Karma Chameleon
{{short description|1983 single by Culture Club}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Karma Chameleon
| cover = Nw171.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Culture Club
| album = Colour by Numbers
| B-side = That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)
| released = September 5, 1983
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
- Soul{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon|website= Stereogum |date= 7 August 2020 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/2093902/the-number-ones-culture-clubs-karma-chameleon/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= Instead, "Karma Chameleon" sounds like only the most plastic version of uptempo American soul.|accessdate= 29 July 2023}}{{cite book|first=Dave|last=Marsh|title=The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5t5DYDniSHEC|date=1989|publisher=Plume|isbn=0-452-26305-0|page=414}}
- new wave{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/new-wave-ma0000002750/songs|title=New Wave Music Songs|publisher=AllMusic}}
- R&B{{Cite podcast|url=https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2024/09/how-1984-became-pops-greatest-year|title=What's 1984 Got to Do with It Edition|website=Hit Parade {{!}} Music History and Music Trivia|publisher=Slate|last=Molanphy|first=Chris|date=September 16, 2024|access-date=January 18, 2025}}
| length = {{unbulleted list|4:12 (album version)|3:59 (single edit)}}
| label = Virgin
| writer = {{hlist|Boy George|Jon Moss|Mikey Craig|Roy Hay|Phil Pickett|}}
| producer = Steve Levine
| prev_title = Church of the Poison Mind
| prev_year = 1983
| next_title = Victims
| next_year = 1983
| misc = {{External music video|type=single|{{YouTube|JmcA9LIIXWw|"Karma Chameleon"}}}}
}}
"Karma Chameleon" is a song by English band Culture Club, featured on the group's 1983 album Colour by Numbers. The single was released in the United Kingdom in September 1983{{cite web|title= The Million Sellers: Culture Club's Karma Chameleon |publisher= Official Charts Company |date= 8 November 2012 |access-date= 24 January 2020 |url= https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-million-sellers-culture-clubs-karma-chameleon__4494/}} and became the second Culture Club single to reach the top of the UK singles chart, after "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me". The record stayed at number one for six weeks and became the UK's biggest-selling single of the year 1983, selling 955,000 copies in 1983 and certificated platinum by BPI.{{cite web|url= https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-best-selling-songs-of-1983__32721/ |title= Official Top 40 Best Selling Singles of 1983 |website= UK Official Charts.com |publisher= The Official UK Charts Company |date= 19 March 2021 }} To date, it is the 38th-biggest-selling single of all time in the UK,{{cite web|first= Justin |last= Myers |title= The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart |publisher= Official Charts Company |date= 14 December 2018 |access-date= 22 December 2018 |url= https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-best-selling-singles-of-all-time-on-the-official-uk-chart__21298/}} selling over 1.52 million copies.{{cite web|first= Rob |last= Copsey |title= The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed |publisher= Official Charts Company |date= 19 September 2017 |access-date= 21 December 2018 |url= http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-official-chart-millionaires-revealed__20459/}}
The song was a worldwide success, going number one in 20 countries. It also spent three weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1984, becoming the group's biggest hit and only US number-one single among their many top-10 hits. The single sold over 5 million copies globally.{{cite web|first= Eric |last= Bodrero |year= 2005 |title= The Culture Club - Greatest Hits Review |work= antiMusic |access-date= 8 November 2012 |url= http://www.rocknworld.com/features/05/cultureclub.shtml}} In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's ninth favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.{{cite news|first= Caroline |last= Westbrook |title= The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One: 12 more classic 80s chart-toppers which didn't make the cut |newspaper= Metro |date= 25 July 2015 |access-date= 23 May 2017 |url= http://metro.co.uk/2015/07/25/the-nations-favourite-80s-number-one-12-more-classic-80s-chart-toppers-which-didnt-make-the-cut-5312786/}} The sleeve features work from the photographer David Levine.
