Released 15 April 2002 Length 3:48 | Recorded 2001–2002 | |
B-side "Just Getting Older""Idler's Dream" Format CD, 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, DVD Genre | ||
"The Hindu Times" is a song by the British rock band Oasis. It was the first single released from their fifth album Heathen Chemistry on 15 April 2002. It was written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. Noel got the name "The Hindu Times" from a T-shirt he saw in a charity shop. The song was the band's sixth number one single on the UK Singles Chart, staying on top for one week before being dislodged by the Sugababes' "Freak Like Me". The single also topped the charts in Canada and Italy, and peaked at number two in the Republic of Ireland and Spain.
Contents
The title has little to do with the lyrics of the song, which are more in the vein of Definitely Maybe's "Rock 'n' Roll Star". It has been speculated that the title refers to the main riff's similarity to Indian music in sound, sounding as if it were played on a sitar. Gallagher himself says that it is because he had already named the song before any lyrics were written for it.
The song, which combines powerful rock with a psychedelic feel, was one of the first Oasis singles since the singles from (What's the Story) Morning Glory? to receive almost unanimously positive reviews from critics.
The song was unveiled during Oasis' Autumn 2001 Noise and Confusion Tour. The song was due to be released commercially at the same time but Noel decided the track needed more work done on it to be suitable for release. Many have commented on the main guitar riff being lifted from the Stereophonics song, "Same Size Feet", which uses exactly the same, or at least very similar, guitar riff.
In 2008 NME listed the song as one of the greatest indie anthems of the 2000s. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 143 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
In 2010, XFM listed it in their "1000 greatest songs of all time" list.
The B-side, "Just Getting Older", was written at the time of the release of Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. The other b-side, "Idler's Dream", is the only Oasis song to not feature any guitars or drums; the song consists simply of Noel Gallagher's vocals and a piano accompaniment.
Music video
The music video was filmed at Abbey Road Studios where the song was recorded. It features a live footage of Oasis in recording sessions, as well as various words that keeping appearing around the place. Words linked to India. The original video was set to be filmed in New Delhi, but this did not work out.
Track listing
- "The Hindu Times" - 3:53
- "Just Getting Older" - 3:17
- "Idler's Dream" - 2:57
- "The Hindu Times" - 3:53
- "Just Getting Older" - 3:17
- "The Hindu Times" - 3:53
- "Just Getting Older" - 3:17
- "Idler's Dream" - 2:57
- "The Hindu Times" - 3:53
- "The Hindu Times" (demo) - 4:32
- 10 Minutes of Noise and Confusion - Part One - 9:26
Personnel
Charts
It was the 43rd biggest selling single in the UK for 2002.
"The Hindu Times" was scheduled to be played during the Parade of Nations at the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony as an example of British music, but the Parade took much less time than expected, so the song was not used.