"Side" is a song by Scottish rock band Travis, released as the second single from their third studio album, The Invisible Band (2001). Frontman Fran Healy began writing the song by composing a rap, which he would later remove, and penning a riff that would support it. In February 2000, he completed the song's lyrics, which describe how everyone shares life and explains that there is no greater existence for anyone who seeks it, as everyone shares the same "side" of life. The song was released as a radio single in the United States in August 2001 and was issued in the United Kingdom the following month. Produced by Nigel Godrich, "Side" received mixed reviews from music critics and peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming a top-50 hit in Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand as well as on two US Billboard charts. The single releases include live versions of "Driftwood" and Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes", as well as a cover of the Bob Dylan song "You're a Big Girl Now". The song's music video has a UFO theme and features Travis being abducted by aliens after performing the song. Background and composition Writing about the song's origin on the band's official website, Fran Healy recalled that the first part of "Side" that he conceived was rap segment, which he would later discard. After completing the rap, he composed the riff and music over the next few weeks so it would complement the rap verse, toying around with the lyrics until penning the final result in February 2000 during a plane trip. It was during this trip that he also created the name of the parent album, The Invisible Band. Healy has stated that "Side" is about how people think that there is a better life for them somewhere in the world, but in actuality, no one is better off than anyone else as life is shared by everyone; in other words, everyone stands on one "side" of life. Many cliché expressions make up the lyric, such as "The grass is always greener on the other side". Critical reception Reviewing The Invisible Band on AllMusic, MacKenzie Wilson wrote that "Side" was "instantly endearing" and noted its "Beatlesque" lyrics. Andy Frankowski of Drowned in Sound compared the track's sound to that of the band's previous album, The Man Who (1999), specifically mentioning the guitars backing