How Oasis' Wonderwall went from Britpop heartbreak to England's World Cup anthem

It was never written about football, trophies or Three Lions desperate for glory. However, 30 years after Oasis first released Wonderwall, the Britpop classic has become the unlikely soundtrack to England's World Cup dream - which now feels in touching distance.

As fans prepare for the big game, the 1995 hit is ringing out from pubs, fan parks and living rooms across the country, overtaking Baddiel & Skinner's Three Lions as the go-to England anthem.

Written by Noel Gallagher for Oasis' second album, (What's The Story) Morning Glory? the song was inspired by the idea of someone actually being a 'wonderwall' - a person who could rescue you or see things in you that other's couldn't.

Noel later admitted that he was surprised by how huge the track became, even saying he never expected it to become the band's defining song.

He explained: "Wonderwall I was like, 'Nah, it's alright', I actually thought it was a bit annoying when I wrote it. When our record label came down to hear the thing, I think Wonderwall is like third track on the album or something, and after it finished all the people from Sony all looked at each other and just went, 'that's it, that's gonna be the hit'.

"We were like, 'What? What about the other one about cannons and cannonballs and all that s***?'" Noel may have been non-plussed but the world quickly fell in love with the tune, driven by Liam Gallagher's instantly recognisable vocals and a simple, yet unforgettable, chorus.

Released in October 1995 Wonderwall became one of the biggest songs of the Britpop era, but famously - and shockingly - missed out on the top spot in the charts .

The track peaked at No2 on the Official Singles Chart, losing out in the battle for No1 to Britpop rivals Blur with Country House. The rivalry became one of the defining moments of the Britpop wars but almost three decades later, Wonderwall has arguably had the last laugh.

It's become their biggest streaming track, racking up hundreds of millions of streams in the UK alone, and billions globally and this week - as it soundtracks England's World Cup - could even reach No1.

The reason why Harry Kane and the fans have taken it on as the unofficial anthem is simple - everyone knows it, Wonderwall spans across generations and has the ability to turn a crowd of strangers into a choir. There's a rousing melancholy to the melody which appeals to the emotion and drama of modern day football and fans whose tastes are more sophisticated than traditional terrace sing-a-longs.

Yes, Badiel, Skinner and The Lightning Seeds will always own a place in football history with Three Lions, but Wonderwall has become the emotional soundtrack to those nerve-wrecking, hopeful sporting moments, when a nation dares to believe it might actually be coming home.

And Wonderwall isn't the only song that's received a resurgence thanks to the World Cup. ANOTR's Talk To You has flown up the Official Single's Chart and is currently sitting at No2 thanks to defender John Stone's viral clip.

The footy star playfully fakes a shoulder injury in the dressing room before activating into dance to the bop.

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