Oasis Importance Of Being Idle Song Guide

The Importance Of Being Idle gave Oasis an eighth UK number one in August 2005. The track closed the band’s run of chart toppers, and it gave Don’t Believe The Truth a second number one.

For context, our Don’t Believe The Truth guide covers the album around the track in full. The single arrived three months after Lyla, and it kept the comeback rolling.

A Noel vocal with a British music hall feel

First, Noel Gallagher wrote the track, and Noel sang lead vocals on it. The song leaned on a music hall swing, and it sounded far from the loud guitar attack of old.

Next, the arrangement stayed light and playful, and the rhythm pushed the chorus forward. Zak Starkey played drums on the track, and his feel kept the swing tight.

Meanwhile, the song showed a mature side of Oasis, and it trusted melody over volume. That trust paid off at radio, and it gave the album a second distinct single voice.

Our Zak Starkey profile covers his drums on the album, and it tracks his session role. The track also showed Noel’s range as a singer.

Chart success and a final number one

Then Oasis released the track on 22 August 2005, and it debuted at number one in the UK. NME reported the chart win on 28 August 2005, and it placed the track above McFly.

In addition, the win made it the band’s eighth and final UK number one, and it followed Lyla earlier that year. The two wins in one year marked a first for Oasis, and no later single matched them.

The album had reached shops on 30 May 2005, and it also topped the UK Albums Chart. The single and album wins together crowned the comeback, and the tour carried that mood.

Our Oasis members guide covers the band behind the comeback, and it tracks the 2005 lineup. The chart run gave that lineup a clear peak.

The video and its awards praise

Next, Dawn Shadforth directed the video, and Welsh actor Rhys Ifans starred in it. The video drew on the film and play Billy Liar, and Ifans played Billy in the story.

The Gallaghers played Shadrack and Duxbury, who owned the funeral parlour where Billy worked. That casting gave fans a fun in joke, and it matched the song’s playful tone.

Meanwhile, Q magazine readers placed the track at number one in a list of 2005 tracks. The video also won video of the year at the NME Awards, and that prize sealed its status.

In addition, the video shoot took place partly in Greenwich, and a short behind the scenes film followed. The visual style paid tribute to early 1960s British kitchen sink drama, and it suited the song well.

The track on stage in 2005

Then Oasis played the track in the 2005 live set, and NME listed it in the Glasgow stadium set. The song sat mid set, and it gave Noel a lead vocal slot on stage.

The live version kept the swing intact, and the crowd sang the chorus back loudly. That response showed the single had landed, and it held its place beside older hits.

Meanwhile, the track also appeared in the London Astoria club set in May 2005. That early slot showed confidence in the song, and it previewed the single release.

Our Oasis setlist guide tracks how later sets used Noel vocal songs. The track fits that strand well, and it stands beside Don’t Look Back In Anger in that group.

Why the track still matters

For fans, the track marks the end of the Oasis number one story. No later single reached the top, and the song now closes that chart chapter with style.

Still, the track earns praise for its video and its melody, and it avoids the bombast of old. That restraint helps it age well, and new fans find it fresh.

In short, the track deserves its guide place, and its chart and video facts back it up. Our Oasis lineup page covers the band that now carries the catalogue forward.

Only Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher are confirmed by name for Live ‘27, and that fact has not changed. The Live ‘27 shows sold out in the September 2026 ballot, and no general sale took place.

Noel Gallagher on stage. Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.