Oasis was an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally kno… Read Full Bio ↴Oasis was an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as the Rain, the group initially consisted of Liam Gallagher (lead vocals, tambourine), Paul Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan (bass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums). Liam's older brother Noel (lead guitar, vocals) later joined as a fifth member, finalising the group's core lineup. During the course of their existence, they had various lineup changes, with the Gallagher brothers remaining the only staple members.

Oasis signed to independent record label Creation Records in 1993 and released their record-setting debut album Definitely Maybe (1994). The following year they recorded (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) with drummer Alan White, in the midst of a chart rivalry with peers Blur. Spending ten weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was also an international chart success and became one of the best-selling albums of all time. In addition, it stands as the fifth-best-selling album in the UK and the biggest-selling album in the UK of the 1990s. The Gallagher brothers featured regularly in tabloid newspapers for their disputes and wild lifestyles. In 1996, Oasis performed two nights at Knebworth for an audience of 125,000 each time, the largest outdoor concerts in UK history at the time. In 1997, Oasis released their third album, Be Here Now. It became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history.

Oasis' popularity later declined and McGuigan and Arthurs left in 1999 as Oasis released Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000). They were replaced by former Heavy Stereo guitarist Gem Archer and former Ride guitarist Andy Bell. White departed in 2004, replaced by Zak Starkey and later Chris Sharrock. Oasis released three more studio albums, Heathen Chemistry (2002), Don't Believe the Truth (2005) and Dig Out Your Soul (2008). The group abruptly disbanded after the departure of Noel Gallagher in August 2009.

As of 2009, Oasis had sold over 70 million records worldwide. They are among the most successful acts on the UK Singles Chart and Albums Chart, with eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums. The band also achieved three platinum albums in the US. They won 17 NME Awards, nine Q Awards, four MTV Europe Music Awards and six Brit Awards, including one in 2007 for Outstanding Contribution to Music and one for the "Best Album of the Last 30 Years" for (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. They were nominated for two Grammy Awards.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis_(band)

Studio albums
Definitely Maybe (1994)
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
Be Here Now (1997)
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000)
Heathen Chemistry (2002)
Don't Believe the Truth (2005)
Dig Out Your Soul (2008)

Members:
Liam Gallagher – vocals (1991–2009)
Noel Gallagher – lead guitar, vocals (1991–2009)
Paul Arthurs - rhythm guitar (1991–1999)
Gem Archer – rhythm guitar (1999–2009)
Paul McGuigan – bass guitar (1991–1999)
Andy Bell (Oasis) – bass guitar (1999–2009)
Tony McCarroll – drums (1991–1995)
Alan White (Oasis) – drums (1995–2004)
Zak Starkey – drums (2004–2008)
Chris Sharrock – drums (2008–2009)

The Turning
Oasis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Eyes over the city
Rise up from your soul
They hang over the streets at night
Brought on by the cold

We live with the numbers
Mining our dreams for the same old song
Why hope for the turning

If everything you know is wrong

[Chorus]
So come on, shake your rag doll, baby
Before you change your mind
Then come on, when the rapture takes me
Be the fallen angel by my side

You carry the lantern
I'll carry you home
You search for the disappeared
I'll bury the cold

Yours is a messiah
Mine is a dream and it won't be long
No hope for the journey
If no-one ever sees the dawn

So come on, shake your rag doll, baby
Before you change your mind
Then come on, when the rapture takes me
Will you be by my side

[Chorus]

So come on, shake your rag doll, baby
Before you change your mind
Then come on, when the rapture takes me
Will you be by my side

Hey come on, shake your rag doll, baby
Before you change your mind
And come on, when the rapture takes me
Be the fallen angel by my side

(Shake your rag doll baby)
(Shake it 'round)

(Shake your rag doll baby)
(Shake it 'round)

Overall Meaning

The song The Turning by Oasis explores the idea of hope and uncertainty in life. The first verse talks about how the eyes over the city rise up from your soul and hang over the streets at night, induced by the cold. It can be interpreted as people feeling lost and alone in the darkness and wanting guidance from something greater than themselves. The next line talks about living with numbers, referring to the mundane routine of everyday life, where people feel like they're trapped in the same old song, and there's no hope for the turning if everything they know is wrong. Here, turning refers to change or a better future, but the lyrics suggest that people may not always have the courage to hope for it because they're too comfortable with the way things are.

The chorus encourages people to shake their rag doll, which could refer to shedding off their old selves, before they change their minds. The line, "when the rapture takes me, be the fallen angel by my side," suggests someone's desire for companionship even at the end of the world, wanting someone to be with them even in the most terrible of events. The second verse talks about how two people carry each other (one with a lantern, the other with the cold) and how they both have different goals in life (one has a messiah, the other a dream), but without hope for the journey, it won't matter if the dawn never comes.

Line by Line Meaning

Eyes over the city
The view of individuals upon the city

Rise up from your soul
Soul awakening towards the city's view

They hang over the streets at night
Night-time offers a wide-angle view of the city

Brought on by the cold
The temperature drops sharply at night, creating a majestic glow

We live with the numbers
We are defined by our social rank and not our creativity

Mining our dreams for the same old song
Our dreams are not as different as we believe them to be

Why hope for the turning
Why expect change when we are stuck in the same cycle?

If everything you know is wrong
If everything we're doing is counter-intuitive to our end goal

So come on, shake your rag doll, baby
A plea to rally up and foster change

Before you change your mind
Before you give up on this hope for change

Then come on, when the rapture takes me
As soon as the end arrives