10 Classic Songs That Secretly Inspired Oasis
2. How Sweet To Be An Idiot - Neil Innes
Most critics have been calling out Noel Gallagher for his blatant influences to the point of parody. Hell, some of the more snobby rock fans out there don't even like to indulge Oasis that much because they think that they're too derivative of bands like the Beatles from back in the day. And while most of that criticism isn't true, the song Whatever definitely has a case to be made for being completely lifted.
Being one of the main contributors to the Monty Python troupe, Neil Innes branched out into solo work with the comedic song How Sweet To Be An Idiot, which is a nice ballad about the pleasures of stupidity. When you beef those opening lines up and replace the piano with a string section though, you come close to what Noel Gallagher used for the song Whatever.
Granted, this one's not as egregious a lift as most of the other songs on this list, with the songs being identical for one line before correcting themselves. Whereas Innes' song stays with the jaunty vibe of the first few lines, Whatever is one of the most accomplished singles that Oasis would ever write before getting into their classic phase with Morning Glory. If anything, this kind of song acts like a good sendoff of what Oasis was and a preview for what they were going to be in just a few years.