Some might say – but some might simply forget the words to the song.
The musician Noel Gallagher has admitted he struggles to remember the words to some of the hits he created with his younger brother Liam in their band Oasis.
At 56, Gallagher blamed the “ongoing march of time” for his onstage forgetfulness, and admitted he may one day need to use an teleprompter.
On tour with his band, the High Flying Birds, Gallagher said: “I’ve found myself on this tour consciously thinking: ‘What is the next line to this song?’ It’s like, you’ve just got to think about it.”
Three years ago, Paul McCartney, now 81, admitted using a teleprompter on stage in case he forgot the words to some of the old Beatles numbers he still performs. Some of the songs are 50 to 60 years old.
Elton John, 76, used a teleprompter when he headlined Glastonbury in June, in what was billed as his last UK concert. Bruce Springsteen, 73, has used one for years. Barbra Streisand, 81, has used a prompter not just for lyrics but for her apparently impromptu chat between numbers.
Speaking to Matt Morgan on his Patreon podcast, Gallagher said: “I’m sure, eventually, I’ll need one.”
The Oasis star has previously said he is feeling his age. Last year he told the radio presenter Ken Bruce that his 40s were his “absolute peak”, but his 50s had been “one thing after another”.
“What I’ve found is that the slightest knock stays with you for ages, and then once that’s cleared up it’s something else, and then once that’s cleared up it’s something else. I can’t wait to get my mobility scooter if I’m being honest.”
Liam Gallagher, 50, had major hip surgery for arthritis caused by a thyroid problem.
The feuding Mancunian brothers sold more than 70m records with Oasis, one of the most acclaimed bands of the 1990s. Their hits included Don’t Look Back in Anger, Wonderwall, Roll With It and Some Might Say.
Three years ago, McCartney told an interviewer: “Sometimes I’ll be doing a song, like Eleanor Rigby [released in 1966] or something, and I’m on autopilot.
“And I’m starting to think: ‘Oh, what am I gonna have for dinner?… Sometimes … I forget the song. I have a teleprompter.”
