Tattva (song)

"Tattva" is a song by the British psychedelic rock band Kula Shaker, released as the band's debut single. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 1 January 1996 as "Tattva (Lucky 13 Mix)", then reissued on 24 June as a re-recording from their debut album K with a different sleeve and track listing. The re-recording reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, number 11 on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30 chart and number 10 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. In Melody Maker, critic Neil Kulkarni declared "Tattva" and follow-up release "Grateful When You're Dead" to be "the two worst singles of '96".[1]

"Tattva"
KULA CD3. The black oblong to
the bottom right is a sticker.
Single by Kula Shaker
from the album K
A-side"Tattva"
B-side"Dance in Your Shadow"
Released24 June 1996 (1996-06-24)
GenreBritpop, psychedelic rock
Length3:46
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Crispian Mills
Kula Shaker singles chronology
"Tattva"
(1996)		 "Grateful When You're Dead" / "Jerry Was There"
(1996)

Meaning

The chorus of the song is: Tattva, acintya bheda abheda Tattva. In Hindu philosophy tattva is a Sanskrit word meaning 'thatness', 'principle', 'essence', 'reality' or 'truth'.[2] Likewise, acintya can mean 'the inconceivable', 'the unthinkable', or 'he who cannot be imagined',[3] bheda translates as 'difference', and abheda translates as 'non-difference'. For this song, acintya might best be thought of in terms of apophatic theology, also known as 'divine darkness', a Christian notion whereby God is so far beyond our conceptions that we can only speak of what God is not. Not that the word acintya would necessarily correspond to the Western idea of God, but the same kind of ineffable mystery is implied here. As such, one possible translation of the chorus would be: "Truth, Mystery, difference non-difference Truth."

Releases

The "Lucky 13 Mix" was issued on 7" and CD in the United Kingdom, both formats including "Hollow Man (Part II)" as the B-side. The 7" edition was limited to 1000 copies.[4] This version of the single reached number 86 on the UK Singles Chart.

The second edition was released on the same formats but with an additional CD. The 7" comprised "Tattva" plus a different mix titled "Tattva on St. George's Day" as well as the principle B-side "Dance in Your Shadow". The first CD featured "Moonshine" and the "Lucky 13 Mix" as its exclusive tracks, and the second disc contained "Red Balloon (Vishnu's Eyes)". An Australian maxi single was released in 1996 which contained most of the tracks from these latter releases.[4]

Both CDs (KULA CD3 and KULA CD3K) were housed in card picture sleeves. The second CD had a printed spine and also contained an inner sleeve, much like a vinyl LP. The first edition of "Tattva" came in a standard slimline jewel case.

Music video

Two music videos for "Tattva" were produced: one for Europe and a second made for the United States.

Track listings

Charts
Chart (1996–1997) Peak
position
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[5] 11
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[6] 26
Germany (Official German Charts)[7] 85
Scotland (OCC)[8] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 4
US Radio Songs (Billboard)[10] 63
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[11] 10
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Scotland (OCC)[12] 66
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 86

References
  1. Kulkarni, Neil (14 September 1996). "Kula Shaker: K". Melody Maker.
  2. Dictionary.com
  3. Gupta, Ravi M. (2007). Caitanya Vaisnava Vedanta of Jiva Gosvami's Catursutri tika. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-40548-5.
  4. kulashaker.net Archived 8 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9781." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  6. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 28. 13 July 1996. p. 20. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Kula Shaker – Tattva". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  8. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  10. "Kula Shaker Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  11. "Kula Shaker Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  12. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
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