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| "The Hindu Times" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byOasis | ||||
| from the albumHeathen Chemistry | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 15 April 2002 (2002-04-15) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:53 | |||
| Label | Big Brother | |||
| Songwriter | Noel Gallagher | |||
| Producer | Oasis | |||
| Oasis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Oasis - The Hindu Times (Official Video)" onYouTube | ||||
"The Hindu Times" is a song by English rock bandOasis. It was written by the band's lead guitaristNoel Gallagher, and was released as thelead single from their fifth studio album,Heathen Chemistry, on 15 April 2002. On the album, it segues directly into the next track, "Force of Nature", which also segues into "Hung In a Bad Place".
The song peaked at number one on theUK Singles Chart, becoming the band's sixth number-one single in their native country, remaining on top for one week before being dislodged by theSugababes' "Freak Like Me".[2] The song also topped the charts in Canada, Italy and Scotland, and reached the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, and Spain. This is their first single to feature formerHeavy Stereo frontmanGem Archer (rhythm guitarist) and then-formerRide frontmanAndy Bell (bassist).
The song, which combines powerful rock with apsychedelic feel, was unveiled during Oasis's Autumn 2001Noise 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 theStereophonics song "Same Size Feet", which uses exactly the same, or at least very similar, guitar riff. The B-side, "Just Getting Older", was written at the time of the release ofStanding on the Shoulder of Giants (2000). The second B-side, "Idler's Dream", is the only Oasis song to not feature any guitars and is one of the four, the others being "Take Me Away", "Married with Children" and "Sad Song", to not feature drums; the song consists simply of Noel Gallagher's vocals and a piano/organ accompaniment.
The title has little to do with the lyrics of the song, which are more in the vein ofDefinitely Maybe's "Rock 'n' Roll Star". Noel got the name "The Hindu Times" from a T-shirt he saw in a charity shop. It has been speculated that the title refers to the main riff's similarity toIndian music in sound, sounding as if it were played on asitar. Gallagher himself says that it is because he had already named the song before any lyrics were written for it.
"The Hindu Times" was one of the first Oasis singles since the singles from(What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) to receive almost unanimously positive reviews from critics.[3][4] In 2008NME 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".[5] In 2010,XFM listed it in their "1000 greatest songs of all time" list.[6]
"The Hindu Times" was scheduled to be played during theParade of Nations at the2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony as an example of British music,[7] but the Parade took much less time than expected, so the song was not used.
The original video was set to be filmed in New Delhi, but this did not work out. The music video was finally filmed atAbbey Road Studios, where the song was recorded.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[39] | Silver | 200,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 15 April 2002 |
| Big Brother | [40] |
| 22 April 2002 | 12-inch vinyl | [41] | ||
| Australia | CD | Helter Skelter | [42] | |
| Japan | 24 April 2002 | Epic | [43] | |
| United States | 7 May 2002 | Alternative radio | [44] |
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