Hare Krishna (mantra) - Popular Culture

Popular Culture

The Hare Krishna mantra appears in a number of famous songs, notably those sung by The Beatles (in the lyrics of George Harrison and John Lennon), and has been at the number 1 spot in the UK singles charts on more than one occasion within songs such as Harrison's "My Sweet Lord". George put a Hare Krishna sticker on the back of the headstock of Eric Clapton's 1964 Gibson ES-335; the sticker also appears on Gibson's 2005 reproduction of the guitar.

The Radha Krsna Temple's recording "Hare Krishna Mantra" was released as a single on The Beatles' Apple label in 1969, and reached number 12 in the UK and appeared on the music show Top of the Pops. It also made the number 1 slot on both the German and Czechoslovakian music charts.

The mantra also appears in The Pretenders' Boots of Chinese Plastic.

Less well-known but equally relevant to fans of pop music culture are recordings of the Hare Krishna mantra by The Fugs on their 1968 album Tenderness Junction (featuring poet Allen Ginsberg), by Nina Hagen, and by Hüsker Dü on their 1984 album Zen Arcade.

Kula Shaker, Boy George, and members of The Rubettes have recorded music tracks about Krishna Consciousness.

At the 2008 and 2009 VMA Awards, the host, English comedian Russell Brand ended the ceremony by saying Hare Krishna, as he does at all his shows.

The Washington D.C. Production duo Thievery Corporation released a track on the 2008 album entitled, "Hare Krishna".

In The Muppet Movie a running gag entailed one character saying they were lost and the other saying "maybe you should try Hare Krishna."

In the Seinfeld episode The Subway, a patron in Monk's restaurant yells, "Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!" when he sees George walk in wearing only a bedsheet. A similar scenario occurs in Scrubs when J.D. shaves his head in support for a chemo patient, and in the movie Stripes when John Candy's character leaves the army barber.

The Hare Krishnas are featured in the popular video game series Grand Theft Auto originally as pedestrians, and in later installments as a gang.

The band Shelter features themes and lyrics of Hare Krishna culture.

In the film 'Osmosis Jones' (2001), Jones pushes past two cells in Franks stomach who are singing 'Hare Krishna' whilst playing a drum and jiggling a tambourine.

In episode ten, season five, of Mad Men, Paul Kinsey reappears not as a bearded, pipe smoking copywriter, but as a follower of Hare Krishna.

While addressing Stanford graduates in 2005, Apple founder Steve Jobs mentions “…I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple.”