Background
In an interview, Culture Club frontman Boy George explained: "The song is about the terrible fear of alienation that people have, the fear of standing up for one thing. It's about trying to suck up to everybody. Basically, if you aren't true, if you don't act like you feel, then you get Karma-justice, that's nature's way of paying you back."{{cite web|title= Karma Chameleon by Culture Club |website= Songfacts |access-date= 22 April 2014 |url= http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=5775}} In response to claims from singer-songwriter Jimmy Jones that the song plagiarizes his hit "Handy Man", George stated, "I might have heard it once, but it certainly wasn't something I sat down and said, 'Yeah, I want to copy this.'"{{cite magazine|title= 100 Best Albums of the Eighties |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= 16 November 1989 |access-date= 4 November 2016 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-eighties-20110418/culture-club-colour-by-numbers-20110330}} In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Boy George said that he wrote the song while he was on vacation in Egypt, and that the other members of Culture Club were initially hesitant to record it as they felt it sounded like a country song.{{cite web|title= Boy George candid interview on coming out |publisher= 60 Minutes Australia |date= 12 June 2019 |access-date= 9 March 2020 |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03yaB9MZ-2U |url-status= live |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/03yaB9MZ-2U |archive-date= 21 December 2021}} {{cbignore}}
The title of the song seems to have been changed because, in interviews in mid-1983, the group said their next single was to be "Cameo Chameleon".{{cite book |editor-first=Al |editor-last=Clark |year=1983 |title=The Rock Yearbook 1984 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn= 0-312-68786-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/rockyearbook198400clar}} The harmonica part was played by Judd Lander, who had been a member of Merseybeat group The Hideaways in the 1960s. "Karma Chameleon" is written in the key of B{{flat}} major.{{cite web|title= Karma Chameleon by Culture Club – Digital Sheet Music |publisher= Universal Music Publishing Group |via= Musicnotes.com |date= 19 November 2007 |access-date= 9 June 2021 |url= https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0060454}}
Reception
Cash Box said that "with Boy George’s smooth lead (and the catchy background vocals), it has the air of an immediate Stateside hit."{{cite magazine|title=Reviews|magazine=Cash Box|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1983/CB-1983-12-03.pdf|date=3 December 1983|accessdate=20 July 2022|page=10}} The song won Best British Single at the 1984 Brit Awards. In 2015 the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 9th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.{{cite news|first= Caroline |last= Westbrook |title= The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One: 12 more classic 80s chart-toppers which didn't make the cut |newspaper= Metro |date= 25 July 2015 |access-date= 27 July 2015 |url= http://metro.co.uk/2015/07/25/the-nations-favourite-80s-number-one-12-more-classic-80s-chart-toppers-which-didnt-make-the-cut-5312786/}}
Other appearances
The group performed the song as a finale when they appeared in the 1986 episode "Cowboy George" of The A-Team. Likely because of the line "I'm a man without conviction" and the chorus, which includes the word chameleon, "Karma Chameleon" has been used by several politicians in political adverts. In 2006, Britain's Labour Party used "Karma Chameleon" as the theme song for a series of political advertisements against Conservative Party leader David Cameron in the 2006 UK local elections.{{cite news|first= Ann |last= Treneman |title= Dave and Labour's bad karma chameleon |newspaper= The Sunday Times |date= 19 April 2006 |url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1082818.ece |archive-date= 21 November 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081121071924/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1082818.ece}} The song also appears in the fictional radio station The Mix 107.77 for the game Saints Row 2. The song is also performed in Virgin Cruise's "The Voyage" advertisement.{{Cite web |last=Harrison |first=James |date=10 January 2023 |title=Karma Chameleon! Virgin Voyages invites 80's nostalgia in new campaign |url=https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/karma-chameleon-virgin-voyages-invites-80s-nostalgia-in-new-campaign/ |access-date=24 January 2024 |website=Travel Weekly}}{{Cite press release |date=6 January 2023 |title=Virgin Voyages Takes Future Sailors on Musically Guided Cinematic Journey at Sea |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/virgin-voyages-takes-future-sailors-on-musically-guided-cinematic-journey-at-sea-301715487.html |access-date=24 January 2024 |agency=PR Newswire|quote=The video is musically guided by a reimagining of Culture Club's iconic, 1983 song, "Karma Chameleon," featuring pop-artist Drew Love.}} The song has also appeared in Scary Movie 4, American Dad! and Despicable Me 4.
Music video
File:New Southern Belle (3671473221).jpg riverboat used in video{{cite news|first= Tom |last= Bigwood |title= Diamond Jubilee: London boats plan for Jubilee pageant |publisher= BBC News |date= 23 April 2012 |access-date= 2 September 2019 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17689689}}]]
The music video, directed by Peter Sinclair,{{cite web |title= Culture Club – "Karma Chameleon" |website= Mvdbase.com |url= http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=6965 |access-date= 18 January 2013 |archive-date= 27 March 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190327132525/http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=6965 |url-status= dead }} was filmed at Desborough Island in Weybridge during 1983. The video is set in Mississippi in 1870. It depicts a large multiracial group of people in 19th-century dress, including some dressed in red, gold, and green (as referenced in the lyrics). Boy George is dressed in what would be known as his signature look: colourful costume, fingerless gloves, long braids, and a black bowler hat.
