Fran Healy feared Noel Gallagher would punch him for stealing Oasis Wonderwall chords

7 May 2024, 10:22 | Updated: 8 May 2024, 12:30

Fran Healy from Travis and Noel Gallagher. Picture: Rune Hellestad- Corbis/ Corbis via Getty Images, Matt Crockett/Press

By Jenny Mensah

The Travis frontman discussed how he "lifted" the chords from the famous Oasis single.

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Fran Healy was afraid he'd receive a "hook" from Noel Gallagher for taking the chords to Wonderwall.

The Travis frontman discussed the band's Writing to Reach You single, which sees him use the verse chords lifted from the Oasis anthem.

“When I wrote Writing To Reach You, that was ’95," he recalled on the Tim’s Listening Party podcast. "We’d seen Oasis playing at T in the Park for the first time that year..

“That was a big, big (makes exploding noise) when that band cut through.

“We went in a bar after it and Noel Gallagher walked in, looking like he was in the Velvet Underground.

“He had a Ready Brek glow around him and it was like, ‘He’s a rock star!’

Fran Healy reveals how Travis and Oasis inspired The Killers

The Scotsman went on: “So, cut to six months later and I’m sitting in the coldest room in Glasgow and I’m writing this song and I nicked his chords, because that’s the chords to Wonderwall in Writing to Reach You.

“The verse chords are absolutely lifted massively as we do, and as he does!

“I thought, ‘I’m never going to meet Noel Gallagher in a million years, because I’m on the dole, nothing’s gonna happen.

“But in the off chance, I should mention a little nod in case he hears it – a little doff of the cap to the originator.’ So I did that, ‘It’s, ‘what’s a Wonderwall anyway’ because I’ve nicked your chords – thanks Noel!’”

Eventually, Healy did meet Gallagher, and luckily he didn't have much to worry about.

Fran added about eventually meeting 56-year-old Noel: “We ended up like a year and a half later, touring with (Oasis)

“And Noel come up to me after we came offstage and he went, ‘Nice chords, mate.’

“And I’m like (makes relieved noise.)

“I thought he was gonna hook me!”

How Travis & Oasis inspired The Killers

Meanwhile, Travis' new album, L.A. Times, is set for release on 12th July 2024.

The album will mark the band's 10th studio effort, following Good Feeling (1997), The Man Who (1999), The Invisible Band (2001), 12 Memories (2003), The Boy with No Name (2007), Ode to J.Smith (2008), Where You Stand (2013), Everything at Once (2016) and 10 Songs (2020).

Watch the official video for Gaslight, which is our Radio X Record Of The Week, below:

Travis - Gaslight (Official Video)

The song is said to "mark the beginning of a bold new era for the band" arriving 25 years since they released their breakthrough number one album The Man Who, which became 9x Platinum certified in the UK alone.

Travis' L.A Times album is available to pre-order now.