Stand by Me

Oasis' “Stand by Me” captures the band at the height of Britpop’s dominance, released through Creation Records during the label’s golden run of mid-90s alternative rock. The track distills the group’s gift for anthemic melodies and working-class swagger into three minutes of unadorned conviction—no prog flourishes, just Liam Gallagher’s defiant vocal and the kind of straightforward rock arrangement that defined the era. Creation’s roster thrived on this exact formula: big hooks, bigger attitude, zero apology.