"The Hindu Times" | ||||
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Single by Oasis | ||||
from the album Heathen Chemistry | ||||
B-side | "Just Getting Older" "Idler's Dream" |
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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 | ||||
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"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.
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".