4) youtube link appears to be a WP:COPYLINK problem; same for the flickr links too and possibly the live performance video.
• It would be nice to include some reception info about the music video, if there is any.

Not all of that would necessarily be required before going for GA, but the sourcing aspects definitely would be. Good luck! ~ L 🌸 (talk) 23:51, 31 October 2025 (UTC)

Thanks @LEvalyn

• I agree, the list positions is excessive.
• Unfortunately there is indeed a fair bit of unsourced content.
• I agree. Do you think the "background and writing" section should step through the lyrics in order or some other arrangement? The Sally part is difficult to arrange because it is significant in the development section but shows up later in the song as part of the chorus.
• Perhaps rewriting the critic reception in chronological order, as well as including some retrospective views would be a good idea?
• Unfortunately A lot of the one sentence paragraphs are difficult to expand on due to a lack of sources.
• The 3 Minutes with Marc video is used as the source for the "fireplace" story, as the Noel interview is included as part of the video which explains how the song was written - it's pretty important. I'm not sure there would be another source to replace Setlist.fm due to how unique it is.
• Good point about the Mad For It video. It might be the only source for that quote, unfortunately. Also I don't see any links to Flickr using Ctrl-F.
• I spent quite a while searching for any reviews of the music video and haven't found anything, sadly.

Thanks for the comments. DiamondIIIXX (talk) 03:55, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

Flickr is linked for several of the 90s magazines: Melody Maker, NME, and Smash Hits. The sources themselves are fine but I think we might need to remove the links, as I suspect the Flickr images as non-official and thus copyright violations.

Just like we can cite those magazines without linking to flickr copyvio of them, we can cite video interviews/documentaries without linking to YouTube videos of them. I believe the template is {{cite AV media}}. That can address the WP:COPYLINK problem without losing the material it supports.

As for the "Background and writing" section, I don't think it needs to go in any specific order, I mostly think it would be helpful to have a section clearly designated as "here is where we are addressing the lyrics". It might be nice actually to start that section out with some kind of statement that the lyrics don't really make any sense; that seemed to be a recurring theme in the interviews... ~ L 🌸 (talk) 05:21, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

Actually, while I was thinking about it I had some ideas, so I've just put in a potential re-organization of that section! Of course you can keep fiddling with it, but I think it's easier to "follow" now. ~ L 🌸 (talk) 05:29, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

@LEvalyn I have done some major rewriting and improvement, and I think I have cleared up most of the issues you raised. The only remaining citation needed tag is for the story of Alan White meeting his future wife Liz Carey during filming for the music video, however the only source I was able to find was The Sun which is deprecated. (Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources#The Sun) DiamondIIIXX (talk) 19:59, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

If it can't be properly sourced, it might have to be removed :( Though I'd look for news articles about their wedding, maybe using the Wikipedia Library to search newspapers.com, and see if any reliable coverage of their wedding included a mention of how they met. But once all the citation needed tags are gone, I think you'd be in good shape to nominate the article as a GA! The article has really been improved by all your work on it! ~ L 🌸 (talk) 19:32, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

I had another look and I think the info initially appeared in the Sun on 27 Oct 2000 according to this blog - https://supersonicgal.tripod.com/oasis/id3.html

I've gone ahead and removed the content from the article, though there is some citogenesis on this as the "fact" appears in multiple blogs. DiamondIIIXX (talk) 05:59, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

Sourcing concerns

@DiamondIIIXX: Hello there! I saw that you nominated this article for GA, and I wanted to thank you for improving the page of this banger of a song. However, I had some concerns about the sourcing of this article, which should ideally be addressed earlier rather than later for whenever this article gets picked up:

• Far Out is used ten times in the article, despite being deemed an unreliable source per WP:A/S
• While Rick Beato can be considered a music expert, and the That Pedal Show and Chris Buck videos are referenced in a reliable source, what makes the other YouTube links reliable ("3 minutes with Marc" and "James Hargreaves Guitar")? Neither have a Wikipedia page, and look like self-published sources to me.
• "www.oasis-live.net" and "oasisinfo.wikidot.com" don't seem like reliable sources to me from the webpage name alone. Neither do "music.cass.anu.edu.au", "Culture Trip", Alina Ren (see WP:MEDIUM), "Soho Sonic", "propstore.com", "Seen Opticians", and The Oasis Podcast.
• Some of the references are missing their source name (e.g. number 21, which is a BBC article without "BBC" in the citation).

Sorry that this is a lot, but solid sourcing is important in any article, and is especially so in GAs given that they represent some of Wikipedia's best works. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns :) Leafy46 (talk) 21:35, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

I also see that you've addressed some of these points above during the Peer Review. While I sympathize with your struggles to find a good source for some of the information in this article, whoever ends up reviewing this article will more than likely bring up these points too, given that the reliability of sources is directly mentioned in the GA criteria and some of these sources (specifically Far Out and Medium) have explicit consensus against their use. Leafy46 (talk) 21:42, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Leafy46, thanks for joining the discussion and providing your feedback.

