The Importance of Being Idle (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Importance of Being Idle" is a song by the English rock
band Oasis
from their sixth album
, Don't Believe the Truth
, written and sung by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher
. It was the second single
released from the album in the UK
, on 22 August 2005, where it debuted at number one (see 2005 in music
). It was also the first time that Oasis earned two successive number ones in the same calendar year. "The Importance of Being Idle" would prove to be the band's last UK #1 hit prior to their 2009 breakup. It was written by Gallagher in the summer
of 2004, before the band made their final attempt at recording
what would become Don't Believe the Truth. He got the title from the book of the same name
, which he found whilst cleaning out his garage (it belonged not to him but to girlfriend Sara McDonald).
and The 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
". The guitar sound is similar also to The La's B-sides "Clean Prophet". It also is a breakaway from the sound of Oasis's latter albums, especially the straight ahead rock 'n' roll anthems of Heathen Chemistry
. The keyboard used on the pre-chorus sections was bought by bassist Andy Bell
from the auction website eBay
.
Noel has said that the lyrics of "The Importance of Being Idle" are inspired by his own laziness
. Some of the second verse, with the reference to begging his doctor for "one more line", seems to be referring to an actual event as this resembles Noel's account of how he gave up cocaine
in 1998.
, after the UK number one "Lyla". The B-sides are Liam Gallagher
's "Pass Me Down the Wine" and Gem Archer
's "The Quiet Ones".
Q
magazine readers placed the song at number one in a list of 2005's greatest tracks.
The song is included on Oasis' compilation
album Stop the Clocks
.
In the end of year chart in the UK for 2005 it finished #37.
The Song debuted at #1 in the U.K charts, but was knocked off the spot the following week by Gorillaz new single "DARE"
The song was ranked #117 in XFM
's "1000 greatest songs of all time" list
XFM
also placed it at #48 in their "100 best songs of the 2000's" list
, (whose previous videos include Kylie Minogue
's award-winning "Can't Get You Out of My Head
"). Shadforth's film for "The Importance of Being Idle" starred Welsh actor Rhys Ifans
and pays homage to the style of early 1960s kitchen sink drama British films, and is set during the build up to 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 funeral it is.
The video is based on the film and play Billy Liar
with Ifans playing the role of Billy. Noel and Liam therefore play Shadrack & Duxbury, the owners of the funeral parlour where Billy works. The rest of the band (Gem
, Andy
and Zak
) make a brief appearance as lazy workers playing cards in an undertaker's office. It was widely acclaimed at the time as being probably the best video Oasis had ever made, not least by the band themselves, who were said to be very happy with the finished product. The video is very similar in style and concept to the music video for "Dead End Street
" by The Kinks
. Liam Gallagher
's first-born child, Lennon, cameos in this video.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
from their sixth album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Don't Believe the Truth
Don't Believe the Truth
Don't Believe the Truth is the sixth studio album by English rock band Oasis, released on 30 May 2005. It reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart with first week sales of just under 238,000, and is the 32nd fastest selling album ever in the UK. The album entered the U.S...
, written and sung by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
. It was the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
released from the album in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, on 22 August 2005, where it debuted at number one (see 2005 in music
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
). It was also the first time that Oasis earned two successive number ones in the same calendar year. "The Importance of Being Idle" would prove to be the band's last UK #1 hit prior to their 2009 breakup. It was written by Gallagher in the summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
of 2004, before the band made their final attempt at recording
Recording
Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
what would become Don't Believe the Truth. He got the title from the book of the same name
The Importance of Being Idle (book)
The Importance of Being Idle is a humorous 2000 book by author Stephen Robins subtitled 'A little book of lazy inspiration'. Using an alphabetic subject-list format it presents a collection of essay-extracts, quotations and journal excerpts from a wide variety of writers and thinkers including Mark...
, which he found whilst cleaning out his garage (it belonged not to him but to girlfriend Sara McDonald).
History
Musically, as Noel has commented, the song sounds like tunes from two British bands, The KinksThe Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
and The La's
The La's
The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from the mid-1980s to early 1990s. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group is most famous for their hit single "There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Badger in 1984 and Mavers joined soon after...
. In particular, the guitar playing, as well as the sentiment expressed is noticeably similar to The Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon
Sunny Afternoon
"Sunny Afternoon" is a song by The Kinks, written by chief songwriter Ray Davies. Like its contemporary "Taxman" by The Beatles, the song references the high levels of progressive tax taken by the British Labour government of Harold Wilson. The track later featured on the Face to Face album as well...
" and "Dead End Street
Dead End Street (song)
"Dead End Street" is a song by the British band The Kinks from 1966, written by main songwriter Ray Davies. Like many other songs written by Davies, it is slightly influenced by British Music Hall. It was originally released as a non-album single, but has since been included as one of several bonus...
". The guitar sound is similar also to The La's B-sides "Clean Prophet". It also is a breakaway from the sound of Oasis's latter albums, especially the straight ahead rock 'n' roll anthems of Heathen Chemistry
Heathen Chemistry
Heathen Chemistry is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released in 2002.The album was written and recorded with a back-to-basics sound with a more rock feel to it; the more crude and simple sound differs from the musical grandiosity of their previous records, Be Here Now and...
. The keyboard used on the pre-chorus sections was bought by bassist Andy Bell
Andy Bell (musician)
Andrew Piran "Andy" Bell is a Welsh musician, currently playing guitar in the band Beady Eye. He is a songwriter, singer, producer, DJ and former member of the early 1990s shoegazing band, Ride, and later, Hurricane #1...
from the auction website eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
Noel has said that the lyrics of "The Importance of Being Idle" are inspired by his own laziness
Laziness
Laziness is a disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to do so. It is often used as a pejorative; related terms for a person seen to be lazy include couch potato, slacker, and bludger....
. Some of the second verse, with the reference to begging his doctor for "one more line", seems to be referring to an actual event as this resembles Noel's account of how he gave up cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
in 1998.
Personnel
- Noel Gallagher: vocals and lead guitar
- Andy Bell: bass guitar
- Zak Starkey: drums
- Gem Archer: acoustic guitar and keyboards
Reception
Most reviewers acclaimed the track as one of the highlights of Don't Believe the Truth, which itself was widely praised as a marked return to form. The band mentioned in interviews in June 2005 that it would become the second singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, after the UK number one "Lyla". The B-sides are Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
's "Pass Me Down the Wine" and Gem Archer
Gem Archer
Colin Murray "Gem" Archer is a member of the English rock band Beady Eye. He is, however, best known for his work with Heavy Stereo and Oasis. He joined Oasis as rhythm guitarist in November 1999, and handled lead guitarist for acoustics as well. He also contributed towards the writing of some of...
's "The Quiet Ones".
Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine readers placed the song at number one in a list of 2005's greatest tracks.
The song is included on Oasis' compilation
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album Stop the Clocks
Stop the Clocks
Stop the Clocks is a compilation album by English rock band Oasis, released on 20 November 2006. The "retrospective collection" is an 18-track double album with the featured songs chosen by Noel Gallagher; however, it does not actually include their song "Stop the Clocks" after which the album is...
.
In the end of year chart in the UK for 2005 it finished #37.
The Song debuted at #1 in the U.K charts, but was knocked off the spot the following week by Gorillaz new single "DARE"
The song was ranked #117 in XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
's "1000 greatest songs of all time" list
XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
also placed it at #48 in their "100 best songs of the 2000's" list
Music video
The promo film was directed by Dawn ShadforthDawn Shadforth
Dawn Shadforth is a British music video and documentary director, as well as an editor and artist. Shadforth began her career as an award winning sculptor before turning her interest to music and directing...
, (whose previous videos include Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
's award-winning "Can't Get You Out of My Head
Can't Get You out of My Head
"Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue, which was released from her eighth studio album Fever . The song was released worldwide as the lead single from the album, which was released on 8 September, 2001. The song was written and produced...
"). Shadforth's film for "The Importance of Being Idle" starred Welsh actor Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
and pays homage to the style of early 1960s kitchen sink drama British films, and is set during the build up to a funeral procession in a northern town, with the extravagant undertakers parading the coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
at the video's climax and Ifans playing the part of a high-kicking funeral director whose funeral it is.
The video is based on the film and play Billy Liar
Billy Liar
Billy Liar is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse, which was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and featured in a number of popular songs....
with Ifans playing the role of Billy. Noel and Liam therefore play Shadrack & Duxbury, the owners of the funeral parlour where Billy works. The rest of the band (Gem
Gem Archer
Colin Murray "Gem" Archer is a member of the English rock band Beady Eye. He is, however, best known for his work with Heavy Stereo and Oasis. He joined Oasis as rhythm guitarist in November 1999, and handled lead guitarist for acoustics as well. He also contributed towards the writing of some of...
, Andy
Andy Bell (musician)
Andrew Piran "Andy" Bell is a Welsh musician, currently playing guitar in the band Beady Eye. He is a songwriter, singer, producer, DJ and former member of the early 1990s shoegazing band, Ride, and later, Hurricane #1...
and Zak
Zak Starkey
Zak Starkey is an English rock drummer. He is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Starr's first wife Maureen Starkey Tigrett. He is also well known for his unofficial membership in the English rock band The Who, with whom he has performed and recorded since 1996. He is also the third...
) make a brief appearance as lazy workers playing cards in an undertaker's office. It was widely acclaimed at the time as being probably the best video Oasis had ever made, not least by the band themselves, who were said to be very happy with the finished product. The video is very similar in style and concept to the music video for "Dead End Street
Dead End Street (song)
"Dead End Street" is a song by the British band The Kinks from 1966, written by main songwriter Ray Davies. Like many other songs written by Davies, it is slightly influenced by British Music Hall. It was originally released as a non-album single, but has since been included as one of several bonus...
" by The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
. Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
's first-born child, Lennon, cameos in this video.
Track listing
- CD RKIDSCD 31
- "The Importance of Being Idle" (Noel GallagherNoel GallagherNoel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
) - 3:43 - "Pass Me Down the Wine" (Liam GallagherLiam GallagherWilliam John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
) - 3:51 - "The Quiet Ones" (Gem ArcherGem ArcherColin Murray "Gem" Archer is a member of the English rock band Beady Eye. He is, however, best known for his work with Heavy Stereo and Oasis. He joined Oasis as rhythm guitarist in November 1999, and handled lead guitarist for acoustics as well. He also contributed towards the writing of some of...
) - 2:01
- 7" RKID 31
- "The Importance of Being Idle" (Noel GallagherNoel GallagherNoel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
) - 3:43 - "Pass Me Down the Wine" (Liam GallagherLiam GallagherWilliam John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
) - 3:51
- DVD RKIDSDVD 31
- "The Importance of Being Idle" - 3:41
- "The Importance of Being Idle" (demo) - 3:40
- "The Importance of Being Idle" (video) - 4:03
- "The Making of" (Documentary) - 5:22
- Promo CD RKIDSCD 31P
- "The Importance of Being Idle" (radio edit) - 3:37