The greatest song in the history of the world. Maybe

It is sung with lager-fuelled gusto by thousands of fans at every Oasis gig. Now "Live Forever" looks set to live up to its title after being named the greatest song of all time.

The 12-year-old single, the first to demonstrate that the Gallagher brothers could do tenderness as well as bravado and swagger, has beaten classic tracks by the Beatles, U2 and Queen in a magazine poll of music fans to identify the all-time greats.

Oasis pulled off a double feat by taking second place with their song "Wonderwall" in the top 100 compiled by Q magazine from tens of thousands of votes, although the Fab Four landed the most number of entries with six.

"Live Forever" peaked only at no 10 in the charts when it was released but has gone on to become one of the band's most enduring songs. When the magazine last held its poll three years ago the track finished in ninth position and the list was topped by U2's "One", a song reduced to fifth place this time around.

The magazine, which publishes the poll in its October edition on Tuesday, said of the track: "'Live Forever' doesn't date, satisfying a timeless need for communal joy that only the rock anthem at its best can truly deliver."

Noel Gallagher, who wrote the winning song, said: "People said to me after 'Live Forever', where are you gonna go after that. And I was like 'I don't think it's that good'. I think it's a good song, but I think I can do better."

The Q Top 10: Live Forever - Oasis; Wonderwall - Oasis; Smells like Teen Spirit - Nirvana; A Day in the Life - the Beatles; One - U2; Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen; Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division; Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin; Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve; Paranoid Android - Radiohead