FADE AWAY
Oasis Lyrics

The lyrics of Oasis's song, "Fade Away", explore the idea of lost dreams and hopes, that when we grow up, the things that we wanted or thought we had become less possible or less real. It's the evocation of a specific shade of nostalgia in which wishes are so perfect, so grand, that they're too good to fade - though of course, they do. The opening lines of the song are a summation of the feeling of innocence that so many people leave behind: "When I was young, I thought I had my own key, I knew exactly what I wanted to be." The singer, much like other young people, believed that they could be anything, that they had the key to their own destiny. But, time has passed, and their dreams have become relegated to a past experience. The singer is, in a way, urging the listener to hold on to their dreams, to cherish them because too often, they pass away.

The chorus of the song repeats the refrain "While we're living, the dreams we have as children fade away." It's a powerful statement about the fleeting, ephemeral quality of time, growing up, and growing old. We may cling to some of our memories and dreams, but, gradually and insidiously, they fall away from us like wilting petals. Our powerful, surging memories of a limitless future begin fade away before our eyes. The things that we wanted as children, the things that gave us joy and purpose, simply do not exist in the same way that they did before. This is what the singer is trying to say: that we must do our best to hold onto what we want, for as long as we can. Somewhere along the way, though, reality comes crashing down and people are left to wonder where their dreams went.

* It was released as a non-album single in 1994.
* The song was only included on the compilation album, The Masterplan, in 1998.
* The song was written by Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher.
* According to Gallagher, the song was started in 1991 while he was still in Inspiral Carpets.
* The songs' original title was "Fade In-Out," but the band changed it to "Fade Away" before releasing it.
* "Fade Away" was also featured on the soundtrack of the British film "Rollin' with the Nines."
* The song is a B-side to the single "Cigarettes and Alcohol."
* An acoustic version of the song was included on Oasis' 2006 compilation album "Stop the Clocks."
* Noel Gallagher once considered swapping the song "Live Forever" for "Fade Away" as "Live Forever" was just "donkey chords," but Liam Gallagher insisted they keep "Live Forever."
* The song was inspired by Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down."

Chords:

Verse: F - A# - C - Dm

Chorus: F - C - Dm - A#