Fran Healy feared Noel Gallagher was going to punch him for stealing chords from Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’.
The Travis frontman, 50, made the admission as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of the band’s ‘The Man Who’ album – which features the lead single ‘Writing to Reach You’ that Fran openly admits contains verse chords lifted from Noel’s biggest hit.
He told the ‘Tim’s Listening Party’ podcast: “When I wrote ‘Writing To Reach You’, that was ’95. 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!’
“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!’”
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.”
Fran and his Travis bandmate Dougie Payne, also used their podcast appearance to chat about the Glastonbury performance they think made their name, how a breakup informed ‘The Man Who’, as well as how Fran nearly forgot his hit ‘Driftwood’ and the night he ended up hanging out with Michael Stipe, Courtney Love and Morrissey.