• Far Out - I tried to minimise the usage of this source as I could tell early on that they were indeed a "churnalism" style publication per your link. However I still thought it was ok to include as they provided a lot of tidbits of information. I don't believe they were Circular referencing to Wikipedia per WP:A/S as it was all new information. It will probably be possible to replace with other sources but they provided good information and a good summary in certain articles.
• 3 minutes with Marc video - This one is just to include the snippet of Noel's interview where he says he vividly remembers his mum saying "Take that stupid look off your face". I didn't want to link to any copyright violations of the whole interview on YouTube.
• James Hargreaves Guitar - his video on Sally was important as he draws the link between Sally and Melissa Lim from the San Francisco Chronicle article. He seems to be a subject matter expert on Oasis. I also sourced him for the "mystery chord" as he explains how he visually analysed live performances of the song to decode the chord (years earlier than the Buck video). Yes he is a self published creator, but I thought his opinions and info were worthy of being included.
• Oasis-live - this was the only source that said he only wrote one verse (which is true) - the other source (https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/noel-gallagher-oasis-debuted-dont-look-back-in-anger/) (and others I found) only went as far as saying differences in the arrangement. Also, they confirmed the song was dedicated to Paul Mathur (other sources confused it as Lee Mavers, frontman of the La's).
• Oasisinfo.wikidot.com - This was the most reliable source I could find for this interview - I suppose it could just be replaced with a reference to the publication?
• https://music.cass.anu.edu.au - Australian National University's School of Music page - This should be fine to use, no?
• Culture Trip - This one can be removed as other sources cover it.
• Alina Ren - Self Published (Medium) but was another opinion for the Canon in D motif. Can probably be removed without great loss.
• Soho Sonic - another source for the Canon in D similarity - and some extra useful information. Not the only source but would hurt the number of citations if removed.
• Propstore.com - only source that explicitly says Noel wore Lennon style glasses in the music video. Makes sense - no other sources would care about Noel's glasses.
• Seen Opticians - another source for Noel wearing "Lennon-esque round frames". No other sources would care about Noel's glasses, same as Propstore.com.
• The Oasis Podcast - I wasn't the one that added this source, but it's an interview with Owen Morris - Looks like the URL they link to is broken https://www.soundonsound.com/people/oasis-wonderwall

Would you be interested in assisting with improving the sourcing? DiamondIIIXX (talk) 04:31, 15 November 2025 (UTC)

Some responses:

• Far Out: See the discussion. Beyond the fact that engaging in churnalism to begin with makes the source unreliable, it also frequently recycles information from more reliable sources which should be used instead.
• 3 minutes with Marc: Is it... not still a copyright violation to include a snippet of an interview from a different source, and not cite where it came from?
• James Hargreaves Guitar: Just because someone makes a lot of videos about a band doesn't qualify them as a subject matter expert on the band. The closest I found to Hargreaves being seen as an "expert" about Oasis is this MusicRadar article where he is referred to as an "Oasis fan and YouTuber", but I hardly think that counts.
• Oasis-live: I personally believe that, if the only sources which claim something are unreliable, then those things should not be included in the article. Wikipedia is no place for the inclusion of dubious information credited to dubious sources, under the pretense of "I know it's true, trust me bro".
• music.cass.anu.edu.au: Per WP:RSSM. Student media isn't explicitly unallowed I guess (given that its author is/was a student and a "contributing author"), but when there are so many sources about this song, its inclusion strikes me as odd.
• Soho Sonic: There may be "useful information", but who is the Soho Sonic Team? Who wrote the article, or at least was the editor who fact-checked it for accuracy? If this information is not on the site, can you really call it a reliable source?
• Propstore.com: Ditto to above. Who is the "expert" who wrote the "Expert's Notes"? If you can't find this information, how can you really tell that they are an expert?
• Seen Opticians: Ditto to above.
• The Oasis Podcast: I do apologize for this one, this one is probably fine as long as it's being used only as a primary source (though there are certainly better sources to cite this sort of info, like the album's liner notes)

Please don't get me wrong here. I'm not trying to be hostile, I'm simply trying to point out a few pieces of sourcing which a GA reviewer would likely point out as being unreliable or otherwise dubious. Do let me know if you have any other concerns. Leafy46 (talk) 05:18, 15 November 2025 (UTC)

@Leafy46 Well there's no other sources for the Sally / Melissa Lim story, nor are there any for the Lennon-style glasses-even though anyone watching the music video can tell it's clearly inspired by Lennon. There's just been no "reliable sources" that have covered it.

"Wikipedia is no place for the inclusion of dubious information credited to dubious sources, under the pretense of "I know it's true, trust me bro"." - There's a video of the 1995 Sheffield performance on YouTube - Noel repeats the first verse instead of the second verse used in the recording, but same story as the Lennon inspired glasses, no "reliable" sources have covered it. Shame since it's such a big song. DiamondIIIXX (talk) 08:20, 15 November 2025 (UTC)

@Leafy46 I've made some changes following the issues you've raised. I've left the sentence about the Lennon style glasses as the three citations together form a solid reference to me. DiamondIIIXX (talk) 22:03, 15 November 2025 (UTC)