England's football stars have been joining in with elated fans in belting out Oasis' iconic track Wonderwall after every World Cup win this summer07:43, 09 Jul 2026Updated 07:43, 09 Jul 2026It’s being sung by millions after every England World Cup game but it never got to number one - and it was almost sung by Noel instead of Liam Gallagher. Wonderwall was belted out by fans on the Oasis reunion tour last Summer and has gained another life this year in America and Mexico.‌Frontman Liam has even sent fans into a frenzy by saying “I’m ready” when asked if he might sing the song live if England make it to the final. And brother Noel, regularly seen at Manchester City games is also loving it being the team’s unofficial anthem, telling TalkSport after one match: “For your information, that song belongs to the people, I don't see it as my song. I thought it was a brilliant moment.”‌England captain Harry Kane is such a fan he lost his voice singing it after the victory over Mexico. But the full story behind the biggest song from the Oasis album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? Goes back over 30 years to 1995 when it could have ended up sounding very different to the finished song.‌Oasis were riding high after their debut number one album Definitely Maybe when they returned to the studio to record a second album. The song's title was inspired by George Harrison's solo album Wonderwall Music although it was originally called ‘Wishing Stone’ in the studio when it was being demoed.It is funny to look back on it now, but Liam was far from a fan of the song at the time. In the book Supersonic, featuring extended interviews from a documentary of the same name, Liam says: “I knew the songs were a lot richer than Definitely Maybe. Wonderwall was the only one that I didn't get at the time, I was ‘I don't know about this man’.‌“It just didn't seem right. I thought it was weird. Then when I heard it, I was.. ‘Ah, now I get it’. I was totally wrong, and that's f**king right. I love that tune.”He adds: “Growing up, we didn't have much money or anything. There was no carpet or s*** like that, no wallpaper, and we would just write s*** on the walls and have posters up. I always thought that was our Wonderwall, but it's obviously not. Apparently, it's about some bird, or maybe not.”Depending on who you believe or which day of the week it is, it is either an ode to friendship, an imaginary friend, or about Noel’s then girlfriend Meg Matthews. They divorced in 2001, which might explain it having more than one meaning, but things are amicable now and she was at the Oasis reunion shows.‌Noel originally tried to record the guitar for the song bizarrely away from Rockfield studios in Wales outside on a wall about six feet tall. But there was not anything wonderful about the idea and at one point after all the equipment had been set up, four sheep gathered around and the background noise and confusion made Noel and producer Owen Morris abandon the idea.Once he had laid down the guitar back inside, it was down to the vocals, and by this point they had decided who was singing. Noel recalls: “In the case of Wonderwall and Don't Look Back in Anger. I wanted to sing one of them. Liam hated Wonderwall when he heard it. He actually said 'I'm not singing it, it's not f***ing rock and roll’.‌“I'll sing it then. When it takes shape, and everyone's going ‘This is going to be massive,’ he decides that he's going to save it from mediocrity and make it what it was. So, I said I would sing. Don't Look Back in Anger.”For such a classic song, it did not take long to finish. Cool as ever, Liam recorded the vocal in a handful takes and the song was mixed by producer Owen in just two hours.Owen recalls: “What a pleasure it was to f**king record with Liam Gallagher. He got this vocal done in four takes. Remarkable. In two hours it was mixed and its the biggest thing Oasis have ever done and it pays for all our lives.”‌The track also features a mellotron played by Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, the other guitarist from the band who returned for the live shows last year.The music video to accompany the song has the Gallagher brothers involved but actually features guitarist Scott McLeod, who was in the band for just a couple of months to cover for bass player Paul ‘Guigsy’ McGuigan who was suffering nervous exhaustion. It also saw drummer Alan White make his debut in videos with the band.Guigsy, who does not feature on Wonderwall, would return again after McLeod lasting just a handful of Oasis shows but he left again in 1999. The video, which also saw Liam singing in a Burberry shirt, won British Video of the Year at the 1996 Brit Awards‌Wonderwall first hit the charts on November 11, 1995 and although it has spent 28 weeks in the Top 40 it never got to number one. The Mike Flowers pop cover version also got to number two in the Christmas charts the same year. It reached the top 10 in 15 countries and did manage to hit number one in Australia.Now it is set to hit the top 10 again at the end of this week, and like England’s national football team, it could go all the way to being number one. Wonderwall is not the first Oasis song to be used by the British public in a communal singalong.Article continues belowIn 2017 after the bombing at Manchester Arena, crowds spontaneously began to sing Don’t Look Back In Anger. It became an emotional anthem for the City as a theme of defiance and pain. Hopefully Wonderwall singalongs in 2026 will be remembered very differently and will come to symbolise a country united in celebration and joy.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.