music.wikisort.org - Composition

"The Importance of Being Idle" is a song by English rock band Oasis. 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 guitarist Noel Gallagher. The song was written by Gallagher in the mid-2004, before the band made their final attempt at recording what would become Don't Believe the Truth.^{[citation needed]}

"The Importance of Being Idle"
Single by Oasis
from the album Don't Believe the Truth
B-side	"Pass Me Down the Wine" "The Quiet Ones"
Released	22 August 2005 (2005-08-22)[1]
Studio	Wheeler End (Buckinghamshire, England)
Genre	Rock
Length	3:39
Label	Big Brother
Songwriter(s)	Noel Gallagher
Producer(s)	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" on YouTube

The song debuted at number one on the UK 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. As of 2020, it is also their most recent single release to be certified Gold in the UK. Noel Gallagher got the title from the book of the same name, which he found whilst cleaning out a garage.

Background

In an interview with Q magazine, Noel Gallagher stated that "The Importance of Being Idle" sounds like songs from two British bands, The Kinks 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", 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,[2] stating: "Having nothing to do is such a massive job that someone had to write a song about it."[3] Additionally, the line "I begged my doctor for one more line" may be a reference to Noel's account of how he gave up cocaine in 1998.[2]

Critical 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 single. 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 was ranked at number 117 in Xfm'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]}

Music video

The promo film was directed by Dawn Shadforth, 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 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]

The video is based on the film and play Billy Liar with Ifans playing the role of Billy. The Gallaghers play Shadrack & Duxbury, the owners of the funeral parlour where Billy works. The rest of the band (Gem, Andy and Zak) 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" by The 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 in Greenwich, was directed by Dick Carruthers. Archer describes it as "the best video I think we've ever done".[5]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

• Noel Gallagher – vocals, lead guitar
• Andy Bell – bass
• Gem Archer – rhythm guitar, keyboards
• Zak Starkey – drums

Charts and certifications

References

На других языках

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- [en] The Importance of Being Idle (song)

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[es] The Importance of Being Idle

«The Importance of Being Idle» es una canción escrita y compuesta por Noel Gallagher, guitarrista de la banda de rock británica Oasis. Perteneciente al sexto álbum de la banda Don’t Believe The Truth, la canción fue el segundo sencillo del álbum, lanzado el 22 de agosto de 2005, debutando en el número 1 en el Reino Unido. También fue el primer sencillo de Oasis en estar dos veces consecutivas en el número 1 el mismo año. Fue escrita por Gallagher durante el verano de 2004, antes de que la banda finalizara las grabaciones de lo que se sería Don't Believe the Truth.

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[ru] The Importance of Being Idle

«The Importance of Being Idle» (с англ. — «Как важно быть ленивым») — песня с альбома «Don't Believe the Truth» английской рок-группы Oasis. Сингл «The Importance of Being Idle» вышел 22 августа 2005 года и стал № 1 в Великобритании, также песня стала № 1 в России в хит-параде радио «Максимум». Ноэл Галлахер очень гордится «The Importance of Being Idle», без которой не обходится ни одно выступление Oasis. «Это великая английская поп-песня»[источник не указан 4333 дня] — заявил он в одном из интервью.

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