Oasis’ timeless song “Wonderwall” could have had a very different name.
During a conversation with Pub Talk, Noel Galagher reflected on how the tune got its title.
“When I was writing that song, it was [originally] called ‘Wishing Stone’” the rocker explained, “because a girl that I’d met had earnestly put this stone into my hand one night and said, ‘That’s your wishing stone. It’ll make all your dreams come true.’ And I was like, ‘Whatever.’ And so, I’d write the song. It’s called ‘Wishing Stone.’ It didn’t really have it.”
Thankfully, the music gods had other plans. Galagher found “Wonderwall”’s now-famous name by chance – and, alike many things in Oasis’s history, there’s a Beatles connection.
“One day I was walking downstairs, humming the song. I had this poster of Wonderwall by the stairs,” Noel recalled, referring to the 1968 art film Wonderwall, which featured a soundtrack by George Harrison. “I saw it and thought, ‘That’s it.’ It just stuck. And I’ve been asked about it ever since.”
Released as the fourth single from Oasis’ landmark second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, “Wonderwall” quickly became a worldwide sensation. The track topped charts in 15 countries, solidifying the Gallagher brothers as Britpop’s global ambassadors and pushing the genre firmly into the mainstream.
“Wonderwall” stands as the band’s best-selling UK single and, after Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the second most-streamed ’90s track on Spotify, boasting more than 2.3 billion plays. It remains one of the most influential songs of the ’90s, and has been the penultimate song in every set list during Oasis’ 2025 reunion tour.