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Greedy Soul

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"Greedy Soul"
Single by Liam Gallagher
from the album As You Were
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2017 (2017-09-27)
Genre
Length3:34
LabelWarner
Songwriter(s)Liam Gallagher
Producer(s)Dan Grech-Marguerat
Liam Gallagher singles chronology
"For What It's Worth"
(2017) 		"Greedy Soul"
(2017) 		"Shockwave"
(2019)
Music video
"Greedy Soul" (Live at Air Studios) on YouTube

"Greedy Soul" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Liam Gallagher from his debut solo album As You Were (2017). The song, released as the album's fourth single on September 27, 2017 following a performance on Later... with Jools Holland, is a rock song with influences from country music. Gallagher explained that the song's lyrics were a vent inspired by his divorce from Nicole Appleton. "Greedy Soul" received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its "swagger" while criticizing its composition. The song peaked at number 56 on the UK singles chart.

Background and release

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After the break-up of Beady Eye, Liam Gallagher decided to return to recording music following a period of time off.[2] "Greedy Soul" was first revealed alongside other songs from As You Were during Gallagher's first solo gig, on May 30, 2017 in The Ritz.[3] Later, on September 27, 2017, Gallagher would perform "Greedy Soul" on Later... with Jools Holland alongside "Wall of Glass".[4] The same day, the song was released as the fourth single off As You Were, following "Wall of Glass", "Chinatown", and "For What It's Worth". An accompanying live performance recorded at Air Studios was released to Gallagher's YouTube channel.[5]

Live versions of "Greedy Soul" were later released on the Japanese edition of MTV Unplugged (Live at Hull City Hall) (2020) as a bonus track,[6] and on Down by the River Thames (2022).[7] Gallagher has commented that he enjoys playing "Greedy Soul" live due to its energy, power, and "good vibe".[8]

Composition and lyrics

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"Greedy Soul" is an "uptempo rocker" with a "glammy, foot-stomping country bounce".[4][9] The song's instrumentation primarily consists of overdriven electric guitar and "pounding" drums, alongside a "howling harmonica";[10][11] during the chorus, the song has a "falling-vocal" melody.[12] Paul Carr of PopMatters sonically compared the song to those by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club,[10] while ABC News identified The Beatles and T. Rex as possible influences.[13] Daniel Kohn of Paste compared "Greedy Soul" to the Oasis song "Supersonic".[14]

In an interview with Paste, Gallagher noted that the song, co-written with Greg Kurstin and Andrew Wyatt, is lyrically a vent against "lots of fucking cunts" written in an intentionally-confident manner.[1] Gallagher also specified in an interview with GQ that the song's "venomous" lyrics come from "a place of vengeance", taking inspiration from his divorce with Nicole Appleton.[15]

Critical reception

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"Greedy Soul" received mixed reviews from music critics. Phil Mongredien of The Guardian called the song a stand-out on the album due to its "swagger",[16] while Richard Smirke of Billboard compared "Greedy Soul" to the "finest" songs of Gallagher's brother and Oasis bandmate Noel.[17] Anna Gaca of Spin called the song the best on As You Were credited to Gallagher alone, yet conceded that he was "better off with help".[18] In negative reviews, Laura Snapes of Pitchfork criticized Gallagher's vocal performance as sounding "uncomfortable at higher tempos",[19] while Gareth James of Clash called the song "vacuous filler with only the faintest hint of a chorus".[11] Martyn Young of Dork commented that the song was "lumpen and severely lacking in a bit of oomph", though noted that it could have been a "punk rock banger" if it were recorded by Oasis during their Definitely Maybe era.[20]

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from liner notes of As You Were.[21]

Performing artists

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  • Liam Gallagher – vocals, acoustic guitar, songwriter
  • Dan Grech-Marguerat – programming, producer, recording engineer
  • Davey Baduik – programming
  • Dan McDougall – drums, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards
  • Mike Moore – electric guitar
  • Martin Slattery – keyboards, saxophone
  • Mark Brown – saxophone
  • Mike Kearsey – trombone
  • Ben Edwards – trombone
  • Sally Herbert – brass arrangement
  • Victoria Akintola – background vocals

Additional personnel

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  • Mark Stent – mixing engineer
  • Joel Davies – assistant recording engineer, assistant engineer
  • Charles Haydon Hicks – assistant recording engineer
  • Ben Mclusky – assistant recording engineer

Charts

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Chart performance for "Greedy Soul"
Chart (2017) Peak

position

Scotland (OCC)[22] 63
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 56
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[24] 86

References

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  1. ^ a b Lanham, Tom (October 5, 2017). "Liam Gallagher Chats about As You Were and His Hope for a Reunion with Brother Noel". Paste. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Runtagh, Jordan (October 25, 2017). "Liam Gallagher Talks Debut Solo Album 'As You Were'". People. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Moore, Sam (May 31, 2017). "Watch all of the new songs Liam Gallagher debuted at his Manchester solo gig last night". NME. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Gaca, Anna (September 27, 2017). "Liam Gallagher – "Greedy Soul"". Spin. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Nguyen, Lisa (September 28, 2017). "Liam Gallagher Releases Video for "Greedy Soul," Recorded at Air Studios in London". Paste. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "Liam Gallagher / リアム・ギャラガー「MTV Unplugged / MTVアンプラグド（ライヴ・アット・ハル・シティ・ホール）」 | Warner Music Japan". ワーナーミュージック・ジャパン | Warner Music Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  7. ^ Childers, Chad (March 17, 2022). "Liam Gallagher Turns Traveling Boat Performance Into New Live Album". Loudwire. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  8. ^ O'Conner, Roisin (November 15, 2017). "Liam Gallagher interview: 'I miss being in a band with my brother'". The Independent. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Cooper, Leonie (November 21, 2017). "Liam Gallagher – 'As You Were' Review". NME. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Carr, Paul (October 4, 2017). "Liam Gallagher: As You Were". PopMatters. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  11. ^ a b James, Gareth (October 9, 2017). "Liam Gallagher – As You Were". Clash. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Fricke, David (October 6, 2017). "Review: Liam Gallagher Sticks to Oasis' Brawny Britpop and Beatle-esque Melodies on Solo Debut". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  13. ^ "Review: Liam Gallagher's 'As You Were' is a solid start to his solo career". ABC News. October 6, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Kohn, Daniel (October 5, 2017). "Liam Gallagher: As You Were". Paste. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  15. ^ Heaf, Jonathan (July 30, 2017). "Liam Gallagher: 'My thing was the whole cliché: the sex, the drugs, the rock'n'roll'". GQ. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Mongredien, Phil (October 8, 2017). "Liam Gallagher: As You Were review – a mixed solo debut". The Guardian. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  17. ^ Smirke, Richard (July 25, 2018). "Why Noel Gallagher Is Right to Ignore Brother Liam's Attempts to Re-Form Oasis (For Now)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  18. ^ Gaca, Anna (October 6, 2017). "Review: Liam Gallagher Is More Bark Than Bite on As You Were". Spin. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  19. ^ Snapes, Laura (October 5, 2017). "Liam Gallagher: As You Were Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  20. ^ Young, Martyn (October 6, 2017). "Liam Gallagher – As You Were". Dork. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  21. ^ Gallagher, Liam (2017). As You Were (inlay cover). Warner Records.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
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