Karma Chameleon

"Karma Chameleon"
Single by Culture Club
from the album Colour by Numbers
B-side "That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)"
Released
  • September 1983 (UK)
  • 3 December 1983 (USA)
Format
Length
  • 4:12 (album version)
  • 3:51 (single edit)
Label Virgin
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Steve Levine
Certification
  • Gold (France, US)
  • Platinum (UK)
  • Double platinum (Canada)
Culture Club singles chronology
"Church of the Poison Mind"
(1983)		 "Karma Chameleon"
(1983)		 "Victims"
(1983)
Music video
Karma Chameleon on YouTube
Music sample
"Karma Chameleon"

"Karma Chameleon" is a song by English band Culture Club, featured on the group's 1983 album Colour by Numbers. The single 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. "Karma Chameleon" was also a huge global hit, hitting number one in 16 countries worldwide, and the top 10 in several more. The sleeve features work from the photographer David Levine.

In the group's home country of the United Kingdom, it became the second Culture Club single to reach the top of the UK Singles Chart (after "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"), where it stayed for six weeks in September and October 1983, and became the UK's biggest-selling single of the year 1983.[1] To date, it is the 31st best-selling single of all time in the UK, selling 1.49 million copies there.[2] It has sold over 5 million global copies, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time worldwide.[3]

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."[4] 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.'"[5]

The harmonica part was played by Judd Lander, who had been a member of Merseybeat group The Hideaways in the 1960s. The song was originally to be called "Cameo Chameleon"; the band was recorded in interviews in mid-1983 stating this was to be the title of their next single.[6]

Reception

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.[7]

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 lyric "I'm a man without conviction," and the chorus, which includes the word chameleon, "Karma Chameleon" has been used by several politicians in political ads. 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.[8]

Music video

The music video, directed by Peter Sinclair,[9] was filmed at Desborough Island in Weybridge during the summer of 1983.

The video is set in Mississippi in 1870. It depicts a large multiracial group of people in late 1800s 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 derby.

A pickpocket and jewellery thief is seen wandering through the crowd, stealing from unsuspecting folks. The band and other people board a riverboat, The Chameleon, as Boy George continues to sing. The thief is discovered cheating at cards, and is forced to return his ill-gotten gains and walk the plank at the points of ladies' parasols. As the video ends, day has turned to evening and the party continues on the boat as it cruises down the river.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1983–84) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 1
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[13] 1
Canada (CHUM)[14] 1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[15] 12
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] 1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[17] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] 1
France (IFOP)[19] 5
Germany (Official German Charts)[20] 2
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 1
Italy (FIMI)[22] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[26] 1
Poland (LP3)[27] 8
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[28] 1
Spain (AFYVE)[29] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[32] 1
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[33] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 1
US Billboard Hot Black Singles[33] 67
US Cash Box[34] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1983) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[35] 8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[36] 5
Canada (RPM Top 100 Singles)[37] 5
France (IFOP)[38] 17
Italy (FIMI)[22] 16
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[39] 11
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[40] 10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[41] 7
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[1] 1
Chart (1984) Position
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[43] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[44] 10
US Cash Box[45] 14

