Karma Police#Charts

"Karma Police" is in a {{music|time|4|4}} time signature and played in standard tuning. The song's key is ambiguous and changes throughout. The verse section can be interpreted as either moving between A natural minor and A dorian, or between E natural minor and E phrygian. The chorus section is in G major and the coda section can be interpreted in either B minor or D major.{{Cite book |last=Capuzzo |first=Guy |url=https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/G_Capuzzo_Sectional_2009.pdf |title=Sectional Tonality and Sectional Centricity in Rock Music |publisher=Music Theory Spectrum |year=2009 |pages=162–168}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgjmSoSmaoc |title=Is Karma Police in E minor or A minor? |date=2021-02-28 |last=David Bennett Piano |access-date=2024-07-16 |via=YouTube}} Acoustic guitar and piano are the most prominent instruments.Footman, 2007. p. 79 The piano riff resembles part of "Sexy Sadie" by the Beatles.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/muse-we-blew-them-all-off-the-stage-415987.html|title=Story of the Song: 'Karma Police' Radiohead (1997)|last=Webb|first=Robert|date=15 September 2006|website=The Independent|access-date=15 October 2008}}

The song progresses from the intro into a mid-tempo section which alternates between a verse and a chorus. The verse begins with the line "Karma police", and the chorus begins with the line "This is what you'll get". 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". Thom Yorke's voice is put through a reverb effect and a sliding melodic figure serves as a counterpoint to his vocals.{{cite web|last=Huey|first=Steve|title=Karma Police|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t1416670|pure_url=yes}}|work=allmusic.com|access-date=30 October 2010}} In the final minute, Ed O'Brien distorts his guitar by driving a delay effect to self-oscillation, then lowering the delay rate, creating a "melting" effect.Randall 2000, p. 224

After Yorke told the producer, Nigel Godrich, that he was not happy with the ending, the pair reconstructed it with loops and samples, a technique they developed on later Radiohead albums. Godrich said: "It was the first time we did anything like that. Just us in the studio, and a forerunner of a lot of things to come, good and bad."{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=31 May 2017 |title=Inside OK Computer: Radiohead look back on their paranoid masterpiece |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/radioheads-rhapsody-in-gloom-ok-computer-20-years-later-121093/ |access-date=21 September 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}

The title lyric originates from an inside joke; the members of Radiohead would threaten to call the "karma police" if someone did something bad.Sutherland, Mark (31 May 1997). "Return of the Mac!". Melody Maker. Yorke said the song was about stress and "having people looking at you in that certain [malicious] way".Randall 2000, p. 223 He said: "It's for someone who has to work for a large company. This is a song against bosses. Fuck the middle management!"Webb, Robert (15 September 2006). "[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/muse-we-blew-them-all-off-the-stage-415987.html Story Of The Song: 'Karma Police' Radiohead (1997)]". The Independent. Accessed on 15 October 2008.

Yorke and Jonny Greenwood emphasised that "Karma Police" was humorous and "not entirely serious". The lines "He buzzes like a fridge / He's like a detuned radio" refer to distracting, metaphorical background noise that Yorke called "fridge buzz", one of the themes of their 1997 album OK Computer.Footman 2007, p. 140 "Karma Police" also shares themes of insanity and dissatisfaction with capitalism.Footman 2007, pp. 144–147

Yorke cited the closing refrain, "Phew, for a minute there I lost myself", as an example of his practice of using everyday phrases in his lyrics; he said he probably heard it on television.{{Cite news |last=Hunter-Tilney |first=Ludovic |date=30 August 2023 |title=A Thom Yorke painting: yours for a song |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/353d0eb7-db21-4741-9fef-0232efaa369a |access-date=1 September 2023}} According to the Financial Times, "When sung in his trembling high voice, this unexceptional phrase becomes charged with power." Yorke said: "It's so ironic that for years people would write about the way I wrote lyrics as if it's like some deep heartfelt thing. It's fucking not at all. It's like collage. It's just walking down the street and experiencing something and thinking, 'What would that be like if I stuck that in your face?'"

