The Hindu Times

This article is about the song. For the newspaper, see Hindustan Times.

"The Hindu Times" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It was written by the band's lead guitarist Noel Gallagher, and was released as the lead 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."

"The Hindu Times"
Single by Oasis
from the album Heathen Chemistry
B-side	"Just Getting Older" "Idler's Dream"
Released	15 April 2002 (2002-04-15)
Recorded	2001–2002
Genre	Alternative rock psychedelic rock[1] neo-psychedelia
Length	3:53
Label	Big Brother
Songwriter(s)	Noel Gallagher
Producer(s)	Oasis
Oasis singles chronology
"Sunday Morning Call" (2000) "The Hindu Times" (2002) "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" (2002)
Music video
"Oasis - The Hindu Times (Official Video)" on YouTube

The song peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's sixth number-one single in their native country, remaining on top for one week before being dislodged by the Sugababes' "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 former Heavy Stereo frontman Gem Archer (rhythm guitarist) and then-former Ride frontman Andy Bell (bassist).

Background and composition

The song, which combines powerful rock with a psychedelic feel, was unveiled during Oasis's 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. The B-side, "Just Getting Older", was written at the time of the release of Standing 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 accompaniment.

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". 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 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.

Critical reception

"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 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".^[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 the Parade of Nations at the 2012 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.

Music video

The original video was set to be filmed in New Delhi, but this did not work out. The music video was finally filmed at Abbey Road Studios, where the song was recorded.

Track listings

• UK CD single (RKIDSCD 23)^[8]

1. "The Hindu Times"
2. "Just Getting Older"
3. "Idler's Dream"

• UK 7-inch single (RKID 23)^[9]

1. "The Hindu Times"
2. "Just Getting Older"

• UK 12-inch single (RKID 23T)^[10]

1. "The Hindu Times"
2. "Just Getting Older"
3. "Idler's Dream"

• UK DVD single (RKIDSDVD 23)^[11]

1. "The Hindu Times"
2. "The Hindu Times" (demo)
3. "10 Minutes of Noise and Confusion Pt One" (North America, June 2001)

• The demo version of "The Hindu Times" is radically different from the finished album version. Most of the lyrics (sung by Noel) are different, and the slower sound of the song is much more "grungy", with a heavy drum loop running throughout the song. It is also a semitone higher in the demo.
• The "10 Minutes..." documentary is the first part of a unique feature covering 48 hours on the road with Oasis during the Tour of Brotherly Love which took place in the US with the Black Crowes during May and June 2001.

Personnel

• Liam Gallagher – lead and backing vocals
• Noel Gallagher – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Gem Archer – rhythm guitar
• Andy Bell – bass
• Alan White – drums
• Paul Stacey – piano, Mellotron

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "The Hindu Times" Chart (2002) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[12] 22 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] 29 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[14] 15 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[15] 11 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[16] 1 Denmark (Tracklisten)[17] 7 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[18] 3 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[19] 5 France (SNEP)[20] 84 Germany (GfK)[21] 30 Greece (IFPI)[22] 31 Hungary (Single Top 40)[23] 20 Ireland (IRMA)[24] 2 Italy (FIMI)[25] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[26] 16 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[27] 47 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[28] 47 Norway (VG-lista)[29] 3 Scotland (OCC)[30] 1 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[31] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[32] 13 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 15 UK Singles (OCC)[34] 1

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "The Hindu Times" Chart (2002) Position Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[35] 16 Ireland (IRMA)[36] 72 Italy (FIMI)[37] 40 UK Singles (OCC)[38] 43

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "The Hindu Times"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[39]	Silver	200,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "The Hindu Times"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	15 April 2002	7-inch vinyl CD	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]

References

1. Brocklehurst, Harrison (23 August 2022). "Every UK number one single from 2002, ranked from worst to best". The Tab. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 672. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
3. Archived 8 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
4. "Have Oasis run dry?". BBC News. 15 April 2002. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
5. "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". NME. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
6. "The Top 1000 Songs Ever | X-lists". XFM. Retrieved 2 April 2014.^{[permanent dead link]}
7. Heath, Sophia (19 June 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: the full musical playlist for the Olympic opening ceremony". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
8. The Hindu Times (UK CD single liner notes). Oasis. Big Brother Recordings. 2002. RKIDSCD 23.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. The Hindu Times (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Oasis. Big Brother Recordings. 2002. RKID 23.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. The Hindu Times (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Oasis. Big Brother Recordings. 2002. RKID 23T.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. The Hindu Times (UK DVD single liner notes). Oasis. Big Brother Recordings. 2002. RKIDSDVD 23.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. "Oasis – The Hindu Times". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
13. "Oasis – The Hindu Times" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
14. "Oasis – The Hindu Times" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
15. "Oasis – The Hindu Times" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
16. "Oasis Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
17. "Oasis – The Hindu Times". Tracklisten. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
18. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 19. 4 May 2002. p. 15. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
19. "Oasis: The Hindu Times" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
20. "Oasis – The Hindu Times" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
21. "Oasis – The Hindu Times" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
22. "Top 50 Singles" (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on 2 June 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2020. See Best column.
23. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
24. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Hindu Times". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
25. "Oasis – The Hindu Times". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
26. "Tipparade-lijst van week 19, 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
27. "Oasis – The Hindu Times" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
28. "Oasis – The Hindu Times". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
29. "Oasis – The Hindu Times". VG-lista. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
30. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
31. "Oasis – The Hindu Times" Canciones Top 50.
32. "Oasis – The Hindu Times". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
33. "Oasis – The Hindu Times". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
34. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
35. "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002". Jam!. 14 January 2003. Archived from the original on 6 September 2004. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
36. "Top 100 Songs of 2002". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2002. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
37. "Top of the Music – Mix e Singoli" (PDF) (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
38. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2002" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
39. "British single certifications – Oasis – The Hindu Times". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
40. "New Releases – For Week Starting 15 April 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 13 April 2002. p. 31. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
41. "New Releases – For Week Starting 22 April 2002: Singles". Music Week. 20 April 2002. p. 35.
42. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 22/04/2002" (PDF). ARIA. 22 April 2002. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2002. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
43. "Oasis | Artist Information". Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on 7 April 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
44. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1451. 3 May 2002. p. 30. Retrieved 28 April 2021.