How Radiohead created one of their best songs, "Karma Police"
The song “Karma Police”, performed by the English rock band Radiohead, was released in 1997. It reached the top of the Icelandic music charts and reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, the song peaked at number 14 on the Modern Rock Tracks. In 2021 and 2024, Rolling Stone magazine included "Karma Police" on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, ranking it number 279.
The history of the song Karma Police by Radiohead
Thom Yorke, frontman of Radiohead, was dissatisfied with the final part of the song and shared his doubts with producer Nigel Godrich. Then the two of them completely reworked the ending of the track, using loops and samples - an innovative technique that the group later actively used in their subsequent albums. Godrich recalled:
“This was the first time we experimented like this. Just the two of us in the studio, and it became a harbinger of many things to come, both good and not so good.”
In an interview, Ed O'Brien, Radiohead guitarist, shared:
“In the group, when someone indulged in antics, they always said: “The karma police will catch up with you.” Of course, I don’t believe that fate depends on actions in a past life, but you have to believe in something.”
Thom Yorke admitted:
“I'm very sensitive to stress, and when people look at me with judgment (makes an evil grin, laughs), I lose control. This is what most of the album is about, this is what “Karma Police” is about. Although this is a joke, you know, “Karma police, arrest this man.” Not really serious, I hope people understand that.”
How the video clip for the song Karma Police by Radiohead was filmed
The music video for the song “Karma Police” was directed by Jonathan Glazer, who already had experience collaborating with Radiohead. A year earlier, in 1996, he worked on the video for the group's single “Street Spirit (Fade Out)“.
Initially, director Jonathan Glazer proposed the concept of the video to Marilyn Manson for his single. Manson wanted a video in the style of David Lynch's Lost Highway, which opens with a shot of the road speeding past under the camera. However, the musician rejected Glaser's idea.
After this, video commissioner Dilly Gent recommended the concept to Radiohead for their song “Karma Police”. The team became interested in the proposal and decided to bring the director’s idea to life.
When Marilyn Manson first saw the finished Radiohead video, he, according to his colleague Randy Sosin, said:
“Screw this. But, you know, a good idea is a good idea.”
Thus, the musician admitted that Glaser’s concept was successful, despite the fact that he himself had previously abandoned it.
Glaser strived for brevity:
“To film something very simple... Where the whole story could be contained in one sentence.”
The role of the running man was played by Hungarian actor Lajos Kovacs. While filming the running, Kovacs suffered from cramps and had to have injections in his leg to continue filming. In addition, during repeated takes, while lighting matches behind his back, he received a severe burn to his thumb.
In 2001, Glaser admitted that he considered the video a failure:
“Because I decided to make a very minimalistic video with a subjective use of the camera and tried to create something dramatic from one point of view and that was very difficult to achieve and I feel like I didn't achieve that.”
The meaning of the song Karma Police
The song's title is taken from a joke the members of Radiohead used among themselves: they threatened to call the "karma police" if anyone did something bad. Yorke explained that the song is about stress and "how people look at you in a certain [mean] way." He added:
“This is a song for those who work in a big company. This is an anti-boss song, screw middle management.”
Yorke and Jonny Greenwood emphasized that "Karma Police" is humorous and "not entirely serious." At the same time, the song touches on themes of madness and dissatisfaction with capitalism. Thom Yorke said:
“Karma is important. The idea that there is something like karma makes me happy. She makes me smile. 'Karma Police' is dedicated to everyone who works in a big company. This is an anti-boss song.”
The divine meaning of the song “Karma Police” is simple. Karma exists and if you ruin people’s lives, all bad deeds will come back to you in the form of various misfortunes. Everything is in God's hands.
