Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Press

Voting in radio broadcaster triple j‘s Hottest 100 of The Decade countdown, Australian fans have christened Tame Impala‘s ‘The Less I Know The Better’ the most important song of the 2010s.

With more than 1,869,659 listeners casting votes, it was Currents‘ third single they deemed to be the most important.

‘The Less I Know The Better‘ companion Currents single ‘Let It Happen’ would also make the list at #26.

Lonerism singles “Feel Like We Only Go Backwards’ clocked in at #65 and ‘Elephant’ at #66.

“I thought ‘Less I Know’ might win it,” Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker informed triple j. “I think it’s aged well. It’s probably my most pop song.” 

“Thank you guys,” he closed off, “Holy sh*t!”

“It’s hard to deny that one of the main players who shaped the sound of the decade is our own Kevin Parker,” triple j’s music director Nick Findlay shared in an official statement.  “Midway through the decade, Kevin and his band Tame Impala unleashed their stunning third album Currents and ‘The Less I Know The Better’ instantly stood out as one of the record’s highlights. Its slinky, synth-heavy, bass-driven psychedelic sound immediately hooks you in, and its tale of lost love (and general disdain for Trevor) was universally relatable for anyone who has ever gone through heartbreak. Congratulations to Kevin Parker – ‘The Less I Know The Better’ is an incredibly deserved #1 for the Hottest 100 of the 2010s, and we’re sure to see him continue to shape the sound of the decade to come.”

‘The Less I Know The Better’ was first released on November 29, 2015.

“I just remember sitting alone in my home studio,” Parker shared of the song to Noisey in 2016, “I was between houses, and making the demo of the song in about half an hour. Like I had the chords and the melody and I was just thinking, ‘It needs a gnarly bass riff.'”

“The way that I know I’ve done a new riff that is cool,” he continued to explain, “is if my hands don’t want to do it. If you let your hands do the thinking, it will just be the same old shit. But yeah, that bass riff – it’s actually a guitar with an octave pedal – but that very take is the one that’s used in the whole song.”

Despite ‘The Less I Know The Better’ being Tame Impala‘s most well-known song, Parker initially had reservations as to whether he should include the song on Currents, calling it, in his own words, “ dorky, white disco funk”.

Fortunately, he had a change of mind.

After enjoying a recent spate of viral Tik Tok fame, the song has been streamed more than 400 million times on Spotify alone, making it Tame Impala’s most commercially successful track as well as its first platinum single.

 

TAME IMPALA – 2020 TOUR DATES
03/13/20 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center* CANCELED
03/19/20 – Mexico City, MEX @ Foro Sol $
03/21/20 – Monterrey, MEX @ Pal Norte $
05/23/20 – London, UK @ All Points East – Victoria Park
05/29/20 – Chicago, IL @ United Center#
05/30/20 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum#
05/31/20 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena#
06/02/20 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena#
06/03/20 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre#
06/06/20 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena#
06/08/20 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center#
06/09/20 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena#
06/11/20 – Miami, FL @ AmericanAirlines Arena#
06/12/20 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center#
07/17/20 – Minneapolis, MN @ Xcel Energy Center#
07/19/20 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center#
07/20/20 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center#
07/21/20 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center#
07/23/20 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center#
07/24/20 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center#
07/25/20 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center#
07/28/20 – Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena#
07/30/20 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center#
08/01/20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena#
08/03/20 – Portland, OR @ MODA Center#
08/05/20 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena#
08/07/20 – George, WA @ The Gorge Amphiteathre#

* w/ Clairo
$ w/ MGMT
# w/ Perfume Genius