Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Makes a Surprising Choice for His All-Time Favorite Songwriter

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has revealed his favorite songwriter of all time in a new interview. And it might be a somewhat unexpected choice coming from the veteran heavy metal musician.

That's because the percussionist indicated that English rocker Noel Gallagher of Britpop kingpins Oasis would be his pick for an all-time favorite songwriter. Indeed, the Metallica member underscored his answer in an issue of Classic Rock as part of the magazine's "The Soundtrack of My Life" feature.

But why Gallagher, the erstwhile Oasis mastermind and the creative voice behind Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds? Well, the Metallica co-founder opined that it all comes down to the simplistic beauty of Oasis compositions.

"The hardest thing in the world — trust me, we know this first hand — is to write a simple song," Ulrich explained. "And the shorter and simpler, the harder it is."

He continues, "Those great Oasis songs — 'Wonderwall,' 'Live Forever,' 'Supersonic' — if you hear Noel do them by himself, just guitar and voice, it's pretty incredible what those songs break down to when you're that naked and that vulnerable."

For those familiar with Ulrich's past listening habits, however, his fandom of the alt-rock icons is hardly a shock. At Oasis' mid-'90s peak, the Metallica member developed a love for the British act. So much so, he once divulged, that he ended up working an impromptu light show for Oasis during one of their gigs.

"I first became familiar with Oasis in the late summer of '94," Ulrich told NME earlier this year. "I loved their arrogance, confidence and how every other word would be 'cunt' or 'fuck.' Then I fell in love with the music, so I flew to see them play in New Jersey. One thing led to another and I found myself tapping along to the sounds on the lighting board — I guess [they] were a man short and it was great fun … lots of crazy shenanigans."

The drummer's interest in Oasis has clearly impacted the rest of Metallica, as well. After all, Metallica members covered Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger" during a 2017 U.K. concert. Beyond that, Ulrich has even claimed that Gallagher inspired him to get off cocaine in the early 2000s.

Anyway, here's "Wonderwall":