The Hindu Times

This article is about the song. For the newspaper, see the Hindustan Times.
"The Hindu Times"
Single by Oasis
from the album Heathen Chemistry
B-side "Just Getting Older"
"Idler's Dream"
Released 15 April 2002
Format CD, 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, DVD
Recorded 2001–2002
Genre Alternative rock, neo-psychedelia
Length 3:48
Label Big Brother
Writer(s) Noel Gallagher
Producer(s) Oasis
Oasis singles chronology
"Sunday Morning Call"
(2000)		 "The Hindu Times"
(2002)		 "Stop Crying Your Heart Out"
(2002)

"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".[1] The single also topped the charts in Canada and Italy, and peaked at number two in the Republic of Ireland and Spain.

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.[2][3]

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".[4]

In 2010, XFM listed it in their "1000 greatest songs of all time" list.[5]

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

  1. "The Hindu Times" - 3:53
  2. "Just Getting Older" - 3:17
  3. "Idler's Dream" - 2:57
  1. "The Hindu Times" - 3:53
  2. "Just Getting Older" - 3:17
  1. "The Hindu Times" - 3:53
  2. "Just Getting Older" - 3:17
  3. "Idler's Dream" - 2:57
  1. "The Hindu Times" - 3:53
  2. "The Hindu Times" (demo) - 4:32
  3. 10 Minutes of Noise and Confusion - Part One - 9:26

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[1] 1
Canadian Singles Chart 1
Irish Singles Chart 2
Italian Singles Chart 1
Norwegian Singles Chart 3
Spanish Singles Chart 2

It was the 43rd biggest selling single in the UK for 2002.

"The Hindu Times" was played at the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony as an example of British music.

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 672. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ↑ Archived 8 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "Have Oasis run dry?". BBC News. 2002-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  4. ↑ "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". Nme.Com. 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  5. ↑ "The Top 1000 Songs Ever | X-lists". XFM. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
Preceded by
"Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira		 Italian Singles Chart number-one single
12 April 2002 		Succeeded by
"Innocente" by Renato Zero
Preceded by
"Unchained Melody" by Gareth Gates		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
21 April 2002 – 27 April 2002 		Succeeded by
"Freak Like Me" by Sugababes
Preceded by
"Girlfriend" by 'N Sync featuring Nelly		 Canadian Singles Chart number-one single
25 April 2002 – 2 May 2002 		Succeeded by
"Hero" by Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott
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