| "Occidentali's Karma" | ||||
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| Single byFrancesco Gabbani | ||||
| from the albumMagellano | ||||
| Released | 10 February 2017 (2017-02-10) | |||
| Recorded | 2016 | |||
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| Francesco Gabbani singles chronology | ||||
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| "Occidentali's Karma" onYouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2017 entry | ||||
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 6th | |||
| Final points | 334 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "No Degree of Separation" (2016) | ||||
| "Non mi avete fatto niente" (2018) ► | ||||
"Occidentali's Karma" (transl. Westerners' Karma) is a song performed by Italian singerFrancesco Gabbani. The song was released as a digital download on 10 February 2017 throughBMG Rights Management as the lead single from his third studio albumMagellano (2017). The song was written by Gabbani, Filippo Gabbani,Fabio Ilacqua, and Luca Chiaravalli. It won theSanremo Music Festival 2017 andrepresented Italy in theEurovision Song Contest 2017, finishing in sixth place.[1]
The main theme of the song is the superficial lifestyle ofwesterners, mainly based onmaterialism and appearance. The lyrics refer to the Internet as the opiate of the poor (in reference to Marx), 'selfie addiction', Internet know-it-alls, and a society based on conformity and uniformity. As a result, our evolution seems to 'stumble' instead of moving forward.[citation needed]
According to Gabbani, the chorus of the song is a mockery of westerners who believe they can takeEastern cultures and "westernise" them. The song cites such aspects ofIndian religions as theBuddha andNirvana as well as man's evolution from the ape, an idea which he got from readingThe Naked Ape (1967), written by British ethologistDesmond Morris.[2] In an interview withLa Repubblica, Desmond Morris praised the song for the "clear and fanciful reference to the theories" described by him, and for "the precision and sophistication of the lyrics" likeBob Dylan andJohn Lennon. Morris also added that he wanted Francesco Gabbani to win the Eurovision Song Contest.[3]
The song begins with a reference toWilliam Shakespeare'sHamlet (ca 1599-1601). Gabbani wants to highlight how modern society is divided between spirituality and appearances, describing people as "selfie-addicted".[4]
The use of theSaxon genitive in the song title and chorus is a further critique of the tendency towardanglicisation of theItalian language, with the song originally titled in Latin as "Occidentalis Karma" (Western Karma).[5][6]
On 11 December 2016, Gabbani was confirmed to be one of the artists who would be competing in thecampioni ("champions") section of theSanremo Music Festival 2017.[7]
Gabbani performed the song for the first time on 8 February 2017, during the second night of the contest.[8] During his performance, choreographer Filippo Ranaldi appeared on stage and danced with Gabbani while dressed in agorilla costume, which reprised the idea of theNaked Ape, also cited in the song's lyrics.[9]
On 11 February 2017, having advanced to the final, Gabbani defeatedFiorella Mannoia andErmal Meta, winning not only the competition, but also the right to represent Italy at Eurovision 2017.[10]
Following his win, it was confirmed byRAI and theEuropean Broadcasting Union that Gabbani had accepted the invitation to representItaly in the Eurovision Song Contest, which is given to the winner of the Sanremo Music Festival, and that he'd be performing "Occidentali's Karma" at Eurovision.[11] As Italy is a member of the "Big Five", he automatically advanced to the final, held on 13 May 2017 inKyiv, Ukraine.[12][13] On May 13, the song finished sixth at the Eurovision 2017 final, and won the Marcel Bezençon Press Award given to the best entry as voted on by the accredited media and press during the event.[14]
The song is the first in Eurovision history to feature words inSanskrit, while being the second entry to have words inAncient Greek (the first being "Pia prosefhi" byElina Konstantopoulou representingGreece in the1995 edition.)
During an interview, Luca Chiaravalli, author and producer of the song, said that the lyrics would probably be changed before the Eurovision live performance. According to the Eurovision rules, in fact, the song cannot last more than three minutes. Therefore, the track must be shortened. A sentence containing the word "Chanel" was one of the things which were removed, as it is a registered trademark.[15] During the TV programStanding Ovation (broadcast onRai 1) Francesco Gabbani declared that the song would remain with the lyrics in Italian.[16] On 17 March 2017, the official Eurovision version of the song was published.[17]
The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Gabriele Lucchetti. On 12 February 2017, the video for "Occidentali's Karma" was viewed 4,353,802 times onVevo, setting a new record for the number of single-day views on the platform by an Italian music video.[18] The video reached 100 million views inYouTube on 24 April 2017, becoming the first ever song from the Eurovision Song Contest to do so.[19]
The song debuted at number-one on the ItalianFIMI Top Digital chart, and it was certified gold during its first week, becoming the fastest-selling single in Italy, with 47,175 equivalent units in its first week, and receiving 2,472,000 weekly streams, the highest number ever reached by any single in the chart's history.[20][21]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Original version) | |
| 2. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Instrumental version) |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Marc Benjamin & DNMKG Remix) | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Benny Benassi & MazZz Remix) | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Gabry Ponte Remix) | 5:10 |
| 4. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Addal Remix Edit) | 3:30 |
| 5. | "Occidentali's Karma" (DJ Ross & Savietto Remix) | 4:17 |
| 6. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Molella & Valentini Remix Edit) | 2:44 |
| 7. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Tyro Maniac Remix) | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Simon From Deep Divas Radio Remix) | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Ken Holland vs. Mess Remix Edit) | 3:29 |
| 10. | "Occidentali's Karma" (Wlady Remix Radio Edit) | 3:19 |
| 11. | "Occidentali's Karma" (DJ Konstantin Ozeroff & DJ Sky Remix) | 3:56 |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[40] | 6× Platinum | 300,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 10 February 2017 | Digital download | BMG Rights Management |
