The Death of You and Me

"The Death of You and Me"
Single by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
from the album Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
B-side"The Good Rebel"
Released21 August 2011 (2011-08-21)
GenreRock, baroque pop
Length3:36
LabelSour Mash
Songwriter(s)Noel Gallagher
Producer(s)Noel Gallagher, Dave Sardy
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds singles chronology
"The Death of You and Me"
(2011) 		"AKA... What a Life!"
(2011)

"The Death of You and Me" is the debut single by the English rock band Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. The song was written by Noel Gallagher as his first solo effort, and produced by Gallagher and Dave Sardy. It was released on 21 August 2011 by Sour Mash Records as the debut single and lead single from the band's eponymous debut album (2011). On 28 August 2011, the song debuted at number fifteen on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

Rumours that "The Death of You and Me" was the name of Gallagher's first solo single began to surface in June 2011.[1] It was confirmed the following month that the song was to be released as the musician's first solo single on 21 August 2011, through Gallagher's own label Sour Mash Records with B-side "The Good Rebel".[2] When asked at a press conference whether the meaning of the song was related to the relationship between himself and former bandmate and brother Liam, Gallagher replied that it was based on the saying "If we don't leave this place, it'll be the death of you and me", and that it was "a bit more romantic than that [his relationship with his brother]" and is "a romantic song about ... people escaping the surroundings they're in ... and having a jolly good time and living happily ever after".[3]

Music video

Filmed in Los Angeles, California,[4] the music video for "The Death of You and Me" starts at a café and a waitress serving customers including Gallagher before taking a break. She then goes outside and prepares to dive backwards into a swimming pool but is pushed in by Gallagher. She then gets out of the pool and walks through the café and out the front to see a band and a horse-drawn wagon, which appeared throughout the video, stopping outside the café. The wagon's door then opens and the waitress goes inside before the door slams shut. The video ends with the words To Be Continued (The 'story' then continues in the 2nd single from the album, AKA... What a Life!. The video was made available to viewers in the United Kingdom on 25 July 2011.[5] It also shows that Noel Gallagher is left-handed despite playing the guitar right-handed.

The waitress is played by actress Devon Ogden. Directed and produced by Mike Bruce, with producers Blake West and Camille LaBry of United Film House.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Noel Gallagher

CD single, 7" vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."The Death of You and Me"3:36
2."The Good Rebel"4:20
Digital download
No.TitleLength
3."The Death of You and Me" (music video)4:01

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "The Death of You and Me"
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[6] 15
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[7] 24
Czech Republic Modern Rock (IFPI)[8] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 35
Mexico Airplay (Billboard)[10] 21
Poland (ZPAV)[11] 43
Scotland (OCC)[12] 10
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 15
UK Indie (OCC)[14] 2

References

  1. ^ "Noel Gallagher's single named 'The Death of You And Me'?". NME. 11 June 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  2. ^ "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds to Release First Single". Noel Gallagher. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  3. ^ Noel Gallagher (Interviewee) (6 July 2011). Noel Gallagher – Press Conference 6th July 2011. Event occurs at 33:16. Retrieved 25 July 2011 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "The Death of You and Me – First Play!". Noel Gallagher. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  5. ^ "Watch the Video for The Death of You and Me". Noel Gallagher. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  6. ^ "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – The Death of You and Me" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – The Death of You and Me" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  8. ^ "CZ - Radio - Top 20 Modern Rock - The Death of You and Me" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Chart Track: Week 34, 2011". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birdsn Chart History (Mexico Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Lista Przebojów Trójki - Polskie Radio Online". Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 July 2023.