"Occidentali's Karma" (; ), originally titled "Occidentalis Karma" ( in Latin), is a song performed by Italian singer Francesco Gabbani. The song was released as a digital download on 10 February 2017 through BMG Rights Management as the lead single from his third studio album Magellano (2017). The song was written by Gabbani and his younger brother Filippo Gabbani, alongside Fabio Ilacqua and Luca Chiaravalli.
Reflecting a critique of Orientalism, the lyrics include many cultural references, ranging from Eastern civilisation to Greek philosophy. It won the Sanremo Music Festival 2017 and represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, finishing in sixth place while winning the media and press award. Its music video earned millions of views, becoming the most viewed Italian video in a single day on Vevo and the first Eurovision song to reach 100 million views.
"Occidentali's Karma" received generally positive reviews for its lyrics and catchy nature, with its video and live performances including a dancing monkey (played by choreographer Filippo Ranaldi) going viral. After obtaining a surprise win in the Sanremo final, Gabbani was widely considered among the frontrunners at Eurovision, and as a result its sixth-place finish proved disappointing for both Gabbani and Italy, sparking a series of Internet memes.
The song won numerous certified units accomplishments. It debuted at number-one on the Italian FIMI Top Digital chart, and was certified gold, platinum, and double platinum within a month. It set a record as the fastest-selling song in Italy and received the highest number of weekly streams, earning a six-time platinum certification. It also earned recognition as the most viewed Eurovision video, among the best singles for the year, and among the best Italian songs since 1975.
Lyrics and themes
"Occidentali's Karma" was written in the summer of 2016. Described as a catchy dance pop song, as well as "a cheekily sardonic look at human evolution", the main theme of "Occidentali's Karma" is the superficial lifestyle of Westerners, mainly based on materialism and appearance, discussing Buddhism, spirituality, and other philosophical views of modern life. In a critique of Western consumerism, the lyrics refer to the Internet as the "opiate of the poor" (in reference to Karl Marx and the "opium of the people"), selfie addiction, Internet know-it-alls, and a society based on conformity and uniformity, referencing "intellectuals in cafes" and deriding "honorary members of the selfie-addicted anonymous". As a result, human evolution seems to stumble instead of moving forward ().
The most recurring reference is the comparison of Homo sapiens to a hairless primate but with a similar behaviour. According to Gabbani, the chorus of the song is a mockery of Westerners who believe they can take Eastern cultures and "Westernise" them. The song cites such aspects of Indian religions as the Buddha and Nirvana, as well as man's evolution from the ape, an idea which he got from reading The Naked Ape (1967), written by British ethologist Desmond Morris. It also references the ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus and his panta rhei.
Commentators and observers found references to American musicals (Singin' in the Rain), Charles Darwin, Epicurus, Immanuel Kant, Gene Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, the Neolithic man, William Shakespeare, and Andy Warhol. Further cited references included Planet of the Apes and 2001: A Space Odyssey for its choreography and stage costume, as well as The Decline of the West of Oswald Spengler, with one commentator observing that "it alludes, if not to the title of Oswald Spengler's text (The Decline of the West), at least to a simplification of the concept debated therein."
As told to La Repubblica, Gabbani said that only the references to the Buddha, Heraclitus, Marx, Morris, Nirvana, and Shakespeare's Hamlet (c. 1599–1601) were true, and that Ilacqua is a passionate admirer of Morris and that he had read some of his summaries. The song's writers wanted to highlight the way in which Westerners tend to trivialise Eastern culture, using it as a sort of anti-stress remedy. Gabbani explained that "Occidentali's Karma" is "a sarcastic reflection on the clumsy attempt we Westerners make to seek serenity through Eastern disciplines, only to discover that, stripped of Western or Eastern superstructures, we're all naked apes."
In an interview with La Repubblica, 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" like Bob Dylan and John Lennon. Morris also added that he wanted Gabbani to win the Eurovision Song Contest and recounted: "A British journalist asked me if he had offended me ... What an honor instead! I've been studying for years the sign language in the world, and seeing what Gabbani does on stage and in the official video of the song is extraordinary since he combines and blends different cultures and quotes." Similarly, philosopher Gianni Vattimo praised it by stating that "Occidentali's Karma" could have been written by Umberto Eco.
The song begins with a reference to Hamlet, where "To be, or not to be" is changed to "To be, or have to be" (), as Gabbani wanted to highlight how modern society is divided between spirituality and appearances, describing people as "selfie-addicted". The use of the Saxon genitive in the song title and chorus, which was ideated by Ilacqua, is a further critique of the tendency toward anglicisation of the Italian language, with the song originally titled in Latin as "Occidentalis Karma". It was considered among the best singles of 2017, and was included among the 45 most beautiful songs of Italian music within the 2020 radio event I Love My Radio.
