A List Of People Who Could (almost) Legitimately Have Sued Noel Gallagher For "Whatever"

...and by extension "Don't Look Back In Anger" as the verse of the former shares the structure of the latter's chorus. Each provide the principal hook of the song.

You'd think Beatles copyists would stick together but no, it seems Rutles/Bonzo Dog Dooh Dah Band hero Neil Innes in 1994 was in no mood to sit down and shoot the shit with Noel Gallagher, Jeff Lynne and the surviving members of Badfinger, so he sued Noel for pinching a little bit of his track "How Sweet To Be An Idiot" for Oasis' wonderful christmas single. I mean MAN, the first line sounds the same then it's all just srs retro Oasis pwnage w/ added orchestra.

If anything, when Noel was writing the song he was probably more worried (and as if he'd give a shit) about the resolute familiarity that any music-listener could well have with the song's descending chord progression. The following songwriters could all have taken issue with the single;

• Robbie Robertson The Band's best and most famous track "The Weight" provides a perfect midpoint to their enchantingly rootsy 1968 debut "Music From Big Pink". After each chorus there's that little instrumental break. Sure the tempo's different but slow it down and you're singing "Whatever"!
• Jerry Garcia I love the Dead. "Friend Of The Devil" is a good bluegrassy yarn. Listen to those chords!
• David Bowie Sure he throws a B in there, but that didn't stop Liam singing "All The Young Dudes" over the coda of numerous live performances of Whatever.
• Ringo Starr I'd like to be under the sea, in an Octopus' Garden in the shade...

 G F#/Dsus4 Em7 Dsus4 Cadd9 Dsus4 G Dsus4

or, if we're talking root notes;

G F# E D C D G D

Which is so simple and regular in popular music that my point of this rather meandering post is that nobody should have been sued for this song.

Still, I doubt Mr Gallagher gives much of a shit about the settlement he made seventeen years ago. Like any sane being he loves The Rutles and hey, at least Neil Innes seems a decent guy and not a mean spirited prick like his erstwhile comedy partner Eric Idle. I mean, The Rutles 2? An opera version of the Life Of Brian? Get to fuck.