Audio

Oasis classic voted the greatest British song of all time once again

Have they got it right?

Danny Jones - 21st April 2025

With the Live ’25 reunion tour this summer fast approaching, it’s fair to say that fans all over the globe are struggling to think about much else other than Oasis at the minute, so it won’t surprise you to hear that one of the greatest classics has been named the best of British song once again.

Oasis, Britpop fanatics and plenty more will already know the song in question, but the everlasting legacy of this tune remains extremely impressive, nevertheless.

We are, of course, talking about their 1994 hit ‘Live Forever’, taken from the seminal debut album, Definitely Maybe, an album absolutely littered with eternal gems from cover to cover.

It might not be the first time the iconic Manc anthem has earned the accolade, but it does feel like a more poignant time than ever to celebrate with the long-awaited gigs now just months away.

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Voted for directly by Radio X (formerly XFM) listeners, the legendary Oasis tune has been the ‘Best Of British‘ yet again, with each year’s victor being chosen from a poll on a century of classic bits of music from UK artists.

Note that this isn’t just a second win either; it’s actually the third time in a row that the station has given it the top spot, not to mention naming 16 Oasis entries on the list.

Oh yeah, it also happens to be just the 10th anniversary of the now annual award, meaning ‘Live Forever’ boasts nearly a third of all Best of British wins to trophies to date – and believe us, you won’t hear any complaints from The Manc office or Audio North.

You’ll also be glad to hear that Manchester was the most heavily respresented city this year too, with bands like The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division and Oasis making up a total 39% of the vote. Because of course.

Radio X’s Managing Editor, Matt Deverson, said of the very easy repeat decision: “‘Live Forever’ had to be number one, didn’t it?

“And with Oasis dominating the 100 with 16 songs in the list, it reflects the growing excitement among Radio X listeners for what will be the biggest music and cultural moment of the year, from the biggest band in the world right now!”

Might as well watch the music video for the 100th time, then, eh?

It is still a spine-tingling track even to this day, there’s no doubt about that, but more importantly where does it land for you?

We certainly have one our own thoughts on the best Oasis songs of all time that we’re sure some of our opinions will irritate you no end.

Fellow firm favourites that made it into the top 10 were ‘Champagne Supernova’, ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’; meanwhile, one of the newest and highest-ranking additions is Sam Fender’s hugely popular ‘People Watching’, the title track from his fantastic third album.

With everyone getting ready for one of the biggest music events in history and even rumours of a return to Knebworth swirling, summer 2025 is set to go down in the history books. We were also glad to see someone who was there at the very beginning is as amped up as we are.

Read more:

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• Hip-hop, soul and R’n’B legend Mary J Blige is coming to Manchester for a massive arena gig
• Manc music legend Peter Hook is running his fourteenth Great Manchester Run for charity

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Featured Images — Helter Skelter/Shymanets (via GoodFon)/Oasis (screenshot via YouTube)