A pickpocket and jewelry thief is seen wandering through the crowd, stealing from unsuspecting victims. The band and everyone board a riverboat, The Chameleon, as Boy George continues to sing. While four men are playing poker, the thief is discovered cheating by giving himself a royal flush, and is forced to return all his ill-gotten gains and walk the plank at the points of ladies' parasols, falling into the river. As the video ends, day has turned to evening and the party continues on the boat as it cruises down the river.{{cite web |title= Behind the videos |website= Boygeorgefever.com |access-date= 1 September 2019 |url= http://www.boygeorgefever.com/behind_the_videos.html |archive-date= 16 July 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220716180132/https://www.boygeorgefever.com/behind_the_videos.html |url-status= dead }}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable"
!Chart (2017) !Peak |
| {{single chart|Poland|63|chartid=2433|year=2017|access-date=11 September 2017}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
{{col-end}}
Certifications and sales
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Diamond|type=single|relyear=1983|certyear=2024|access-date=12 June 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=Canada|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1983|certyear=1984}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=Denmark|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Gold|id=12119|relyear=1983|certyear=2023|accessdate=22 February 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=France|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Gold|relyear=1983|certyear=1983|source=infodisc}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1983|certyear=2025|access-date=10 January 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=Italy|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Gold|relyear=1983|certyear=2019|access-date=28 October 2019|id=7249}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=New Zealand|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Gold|id=1983-11-18|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|relyear=1983}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|certyear=2024|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|accessdate=12 June 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Boy George & Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Platinum|relyear=1983|id=3585-1016-1|certyear=1983|access-date=20 March 2025|note=1983 release|refname=BPI}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2005|id=3585-1733-1|certyear=2025|access-date=20 March 2025|note=2005 release|refname=BPI1}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United States|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|award=Gold|relyear=1983|certyear=1983}}
{{Certification Table Summary}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=Worldwide|artist=Culture Club|title=Karma Chameleon|nocert=true|salesamount=5,000,000|salesref=}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}
Parodies
In 1984, country music artists Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley recorded "Where's the Dress", a satirical song about Boy George which sampled "Karma Chameleon". The song reached number 8 on the Hot Country Songs chart.{{cite book|first= Colin |last= Larkin |author-link= Colin Larkin (writer) |year= 1995 |title= The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music |volume= 1 |publisher= Guinness Publishing |page= 273 |isbn= 978-1-5615-9176-3 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=MloRAQABMAAJ&q=%22where%27s+the+dress%22+%22boy+george%22}}
The United Australia Party created "Palmer Chameleon", a parody of "Karma Chameleon" promoting the party and leader Clive Palmer in particular, as part of the soundtrack of their Clive Palmer: Humble Meme Merchant mobile video game. Boy George and Culture Club's manager have said that the unauthorised use of the song constitutes copyright infringement, and have stated that their record label would be dealing with the matter.{{cite web|first= Matthew |last= Doran |title= Boy George's management warns of legal action over Clive Palmer's use of Karma Chameleon |publisher= ABC News|location=Australia |date= 14 January 2019 |access-date= 2 February 2019 |url= https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-15/boy-george-clive-palmer-karma-chameleon-legal-action/10715710}}
See also
{{colbegin}}
- List of best-selling singles by year in the United Kingdom
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1984
- List of Cashbox Top 100 number-one singles of 1984
- List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1983
- List of European number-one hits of 1983
- List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden
- List of number-one singles from the 1980s (New Zealand)
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
- List of number-one singles of 1983 (Ireland)
- List of number-one singles of 1983 (Spain)
- List of number-one singles of 1984 (Canada)
- List of number-one singles of the 1980s (Switzerland)
- List of UK singles chart number ones of the 1980s
- VG-lista 1964 to 1994
{{colend}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Culture Club}}
{{Brit British Single}}
{{UK best-selling singles (by year) 1970–1989}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in Australia
Category:Number-one singles in Finland
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Number-one singles in Norway
Category:Number-one singles in South Africa
Category:Number-one singles in Spain
Category:Number-one singles in Sweden
Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland
Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Steve Levine
Category:Songs written by Boy George
Category:Songs written by Jon Moss
Category:Songs written by Mikey Craig
Category:Songs written by Phil Pickett
Category:Songs written by Roy Hay (musician)
Category:UK singles chart number-one singles
Category:Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles