Oasis - The Hindu Times

APR 15 2002 · 12:00

Oasis - The Hindu Times (2002) Director: W.I.Z. (Andrew John Whiston) Era: Post-Britpop / Early 2000s British Rock Revival (2002) - Oasis's commercial resurgence with Heathen Chemistry, marking a rawer, more direct sound after the overproduced Standing on the Shoulder of Giants era. High-tier archival value as a confirmed number-one-single music video directed by one of the BFI's designated greatest British music video directors, filmed at an iconic and symbolically charged location (Abbey Road Studios). The video encapsulates Oasis's post-Britpop visual identity, W.I.Z.'s surrealist-performance hybrid style, and the aesthetic moment of early-digital British rock video production. Essential for any survey of 2000s British music video culture. Context: Released 15 April 2002 as the lead single from Heathen Chemistry, 'The Hindu Times' represented a widely celebrated return to form for Oasis following the commercially and critically weaker Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000). The track debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, Oasis's sixth chart-topper, and was displaced the following week by the Sugababes' 'Freak Like Me,' a juxtaposition that captured the early-2000s British pop landscape. The title was inspired by a T-shirt Noel Gallagher found in a charity shop, and the song's sitar-inflected guitar riff connected to the broader early-2000s neo-psychedelic revival in British indie rock. NME later listed it among the greatest indie anthems of the 2000s. Director notes: The video was filmed at Abbey Road Studios in London, the same iconic facility where the song was recorded. The original plan had been to film in New Delhi, India, which did not materialize. The final video depicts the band performing in a studio setting interspersed with surreal, colorful visuals. A notable visual gag sees Liam Gallagher drinking milk, a self-deprecating nod to his public boozy persona. The production company was Oil Factory. WIZ also directed the follow-up Oasis single 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' (2002) in the same year.