"The Importance of Being Idle"
Single byOasis
from the albumDon't Believe the Truth
B-side	"Pass Me Down the Wine" "The Quiet Ones"
Released	22 August 2005 (2005-08-22)
Studio	Wheeler End (Buckinghamshire, England)
Length	3:39
Label	Big Brother
Songwriter	Noel Gallagher
Producer	Noel Gallagher
Oasis singles chronology
"Lyla" (2005) "The Importance of Being Idle" (2005) "Let There Be Love" (2005)
Official video
"The Importance of Being Idle" onYouTube

"The Importance of Being Idle" is a song by English rock bandOasis. It was released on 22 August 2005 in the UK as the second single from their sixth studio album,Don't Believe the Truth (2005), written, produced, and sung by lead guitaristNoel Gallagher. The song was written by Gallagher in mid-2004, before the band made their final attempt at recording what would becomeDon't Believe the Truth.^{[citation needed]}

The song debuted at number one on theUK Singles Chart and stayed there for a week, marking the first time that Oasis had ever earned two successive number ones in the same calendar year (having also charted at number one earlier in 2005 with "Lyla"). "The Importance of Being Idle" would prove to be the band's last UK number one prior to their break-up in 2009. Noel Gallagher got the title from thebook of the same name, which he found whilst cleaning out a garage.

In an interview withQ magazine, Noel Gallagher stated that "The Importance of Being Idle" sounds like songs from two British bands,The Kinks andThe La's. In particular, the guitar playing, as well as the sentiment expressed, is noticeably similar to The Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon" and "Dead End Street", while the rhythm is similar to that of "Clean Prophet" by the La's. He also said that the lyrics are inspired by his own laziness,^[1] stating: "Having nothing to do is such a massive job that someone had to write a song about it."^[2] Additionally, the line "I begged my doctor for one more line" may be a reference to Noel's account of how he gave upcocaine in 1998.^[1]

Most reviewers acclaimed the track as one of the highlights ofDon't Believe the Truth, which itself was widely praised as a return to form. The band mentioned in interviews in June 2005 that it would become the second single. TheB-sides areLiam Gallagher's "Pass Me Down the Wine" andGem Archer's "The Quiet Ones".Q magazine readers placed the song at number one in a list of 2005's greatest tracks. The song was ranked at number 117 inXfm's 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time list. XFM also placed it at number 48 in their "100 Best Songs of the 2000s" list.^{[citation needed]}

The promo film was directed byDawn Shadforth, whose previous videos includeKylie Minogue's award-winning "Can't Get You Out of My Head". Shadforth's film for "The Importance of Being Idle" stars Welsh actorRhys Ifans^[3] and pays homage to the style of early 1960skitchen sink drama British films, and is set during preparations for a funeral procession in a northern town, with the extravagant undertakers parading the coffin at the video's climax and Ifans playing the part of a high-kicking funeral director whose own funeral it is.^[4][5]

The video is based on the film and playBilly Liar with Ifans playing the role of Billy. The Gallaghers playShadrack & Duxbury, the owners of the funeral parlour where Billy works. The rest of the band (Gem,Andy andZak) make brief appearances as lazy workers playing cards in the undertaker's office. The video is similar in style and concept to the black and white 1966 music video for "Dead End Street" byThe Kinks.Liam Gallagher's second child, Lennon, cameos in the video.^{[citation needed]}

A short behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of the music video, which was shot partly inGreenwich, was directed byDick Carruthers. Archer describes it as "the best video I think we've ever done".^[6]

• Liam Gallagher – backing vocals,tambourine, hand claps
• Noel Gallagher – vocals, lead guitar
• Andy Bell – bass
• Gem Archer – rhythm guitar, keyboards
• Zak Starkey – drums

• 2005 songs
• 2005 singles
• Number-one singles in Italy
• Number-one singles in Scotland
• Oasis (band) songs
• Song recordings produced by Noel Gallagher
• Songs written by Noel Gallagher
• UK singles chart number-one singles

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