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[46] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[47] Gold 720,000[48]
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Platinum 1,490,000[2]
United States (RIAA)[50] Gold 1,000,000^
Total available sales: 3,410,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Order of precedence
Preceded by
"Australiana" by Austen Tayshus		 Australian Kent Music Report number-one single
24 October 1983 – 21 November 1983 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Reckless" by Australian Crawl
Preceded by
"Undercover of the Night" by The Rolling Stones		 Canadian CHUM number-one single
28 January 1984 – 4 February 1984 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Talking in Your Sleep" by The Romantics
Preceded by
"Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Peter Schilling		 Canadian RPM number-one single
21 January 1984 – 4 February 1984 (3 weeks)
Preceded by
"Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara		 Spanish number-one single
19 December 1983 – 30 January 1984 (7 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Say Say Say" by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
Preceded by
"Moonlight Shadow" by Mike Oldfield		 Swedish number-one single
15 November 1983 – 13 December 1983 (3 weeks)
Preceded by
"Dolce Vita" by Ryan Paris		 Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single (first run)
29 October 1983 – 3 December 1983 (6 weeks)
Preceded by
"Say Say Say" by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson		 Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single (second run)
14 January 1984 – 28 January 1984 (3 weeks)
Norwegian number-one single
49/1983 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"They Don't Know" by Tracey Ullman
Preceded by
"Red Red Wine" by UB40		 Irish Singles Chart number-one single
25 September 1983 – 16 October 1983 (4 weeks)
Belgian Ultratop 50 Flanders number-one single
29 October 1983 – 19 November 1983 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie
Dutch Top 40 number-one single
22 October 1983 (1 week)
Single Top 100 number-one single
29 October 1983 (1 week)
New Zealand number-one single
30 October 1983 – 4 December 1983 (6 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel
UK Singles Chart number-one single
24 September 1983 – 29 October 1983 (6 weeks)
Preceded by
"All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie		 South African number-one single
10 February 1984 – 17 February 1984 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Red Red Wine" by UB40
Preceded by
"I'm Still Standing" by Elton John		 Swiss number-one single
30 October 1983 – 27 November 1983 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Come Back and Stay" by Paul Young
Preceded by
"Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes		 US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
4 February 1984 – 18 February 1984 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Jump" by Van Halen
US Cash Box number-one single
4 February 1984 – 18 February 1984 (3 weeks)
Preceded by
"Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners
1982		 UK Singles Chart best-selling single of the year
1983 		Succeeded by
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid
1984

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.[51]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Lane, Dan (18 November 2012). "The biggest selling singles of every year revealed! (1952-2011)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 Lane, Daniel (27 June 2013). "Daft Punk's Get Lucky becomes one of the UK's biggest selling singles of all-time!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Bodrero, Eric (2005). "The Culture Club - Greatest Hits Review". antiMusic. Iconoclast Entertainment Group. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Karma Chameleon by Culture Club". Songfacts. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "100 Best Albums of the Eighties". Rolling Stone. 16 November 1989. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  6. ↑ Clark, Al, ed. (1983). The Rock Yearbook 1984. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-68786-9.
  7. ↑ Westbrook, Caroline (25 July 2015). "The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One: 12 more classic 80s chart-toppers which didn't make the cut". Metro. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Treneman, Ann (19 April 2006) Dave and Labour's bad karma chameleon at the Wayback Machine (archived 21 November 2008). The Sunday Times.
  9. ↑ "Culture Club – "Karma Chameleon"". Mvdbase.com.
  10. ↑ "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1980's". World Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 : 19 november 1983" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  14. ↑ CHART NUMBER 1411 – Saturday, January 28, 1984 at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 November 2006). CHUM.
  15. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6271." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4430." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  17. ↑ MusicSeek.info – UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 June 2006). MusicSeek.info.
  18. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  19. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Culture Club" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  21. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Karma Chameleon". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  22. 1 2 "I singoli più venduti del 1983" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  23. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Culture Club - Karma Chameleon search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  24. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  25. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  26. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon". VG-lista. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  27. ↑ "KARMA CHAMELEON – Culture Club" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  28. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (C)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  29. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  30. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  31. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  32. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1983-09-24" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  33. 1 2 3 "Colour by Numbers – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  34. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending FEBRUARY 4, 1984 at the Wayback Machine (archived 1 October 2012). Cash Box magazine.
  35. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  36. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1983" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  37. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 41, No. 17, January 05 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  38. ↑ "TOP – 1983" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  39. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1983" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  40. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1983" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  41. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1983". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  42. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1983" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  43. ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1984". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  44. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1984". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  45. ↑ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1984 at the Wayback Machine (archived 30 September 2012). Cash Box magazine.
  46. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon". Music Canada.
  47. ↑ "French single certifications – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon" (in French). InfoDisc. Select CULTURE CLUB and click OK
  48. ↑ "Les Singles en Or" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  49. ↑ "British single certifications – Boy George & Culture Club – Karma Chameleon". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Karma Chameleon in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  50. ↑ "American single certifications – Culture Club – Karma Chameleon". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  51. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1995). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 1. Guinness Publishing. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-5615-9176-3.
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