Noel Gallagher wrote the song for his friend Richard Ashcroft, lead singer of The Verve;[2] in the sleeve notes of the album, Gallagher dedicated the song "to the genius of Richard Ashcroft".[3] Ashcroft later said that he considered the song to be "a great honour".[4] "Cast No Shadow" was originally intended to be a B-side, but this changed when the song turned out to be much better than expected.[5] "Cast No Shadow" was the last song written for the album; the track was composed by Gallagher while he was riding the train to return to the recording studio in Wales.[6] Gallagher referred to the song's lyrics as "the best words I ever wrote."[7]
"Noel wrote this sparkling blues-tinged ballad for buddy Richard Ashcroftofthe Verve, and the specificity might account for why the lyrics and overall presentation ring so true. Noel isn't really equipped to handle the big cosmic questions, but when he's writing about a musician who has trouble saying what's on his mind, he's spot on."
Gallagher initially wanted the song to sound like Pink Floyd,[9] particularly their album Wish You Were Here[7] and its title track, which shared the same opening chords as "Cast No Shadow".[9] Kenneth Partridge of Billboard magazine called the song a "sparkly blues-tinged ballad."[8] Music critic Derek B. Scott remarked, "a Beatles-influenced vocal harmony that includes falsetto and echoing of words is heard in 'Cast No Shadow'".[1] Nathan Stephens-Griffin from the band Martha stated about the song, "compared to some of the more classic Britpoppy ones, it has a really cool melancholy, dark, epic vibe."[10] The magazine Mojo said that the song "was an uncharacteristically gentle reflection on his [Noel Gallagher's] difficulties with expressing any deep emotion, both personally and in his lyrics."[6]
