You think that everything you've done's fantastic.

Oasis - 'Married With Children' (Definitely Maybe - 1994)

In the mid-1990s, Blur and Oasis were crucial players of Britpop, appearing as rivals, memorably attacking the same week with new singles in August 1995 and pushing coverage of contemporary British music out of the industry weeklies and into national newspapers and nightly bulletins.

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Almost three decades of water under the bridge have seen vital players discuss what was manufactured and what wasn’t and conclude that while the bands could be split along North v South, working-class versus middle-class, some school versus art school lines, they shared notable similarities. Both bands were instrumental in shaping Britpop as a distinctly British response to America and that there grunge.

Despite their geographic differences, Oasis, hailing from Manchester and Blur, from South East England, both explored themes of British working-class life in their music, one more through voyeurism than direct experience, of course. Another thing they have in common is how they ended their 1994 albums.

Parklife ends with a 1-2 punch of ‘This Is A Low’ and then ‘Lot 105’. It’s an epic, singing-off, live favourite, non-single that fans love. Then followed up by a short, whimsical coda - this is the setup that Oasis also employ. The calm following the storm. ‘Slide Away’ all gnashing and wailing guitars and sonic soundscapes. ‘Married With Children’ contrasts sharply with the rest of the album’s raucous and anthemic sound. The song is more intimate and subdued, with the acoustic guitar driving the song along at a more sedate pace.

It goes without saying that there is a Beatles influence to the song, like much of their catalogue. That extends to the set-up of the closing track; 1969’s Abbey Road also closes with an epic closeout before a whimsical coda sends us off into the night.

The lyrics, for what they are worth, see writer Noel Gallagher are a candid take on a strained relationship with then-girlfriend Louise Jones; there is probably more truth in these few minutes of mundane and domestic strife than most popular music in 1964, 1994 or 2024 offers as a window on what love and relationships are actual like. Noel has said that;

It’s another song that anybody could relate to because if you live with a girlfriend or just a flatmate, there are always petty things that you hate about them, and this song’s just about pettiness.

Fed up with hearing her boyfriend constantly playing the guitar, Jones reportedly told Noel, "Your music's sh*te; it keeps me up all night". The line is, of course, quoted verbatim in the song. Even at such an early stage in their career, Gallagher N would have known that having Liam Gallagher sing those words was one thing, but calling the song that would have been another. So, unlike much of what was inspiring all the other Britpop bands¹, he took unlikely inspiration from across the Atlantic, seeing Katey Sagal and Ed O'Neill sparing and thought, “That's me, that is”.

Al, let’s have s*x. Uh, no, Peg

The song was recorded at producer Mark Coyle's girlfriend's house, not in a traditional studio setting. The impromptu nature of this recording session contributes to the song's raw and unpolished sound, which ultimately adds to its charm and authenticity.

‘Married With Children’ may not be one of Oasis' most widely recognised songs. Still, it is special in the band’s discography, illustrating that for a few years between 1993 and 1996, the band were able to knock off whimsical album closers and anthemic B-sides with great elan only to spend the next dozen years failing to produce anything much of lasting impact and significance that can shake a stick to the simple, throwaway coda to their debut album.

The Run Out Grooves Infinite Grooves

1. Like UB40 and Def Leppard.