In the United Kingdom, "Karma Police" was issued as the second single from OK Computer on 25 August 1997.{{cite magazine |date=23 August 1997 |title=New Releases: Singles |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-08-23.pdf |magazine=Music Week |page=33 |access-date=5 July 2021}} It was released on two CD singles and a 12-inch vinyl single and reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart.Randall 2000, p. 248 In the United States, the single was serviced to modern rock radio on 13 October 1997.{{cite magazine|title=Upcoming New Releases|magazine=Hits|volume=11|issue=563|page=38|date=3 October 1997}} Five months later, in March 1998, it peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. In March 2010, almost 13 years later, "Karma Police" reached number 15 on the Danish Singles Chart. Early versions of "Karma Police" were released on the 2019 compilation MiniDiscs [Hacked].{{Cite web |date=13 June 2019 |title=Radiohead's 'OK Computer' demos reveal the makings of a masterpiece |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/radioheads-ok-computer-demos-reveal-makings-masterpiece-2507481 |access-date=20 December 2020 |website=NME {{!}} Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News |language=en-GB}} In 2023, the American hardcore band Pierce the Veil covered "Karma Police" on Triple J while touring Australia.{{citation |title=Pierce the Veil cover Radiohead 'Karma Police' for Like A Version |date=2023-08-11 |website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/like-a-version/pierce-the-veil-cover-radiohead-karma-police-for-like-a-version/102703418 |access-date=2024-02-27 |language=en}}

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Steve Huey from AllMusic described "Karma Police" as "haunting, mystifying, and exquisite", labelling it "one of the cornerstones of one of the greatest albums of the '90s". The Daily Record declared it a "superb song"."Chart Slot". Daily Record. 5 September 1997. Retrieved 1 December 2020. A reviewer from Music Week rated it four out of five, picking it as one of the "standout tracks" from OK Computer.{{cite magazine|first=|last=|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-08-16.pdf|title=Reviews: Singles|magazine=Music Week|date=16 August 1997|page=31|accessdate=21 August 2022}} Rolling Stone placed "Karma Police" at position 279 on its ranking of the 500 greatest songs of all time in both 2021 and 2024.{{cite magazine |date=15 September 2021 |title=500 Best Songs of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/the-supremes-baby-love-3-1224838/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=19 February 2022}}{{Cite magazine |date=2024-02-16 |title=The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/ |access-date=2024-02-17 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} The song possesses a near perfect rating of 95 on Album of the Year.{{Cite web |title=Album of the Year |url=https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/54776-radiohead-karma-police.php |website=Album of the Year}}

File:Karma Police video.png

The "Karma Police" music video was directed by Jonathan Glazer, who previously directed the video for Radiohead's 1996 single "Street Spirit (Fade Out)".{{Cite web|last=Dombal|first=Ryan|date=21 March 2017|title=This is what you get: an oral history of Radiohead's "Karma Police" video|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/ok-computer-at-20/10036-this-is-what-you-get-an-oral-history-of-radioheads-karma-police-video/|access-date=5 July 2021|website=Pitchfork|language=en}} The video is shot from the perspective of the driver of a car pursuing a man along a dark road, with Yorke in the back seat. The man falls to his knees and the car reverses, revealing that it is leaking fuel. The man produces matches from his pocket and ignites the trail of fuel. Yorke vanishes and the car is engulfed in flames.

Glazer initially pitched the concept to the American musician Marilyn Manson for his 1997 single "Long Hard Road Out of Hell". Manson wanted a video similar to David Lynch's 1997 film Lost Highway, which opens with a shot of a road rushing beneath the camera. After Manson rejected the concept, the video commissioner Dilly Gent recommended it to Radiohead for "Karma Police". According to Manson's collaborator Randy Sosin, after Manson saw the video, "Manson was like, 'Fuck that.' But, you know, a good idea is a good idea."{{Cite web|last=Moss|first=Corey|date=16 August 2004|title=Without proper video planning, you wouldn't see Eminem naked|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1490257/without-proper-video-planning-you-wouldnt-see-eminem-naked/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106054959/http://www.mtv.com/news/1490257/without-proper-video-planning-you-wouldnt-see-eminem-naked/|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 November 2014|access-date=6 July 2021|website=MTV News|language=en}}

Glazer said he wanted to "shoot something very simple ... Where the whole narrative could be contained within a single sentence." The running man was played by the Hungarian actor Lajos Kovács. Kovács developed cramp during the running shots, and had to have injections in his leg to keep running. He also badly burnt his thumb during repeated takes lighting the book of matches behind his back.

