Karma Police
Encyclopedia
"Karma Police" is a song by English alternative rock
band Radiohead
from their 1997 third studio album OK Computer
. The song's title and lyrics derive from an in-joke
among the band, referring to the Hindu theory of retributive enforcement, known as karma
.
"Karma Police" was released as the second single from OK Computer, and became a commercial success, charting at number eight on the UK Singles Chart
and number fourteen on the US Hot Modern Rock Tracks. Critical reception to the single was also favourable.
on an American tour. This version had different lyrics than the final release, with the second verse being "Karma Police, arrest this girl / she stares at me / as if she owns the world / and we have crashed her party", and the first chorus ending with "This is what you'll get / when you mess with me".
A live version of "Karma Police", performed with a Rhodes piano
on The Late Show with David Letterman, is captured in the Radiohead documentary Meeting People Is Easy
. While recording OK Computer, Radiohead listened to late Beatles albums, among other music, such as Miles Davis
, DJ Shadow
and Ennio Morricone
, for inspiration.
and played in standard tuning
. The first half of the song is in the key of A Dorian
, the second half (starting with the line "For a minute there") is in B minor
. Acoustic guitar
and piano
are the most prominent instruments in the song, and the chord progression these instruments follow owes an audible debt to The Beatles
song "Sexy Sadie
". The structure
of the song is unconventional in that it has nothing resembling a typical chorus
. Instead, the song progresses from the intro into a mid-tempo section which alternates between two verses. The first verse begins with the line "Karma police", and the other begins with the line "This is what you get". During the second section the drums drop out and an analog synthesizer
imitating a choir
is featured. After this section cycles through twice, the song switches into a second section which is based around the line "For a minute there, I lost myself". During this section of the song, Yorke's voice is put through an echo
effect and a sliding melodic figure serves as a counterpoint
to Yorke's vocals. In the outro, Ed O'Brien plays a few notes on his guitar, which are distorted by overloading an AMS rackmount digital delay unit and turning the delay rate knob down.
Radiohead members used to tell one another that they would call "the karma
police" on them if they did something wrong. The joke was incorporated as into the lyrics and title of the song. Yorke explained that the song was about stress and "having people looking at you in that certain [malicious] way, I can't handle it anymore". Thom Yorke explained the idea of the lyrics to The Independent in 2006, saying, "It's for someone who has to work for a large company. This is a song against bosses. Fuck the middle management
!" Yorke and Jonny Greenwood emphasised in interviews that the song had a humorous bent; Yorke said, "[It's] not entirely serious, I hope people will realize that." The song includes the line "He buzzes like a fridge/He's like a detuned radio", a reference to the distracting, metaphorical background noise Yorke calls "fridge buzz". Yorke has said that the idea of fridge buzz is one of the primary themes of OK Computer; "Karma Police" also shares themes of insanity
and dissatisfaction with capitalism
.
, previously responsible for Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)
" clip. The video premiered in August 1997 and featured Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke
as well as Hungarian actor Lajos Kovács. Glazer won MTV
's Director of the Year award in 1997 for his work on this, as well as Jamiroquai
's "Virtual Insanity
". Glazer however revealed in an interview that he considers this video to be a failed attempt. According to MTV.com
, Glazer had pitched the concept of the "Karma Police" video months earlier to Marilyn Manson
, who disliked it.
The video starts with the camera, an unseen driver, looking at the empty back seat of a 1976 Chrysler New Yorker
at night. The 'driver' then faces the windscreen and begins driving. For 35 seconds, it shows nothing but a road through grass illuminated by headlights, with insects visible around the windscreen. A figure is then seen running from the car. In time for the chorus the view shifts back to the back seat, where Thom Yorke now sits, almost mumbling his lyrics. The view yet again moves to the figure, who is close to being mown down, as the view again switches to Yorke, now slouching drowsily against the back of the front seat, barely lipsyncing any longer. The camera swivels again and the figure appears again, close this time. For the first time another perspective reveals the outside of the car. The pursued figure sharpens and is revealed to be a large man with a frightened look. The car comes to a stop before him, then reverses slightly, as if for a 'run up', and this reveals it to be leaking fuel. The man realises the car has a petrol leak and puts his hands behind his back as if in resignation, then takes matches from his pocket, lights one, and throws it down. The perspective shifts to the car's interior. The car suddenly reverses, away from the man, a path of fire now blazes back towards the car. The car slowly catches fire, and the camera/driver finally turns frantically to the back seat and robotically swivels back and forth, only to find that Yorke is no longer there.