Sanremo Music Festival 2017
Gabbani was the winner of the Sanremo Music Festival 2016 with his song "Amen" in the "New Proposal" category, also winning the Critics' Award named after Mia Martini and the Best Lyrics award named after Sergio Bardotti. On 11 December 2016, Gabbani was confirmed to be one of the artists who would be competing in the ("champions") section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2017. Gabbani performed the song for the first time at the Ariston Theatre during the second night of the contest on 8 February 2017.
During his performance, Ranaldi appeared on stage and danced with Gabbani while dressed in a gorilla costume, which reprised the idea of The Naked Ape also cited in the song's lyrics, and became the hallmark of his act, with Gabbani referring to Ranaldi as "the monkeygrapher" (). Ranaldi is a hip-hop choreographer with his N.ough company who also worked on the Italian edition of X Factor. The choreography immediately went viral, which was reminiscent of "Gangnam Style" by Psy when the then United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon learned a few dance steps. Gabbani himself stated that the gorilla dance helped him win Sanremo, and T-shirts bearing ("The Naked Ape Is Dancing") were made.
On 11 February 2017, Gabbani advanced to the final, which was watched by 12 million Italians in prime time; overall, the 2017 edition of Sanremo won by Gabbani drew an average nightly audience of 10.8 million, or a 50 percent national TV share. Initially considered to be a long shot for the win, "Occidentali's Karma" eventually attracted significant attention, and SNAI opened betting on what Gabbani would wear for the final. In an upset, Gabbani defeated Fiorella Mannoia and Ermal Meta, winning not only the competition but also the right to represent Italy at Eurovision 2017. Gabbani said that had he not participated, he would have voted for Mannoia. It was the first time that a singer won back-to-back the "Newcomers" and "Big Artists" (also referred to as the "Bigs") categories, and he also won the TIM Music Award as the most listened song on its streaming music service. According to Andrea Vittori, Gabbani's manager and communications expert, his back-to-back Sanremo wins were as if "Chievo had gone from Serie B to winning the Scudetto in two years".
Eurovision Song Contest
Following his win, it was confirmed by RAI (Italy's public broadcaster) and the European Broadcasting Union that Gabbani had accepted the invitation to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest, which is given to the winner of the Sanremo Music Festival, and that he would be performing "Occidentali's Karma" at Eurovision, held in Kyiv, Ukraine, in what was its 62nd edition. As Italy is a member of the "Big Five", plus Ukraine as the host, he automatically advanced to the final in Kyiv. Gabbani was considered by bookmakers to be among the favourites to win, alongside for example the eventual winner, the Portuguese balladeer Salvador Sobral with "Amar pelos dois" ("To Love for the Both of Us").
Upon his Sanremo's win, Italy's odds for an Eurovision win immediately dropped from 66/1 to 6/1. William Lee Adams, the owner of the website Wiwibloggs, said that "Italy pretty much has this in the bag", further stating: "He's got this X-factor ... Perhaps the controversy with Russia and Ukraine has left people wanting something fun and frothy, and this gives them that." Adams referred to the Russian entrant Yuliya Samoylova, who was banned by host Ukraine because she held concert tours in Crimea even after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. Eurovision historian John Kennedy O'Connor, who is also the author of Eurovision's official history, said that "Occidentali's Karma" had the qualities of a Eurovision classic, stating: "It's so out there and it's so outrageous and it's so silly ... But it's also very, very catchy."
On 5 May 2017, Gabbani performed his first rehearsal. On 13 May 2017, the song finished sixth at the final, with 334 points, and won the Marcel Bezençon Award given to the best entry as voted on by the accredited media and press during the event. The general consensus in April 2017 was that "Italy needs to make a mistake if it is going to lose the Eurovision Song Contest." Gabbani's early favourite status may also hindered the song's performance as a strong song may lose some of its power by the final, as well as by significant competition and the fact that many performers stepped up as a result.
In Italy, many felt robbed as they thought that Gabbani's song deserved to win, also claiming that a tweet by the BBC (subsequently deleted) negatively affected Gabbani's chances. Under the BBC Eurovision Twitter account, it stated: "Go home Italy you're drunk. (Oh god, we hope you're drunk.)" As a result of his defeat, the Striscia la notizia correspondent Valerio Staffelli presented the Golden Tapir to Gabbani for his placement in the Eurovision Song Contest. Gabbani humorously responded: "I lost because I wanted to receive the Golden Tapir and because I'm a believer in reversing expectations. At Sanremo, I wasn't expected to win, and the situation reversed. When I left for Kiev, however, I was considered the clear favorite, and I said, 'Okay guys, let's go and perform a song in Ukraine...' and then that's how it went." Italians also felt betrayed by San Marino, having given Italy only 3 points, sparking jokes and Internet memes about Italy's declaring war on San Marino.