Hare Krishna in popular culture

Beatles influence

After coming in contact with the Hare Krishnas in 1969, some of the Beatles took an interest in the movement.^[1] This interest is reflected in songs recorded by the band and its members.

• The Hare Krishna mantra can be heard sung by George Harrison in the backing vocals of his song "My Sweet Lord" (1970), and the track "Living in the Material World" (1973) contains the lyrics: "I hope to get out of this place by the Lord Sri Krishna's grace. My salvation from the material world." Other Harrison songs that reference Krishna include "It Is 'He' (Jai Sri Krishna)" (1974), "Sat Singing" (1980) and "Life Itself" (1981). Harrison also chanted the Hare Krishna mantra when he was attacked by a man who broke into his home on 30 December 1999.^[2] Harrison survived the knife attack, and continued to praise Krishna for the remainder of his life. Of the four Beatles members, only Harrison was actually a Krishna devotee, and after he posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009, his son Dhani Harrison uttered out the phrase "Hare Krishna" during the ceremony.^[3]
• The mantra was released as a single by the Radha Krishna Temple (London) in August 1969 on the Beatles' Apple record label. This single, like the 1971 Radha Krsna Temple album, was produced by George Harrison.
• The words "Hare Krishna" are included in the lyrics of some of John Lennon's songs also, such as "Give Peace a Chance" (1969) and "I Am the Walrus" (1967). They can also be heard in the backing vocals of Ringo Starr's 1971 hit "It Don't Come Easy", which was again produced by Harrison and co-written by Starr and him (although originally credited to Starr only).
• A year and a half after Lennon's apparent adoption of the phrase in "Give Peace a Chance", his song "I Found Out" (from 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album) contains a verse on Hare Krishna, dismissing it as "pie in the sky".

Music

• Jazz clarinetist Tony Scott released a song entitled "Homage to Lord Krishna" on his 1967 album, and a song entitled "Hare Krishna [Hail Krishna]" on his 1968 album Music for Yoga Meditation and Other Joys.
• The Fugs recorded "Hare Krishna" with Allen Ginsberg on their 1968 album Tenderness Junction.
• Bill Oddie recorded a parody in 1970 entitled "Harry Krishna" as the B-side to his "On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at". After leading a group in chanting the traditional mantra, they proceed to chant puns such as "Hare Secombe", "Harevederci Roma" and "Hare Corbett, Sweep and Sooty".
• Alice Coltrane included "Hare Krishna" on her 1971 album Universal Consciousness, and on her 1976 album Radha-Krsna Nama Sankirtana.
• Fleetwood Mac included "Hare Krishna" on their song Miles Away
• Marion Williams included "Hare Krishna" on her 1971 album Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go.
• Ruth Copeland included "Hare Krishna" on her 1971 album I Am What I Am.
• Hüsker Dü's track "Hare Krsna", from the 1984 album Zen Arcade, is a song about a female member of the Hare Krishna movement. It references the Hare Krishna mantra.^[4]
• Rapper KRS-One was influenced by the Hare Krishna movement as a young man. His name derives from "Krishna".
• In their 1990 album DAAS Icon, Australian musical comedians the Doug Anthony All Stars featured a track titled "Krishna". The song presents a comedic take on the Hare Krishnas, but caused the album to be briefly banned in Britain due to a line about getting "Krishna and his shotgun to join the IRA."^[5]
• Boy George's track "Bow Down Mister" from 1991 includes the Hare Krishna mantra and other references to the Hare Krishnas. George was openly involved with the Hare Krishna movement, and members of ISKCON appeared in several of his stage performances.
• Kula Shaker include various Vedic mantras and names of Krishna in their songs, especially in the track "Govinda" from 1996. Lead-singer Crispian Mills named their band after the Vaishnava saint, Kulashekhara.
• Tenacious D created a song they played live about the Hare Krishnas, called "Hare Krishna".
• The Auteurs have a song called "Sick of Hari Krisna" on their 1999 album How I Learned to Love the Bootboys, in which the title is sung repeatedly.
• When recreating Eric Clapton's 1964 Gibson ES-335 for production in 2005, there was a Hare Krishna sticker which had been given to him by George Harrison on the back of the headstock that was reproduced on the 2005 models.
• Thievery Corporation have a track entitled "Hare Krsna" (featuring Seu Jorge) on their album Radio Retaliation, which was nominated for Best Recording Package Grammy in 2008.
• The Pretenders include a verse about Krishna and reference the mantra in the lyrics to "Boots of Chinese Plastic" on the 2008 album Break Up the Concrete.
• In 2011, Sir Ivan released a hit single named "Hare Krishna" which contained the Hare Krishna mantra.
• In 2012 Rapper N.O.R.E. made a track called Hare Krishna featuring the RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.

Straight Edge subculture

In the 1980s, several bands and individuals from the punk-related straight edge subculture took interest in the Hare Krishna doctrines, leading to a number of straight edgers becoming official members of the movement. Due to the influence of a Hare Krishna named Larry Pugliese, Krishna Consciousness found its way into the New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s and became known as Krishnacore.^[6]

Early devotees included John Joseph and Harley Flanagan of the band Cro-Mags, Ray Cappo of Youth of Today, and Vic DiCara, former guitarist for Los Angeles band Inside Out, who established quite possibly the most famous of all of the newly dubbed bands, namely 108.^[7][8]