, Jonny Greenwood
, Ed O'Brien
, Colin Greenwood
, and Phil Selway
.
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Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
from their 1997 third studio album OK Computer
OK Computer
OK Computer is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 16 June 1997 on Parlophone in the UK and 1 July 1997 by Capitol Records in the US. It marks a deliberate attempt by the band to move away from the introspective guitar-oriented sound of their previous...
. The song's title and lyrics derive from an in-joke
In-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
among the band, referring to the Hindu theory of retributive enforcement, known as karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
.
"Karma Police" was released as the second single from OK Computer, and became a commercial success, charting at number eight on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and number fourteen on the US Hot Modern Rock Tracks. Critical reception to the single was also favourable.
Background and recording
"Karma Police", like several other songs that would make up OK Computer, was debuted live in 1996, when the band briefly supported Alanis MorissetteAlanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
on an American tour. This version had different lyrics than the final release, with the second verse being "Karma Police, arrest this girl / she stares at me / as if she owns the world / and we have crashed her party", and the first chorus ending with "This is what you'll get / when you mess with me".
A live version of "Karma Police", performed with a Rhodes piano
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
on The Late Show with David Letterman, is captured in the Radiohead documentary Meeting People Is Easy
Meeting People Is Easy
Meeting People Is Easy, first released on 30 November 1998, is a rockumentary by Grant Gee following British alternative rock band Radiohead on their exhaustive world tour following the success of their 1997 album OK Computer...
. While recording OK Computer, Radiohead listened to late Beatles albums, among other music, such as Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
and Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
, for inspiration.
Composition and lyrics
"Karma Police" is in a 4/4 time signatureTime signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
and played in standard tuning
Standard tuning
In music, standard tuning refers to the typical tuning of a string instrument. This notion is contrary to that of scordatura, i.e. an alternate tuning designated to modify either the timbre or technical capabilities of the desired instrument.-Bowed strings:...
. The first half of the song is in the key of A Dorian
Dorian mode
Due to historical confusion, Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different musical modes or diatonic scales, the Greek, the medieval, and the modern.- Greek Dorian mode :...
, the second half (starting with the line "For a minute there") is in B minor
B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....
. Acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
are the most prominent instruments in the song, and the chord progression these instruments follow owes an audible debt to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song "Sexy Sadie
Sexy Sadie
Sexy Sadie may refer to:* "Sexy Sadie", a song by The Beatles* Sexy Sadie , a Spanish pop rock group from the island of Majorca* Susan Atkins, one of the Manson Family killers who went by the name "Sexy Sadie"...
". The structure
Song structure (popular music)
The structures or musical forms of songs in popular music are typically sectional, repeating forms, such as strophic form. Other common forms include thirty-two-bar form, verse-chorus form, and the twelve bar blues...
of the song is unconventional in that it has nothing resembling a typical chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
. Instead, the song progresses from the intro into a mid-tempo section which alternates between two verses. The first verse begins with the line "Karma police", and the other begins with the line "This is what you get". During the second section the drums drop out and an analog synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
imitating a choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
is featured. After this section cycles through twice, the song switches into a second section which is based around the line "For a minute there, I lost myself". During this section of the song, Yorke's voice is put through an echo
Echo (phenomenon)
In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound, arriving at the listener some time after the direct sound. Typical examples are the echo produced by the bottom of a well, by a building, or by the walls of an enclosed room and an empty room. A true echo is a single...
effect and a sliding melodic figure serves as a counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
to Yorke's vocals. In the outro, Ed O'Brien plays a few notes on his guitar, which are distorted by overloading an AMS rackmount digital delay unit and turning the delay rate knob down.
Radiohead members used to tell one another that they would call "the karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
police" on them if they did something wrong. The joke was incorporated as into the lyrics and title of the song. Yorke explained that the song was about stress and "having people looking at you in that certain [malicious] way, I can't handle it anymore". Thom Yorke explained the idea of the lyrics to The Independent in 2006, saying, "It's for someone who has to work for a large company. This is a song against bosses. Fuck the middle management
Middle management
Middle management is a layer of management in an organization whose primary job responsibility is to monitor activities of subordinates while reporting to upper management....
!" Yorke and Jonny Greenwood emphasised in interviews that the song had a humorous bent; Yorke said, "[It's] not entirely serious, I hope people will realize that." The song includes the line "He buzzes like a fridge/He's like a detuned radio", a reference to the distracting, metaphorical background noise Yorke calls "fridge buzz". Yorke has said that the idea of fridge buzz is one of the primary themes of OK Computer; "Karma Police" also shares themes of insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
and dissatisfaction with capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
.
Release and reception
"Karma Police" was released as the second single from OK Computer on 25 August 1997. The single was released in two versions. The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. In late March 2010, almost thirteen years after its initial single release, the song went to number fifteen on the Danish Singles Chart. In a song review, Allmusic referred to Karma Police as "haunting, mystifying, and exquisite" labelling it "one of the cornerstones of one of the greatest albums of the '90s."Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Jonathan GlazerJonathan Glazer
Jonathan Glazer is an English director of films, commercials and music videos.-Biography:After studying theatre design at Nottingham Trent University, Glazer started out directing theatre and making film and television trailers, including award-winning work for the BBC...
, previously responsible for Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
"Street Spirit " is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead, featured on their second studio album The Bends, which was released in 1995...
" clip. The video premiered in August 1997 and featured Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
as well as Hungarian actor Lajos Kovács. Glazer won MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Director of the Year award in 1997 for his work on this, as well as Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
's "Virtual Insanity
Virtual Insanity
"Virtual Insanity" is the lead single from British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai's third studio album, Travelling Without Moving. The song reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also charted at #38 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart upon the single's release in America in 1997...
". Glazer however revealed in an interview that he considers this video to be a failed attempt. According to MTV.com
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Glazer had pitched the concept of the "Karma Police" video months earlier to Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, who disliked it.
The video starts with the camera, an unseen driver, looking at the empty back seat of a 1976 Chrysler New Yorker
Chrysler New Yorker
The Chrysler New Yorker was a premium automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation from 1939–1996, serving for several years as the brand's flagship model. A model named the "New York Special" first appeared in the 1930s...
at night. The 'driver' then faces the windscreen and begins driving. For 35 seconds, it shows nothing but a road through grass illuminated by headlights, with insects visible around the windscreen. A figure is then seen running from the car. In time for the chorus the view shifts back to the back seat, where Thom Yorke now sits, almost mumbling his lyrics. The view yet again moves to the figure, who is close to being mown down, as the view again switches to Yorke, now slouching drowsily against the back of the front seat, barely lipsyncing any longer. The camera swivels again and the figure appears again, close this time. For the first time another perspective reveals the outside of the car. The pursued figure sharpens and is revealed to be a large man with a frightened look. The car comes to a stop before him, then reverses slightly, as if for a 'run up', and this reveals it to be leaking fuel. The man realises the car has a petrol leak and puts his hands behind his back as if in resignation, then takes matches from his pocket, lights one, and throws it down. The perspective shifts to the car's interior. The car suddenly reverses, away from the man, a path of fire now blazes back towards the car. The car slowly catches fire, and the camera/driver finally turns frantically to the back seat and robotically swivels back and forth, only to find that Yorke is no longer there.
Charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 35 | |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 50 | |
| Finland Singles Chart | 15 | |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
15 | |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 32 | |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
8 | |
| U.S Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
14 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Danish Singles Chart | 15 | |
Track listing
All songs written by Thom YorkeThom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
, Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
, Ed O'Brien
Ed O'Brien
Edward John O'Brien is an English musician, songwriter and guitarist for the rock band Radiohead. He is also responsible for harmony vocals during live concerts and on many tracks from the band's albums...
, Colin Greenwood
Colin Greenwood
Colin Charles Greenwood , is an English musician and composer, best known as the bassist of the rock band Radiohead. Apart from bass, Colin plays keyboards, synthesizers and works on sampling on the electronic side of Radiohead...
, and Phil Selway
Phil Selway
Philip James "Phil" "The Graf" Selway is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of English rock group Radiohead. He also drums and provides backing vocals, along with occasional guitar and lead vocals, for 7 Worlds Collide...
.
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