Bono: He would bring a Noel Gallagher song to a desert island

At first sight, Noel Gallagher And Good might seem to represent very distinct elements of rock. Gallagher is a Britpop hero, an outspoken Mancunian who wrote working-class anthems, while Bono is often regarded as one of the most pretentious men in music, leading a stadium-filling band that has polarised the world with its ways.

However, there are also many similarities between the two. Gallagher is of Irish descent and much of his musical background comes from punk, as with U2. Although the Irish band moved away from the flashy post-punk of their early years, they were one of the most acclaimed bands of their time, and the young Gallagher, a fan of 80s guitar music, was a big fan.

Gallagher he stated that “The Joshua Tree” of the U2 is one of his all-time favorite albums, which explains his penchant for expansive sounds and big guitars. In 2015, he told iTunes: “There’s not a whole lot to say about that record. ‘Where The Streets Have No Name,’ ‘Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,’ ‘With Or Without You,’ ‘Running To Stand Still.’ If you don’t have a copy, you’re an idiot… The end.”

The connection doesn’t stop with Gallagher’s record collection and his Irish roots. His band, High Flying Birdstoured extensively with U2, including the 30th anniversary tour of “The Joshua Tree”. After this experience, Gallagher revealed in an interview that Bono is “one of his closest friends” and added: “He gets a lot of criticism, but I love him.”

Gallagher went on to reveal that despite the criticism, U2 have remained authentic throughout their success. Artists of their calibre might have chosen to be managed by an international team, but U2 are managed by an all-Ireland team, demonstrating their commitment to staying true to their roots.

When he appeared on BBC Radio’s “Desert Island Discs” in 2022, Bono paid Gallagher back, praising his unique songwriting ability. He chose the live version of “Dead in the Water“, an acoustic track, like one of the songs to take with him to the imaginary island. Bono explained: “He has this thing, where the songs take him wherever they want. There’s a certain defiance in the song, and defiance is the essence of romance.”

Host Lauren Laverne then asked Bono why he thinks U2 still has the same lineup after 40 years and huge success. Bono’s response provided an interesting contrast to Oasis’s uneasy split in 2009. Bono admitted that U2 are constantly breaking up, but explained that writing great songs is an arduous process where your best friends are heavily critical of your art. However, he said they stayed together because there’s always a sense that there’s still great music to be written and that perhaps they haven’t reached their ultimate creative vision yet.

He concluded: “If you’re going to serve the song, you might as well do it with people who understand you and can tell you where to go.” It’s one thing to have your friends criticize your work, but in Gallagher’s case, things took on a different dimension when it was his brother doing it. Blood may be thicker than water, but brothers tend to annoy each other in ways that friends can’t. However, there’s still hope that Oasis could one day return and start an exciting new chapter.