Album: Stop The Clocks (1995)

Charted: 17

License This Song 

Songfacts®:

• Alan McGee, the head of Oasis' record company, wanted to release this song as a double A-side with the eventual A-side, "Some Might Say," but Noel Gallagher disagreed and despite becoming a concert favorite this was only a B-side.
• To acquiesce is to begrudgingly accept something without protest - it shows up in a lot of spelling bees. Noel Gallagher explained in the November 24th, 2006 Sun newspaper how it came together: "It was written going to a studio in Wales to record 'Some Might Say.' The train broke down and I was stuck for four hours and I wrote that song. Someone had said 'Acquiesce' on the phone and I'd written it down. Liam still doesn't know what it means. People have the misconception that the song is about me and Liam, which annoys me as the lyrics in the second verse are, 'To sing my soul to sleep, And take me back to bed.' It's absolutely not about me and Our Kid and we've never shared a bed-and if I was looking for someone to take me to bed it wouldn't be Liam!"
• Liam and Noel Gallagher both sing on this - Liam sings the verses and Noel comes in on the chorus. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France
• "Acquiesce" entered the UK Singles Chart at #17 in July 2025 following the start of their reunion tour. Despite being one of the band's most beloved tracks and a fan favorite for several decades, it had never previously charted.

Comments: 8

• Neil from NorwichIn my opinion the best and raucous song with absolute freedom throughout..!
• Paul from Kingston Upon ThamesIs it my ears, or does this song vary in speed through the verse towards the chorus and then slow up again afterwards? If this is so, i only just noticed, and i rather like the effect, it promotes a sence of the dis-ease aquiescence might bring.
• Neil from Birmingham, UkNoel probably saw greater commercial potential with 'Some Might Say', which was borne out when it made No. 1 in the UK. I hated the former but Acquiesce is, after 'Live Forever' my favourite Oasis track. I like the fact that some of their best stuff languished on B-sides. Suede had a similar tendency to put excellent tracks on the reverse. You got your money's worth from a single in the good old days.
• Nati from Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAcquiesce is one of tose all-time "shoulda been an A-side". The song is about friendship in the widest sense and not, as often speculated, about the Gallagher brothers themselves. Noel sings the chorus because, he claims, Liam couldn't reach the high notes. Or he was in the pub. Whatever, it was witten on a slow train to Wales and made possible because Noel likes to travel with his guitar. (extracted from The Masterplan songbook)
• Colm from Enniskillen, IrelandIt was. It is the first track on the Masterplan Album
• Jason from Tampa, FlMerriam-Webster defines acquiesce as "to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively --often used with in and sometimes with to"
• Dylan from New Britain, CtThis is on The Masterplan.
• Dave from Liverpool, EnglandThis song should have been on an album, to think that noel classed this song as a "b" side beggars belief.

More Songfacts:

Slow HandThe Pointer Sisters

"Slow Hand" was a #1 Country hit for Conway Twitty in 1982, a year after The Pointer Sisters recorded it.

The OneMemphis Bleek

Rapper Memphis Bleek's 2005 album track "The One" is notable for featuring a then-unknown Rihanna on the hook. It was the Barbadian singer's first-ever major-label appearance.

Here Comes Your ManPixies

"Here Comes Your Man" is the closest the Pixies came to a hit in America. It was rumored to be about a drug dealer, but Black Francis says it's just a story about some hobos who travel by train and die in an earthquake.

VoodooGodsmack

The line, "I feel the snakebite enter my veins," led many to believe the Godsmack song "Voodoo" is about drugs, but it's really about Wiccan ritual, inspired in part by the Wes Craven movie The Serpent and the Rainbow.

Strawberry Letter 23The Brothers Johnson

"Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson was written by Shuggie Otis, whose girlfriend would send him letters written on strawberry-scented paper.

VogueMadonna

Every film star mentioned in Madonna's "Vogue" has since died. The last was Lauren Bacall, who passed away in 2014.

Editor's Picks

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.