The video premiered in August 1997. Glazer won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards for his work on "Karma Police" and Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity".{{cite web|last=Tobias|first=Scott|date=4 April 2014|title=Director Jonathan Glazer on Under The Skin{{'}}s complex honesty|url=https://thedissolve.com/features/interview/496-director-jonathan-glazer-on-under-the-skins-comple/|access-date=6 August 2019|website=The Dissolve}} In 2001, Glazer said he regarded the video as a failure, "because I decided to do a very minimalist, subjective use of camera, and tried to do something hypnotic and dramatic from one perspective, and it was very hard to achieve and I feel that I didn't achieve it". He described his video for the 1998 Unkle single "Rabbit in Your Headlights", featuring Yorke on vocals, as a more successful "partner" to the "Karma Police" video.{{Cite web |last1=Kaufman |first1=Anthony |date=12 June 2001 |title=Interview: Shooting the 'Beast'; Jonathan Glazer Tames the Gangster Genre |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2001/06/interview-shooting-the-beast-jonathan-glazer-tames-the-gangster-genre-80926/ |access-date=5 July 2021 |website=IndieWire |language=en}}

All songs written by Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood and Philip Selway.

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• UK CD1 {{small|(CDODATAS 03)}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Karma Police|others=Radiohead|year=1997|type=UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=Parlophone|id=CDODATAS 03, 7243 8 84555 2 7}}

1. "Karma Police" – 4:23
2. "Meeting in the Aisle" – 3:08
3. "Lull" – 2:28

• UK CD2 {{small|(CDNODATA 03)}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Karma Police|others=Radiohead|year=1997|type=UK CD2 liner notes|publisher=Parlophone|id=CDNODATA 03, 7243 8 84556 2 6}}

1. "Karma Police" – 4:23
2. "Climbing Up the Walls" (Zero 7 Mix) – 5:19
3. "Climbing Up the Walls" (Fila Brazillia Mix) – 6:24

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• UK 12-inch vinyl {{small|(12NODATA 03)}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Karma Police|others=Radiohead|year=1997|type=UK 12-inch vinyl sleeve|publisher=Parlophone|id=12NODATA 03}}

:A1. "Karma Police" – 4:23

:B1. "Meeting in the Aisle" – 3:08

:B2. "Climbing Up the Walls" (Zero 7 Mix) – 5:19

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{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1997|certyear=2018|artist=Radiohead|title=Karma Police|access-date=5 September 2018}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1997|certyear=2019|artist=Radiohead|title=Karma Police|access-date=2 December 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2005|certyear=2023|artist=Radiohead|title=Karma Police|id=14351-1730-1|access-date=10 November 2023}}

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{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Footman|first=Tim|title=Welcome to the Machine: OK Computer and the Death of the Classic Album|publisher=Chrome Dreams|year=2007|isbn=978-0-634-04619-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEU1AAAACAAJ}}
• {{cite book |last=Griffiths |first=Dai |title=OK Computer |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |year=2004 |isbn=0-8264-1663-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/okcomputer0000grif }}
• Osborn, Brad (2013). "Subverting the Verse–Chorus Paradigm: Terminally Climactic Form in Recent Rock Music." Music Theory Spectrum 35, no. 1, pp. 23–47.
• {{cite book |last=Randall |first=Mac |title=Exit Music: The Radiohead Story |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2000 |isbn=0-385-33393-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tz8iP6_gafwC }}
• {{cite book|title=OK Computer: Radiohead: Guitar, Tablature, Vocal|publisher=Alfred Publishing Company|year=2001|isbn=0-7579-9166-1}}

• {{YouTube|1uYWYWPc9HU|"Karma Police"}}

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Category:1997 songs

Category:1997 singles

Category:Capitol Records singles

Category:Music videos directed by Jonathan Glazer

Category:Parlophone singles

Category:Radiohead songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Nigel Godrich

Category:Songs written by Colin Greenwood

Category:Songs written by Ed O'Brien

Category:Songs written by Jonny Greenwood

Category:Songs written by Philip Selway

Category:Songs written by Thom Yorke

Category:Number-one singles in Iceland

Category:Songs about police officers

Category:Songs against capitalism