Karma (Alicia Keys song)

"Karma"
"Karma"
Single by Alicia Keys
from the album The Diary of Alicia Keys
Released	August 11, 2004
Studio	KrucialKeys; Quad Recording (New York City, New York);
Genre	R&B; alternative hip hop; classical;
Length	4:16
Label	J
Songwriter(s)	Alicia Keys; Kerry Brothers, Jr.; Taneisha Smith;
Producer(s)	Brothers, Jr.
Alicia Keys singles chronology
Music video
	"Karma" on YouTube

"Karma" is a song by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys, taken from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). Written by Keys, Kerry Brothers, Jr., and Taneisha Smith, the song takes influence from hip hop and classical music. It was released as the album's fourth and final single on August 11, 2004, by J Records. Peaking at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, it's the album's only single not to top a Billboard chart. A mashup of "Karma" with Stevie Wonder's 1972 hit "Superstition" titled "Karmastition", produced by Go Home Productions, was also released.

Content[]

In the song, the narrator's lover who had left her returns and wants to start a new relationship, but she has moved on. Her lover is now in the position she was once in, and in being rejected receives their just deserts ("what goes around comes around"). The title references the popular conception of karma as getting what one deserves.

Music video[]

The music video for "Karma", directed by Chris Robinson and Keys herself, was filmed over three days in August 2004, with parts shot in New York City and at Casa de Campo resort's Altos de Chavón amphitheatre, in La Romana, Dominican Republic.^[1] At the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, the video earned Keys the award for Best R&B Video.

Track listings and formats[]

European CD single^[2]

"Karma" – 4:15
"Diary" (Hani Mix) – 3:49

European CD Maxi-single^[3]

"Karma" (Radio Edit) – 3:37
"Diary" (Hani Mix) – 3:49
"Karma" (The Reggaeton Mix) – 3:32
"Karma" (Club Mix) – 3:18
"Karma" (Video)

US promotional CD single^[4]

"Karma" (Radio Version) – 3:39
"Karma" (Instrumental) – 4:11
"Karma" (Call Out Hook) – 0:10
"Karma" (Radio Version) (MP3 format) – 3:39

US 12" single^[5]

A1. "Karma" (Album Version) – 4:12

A2. "Karma" (Instrumental) – 4:11

B1. "Karma" (KrucialKeys DJ Mix) – 3:20

B2. "Karma" (Acappella) – 3:45

US promotional 12" single (The Reggaeton Mix)^[6]

B1. "Karma" (Spanish Version) – 3:32

A2. "Karma" (Spanglish Version) – 3:32

B1. "Karma" (Spanish Version) – 3:32

B2. "Karma" (Spanglish Version) – 3:32

European promotional 12" single^[7]

A1. "Karma" (Radio Edit) – 3:37

A2. "Heartburn" (Album Version) – 3:25

B1. "If I Ain't Got You" (Remix) (featuring Usher) – 3:50

B2. "Diary" (Album version) (featuring Tony! Toni! Toné!) – 4:44

B3. "Diary" (Instrumental) – 4:44

Personnel[]

Alicia Keys – lead vocals, backing vocals, piano
Kerry "Krucial" Brothers – producer, digital programming, engineer, instrumentation
Manny Marroquin – mixing
Herb Powers Jr. – mastering
Joe Romano – horn
David Watson – horn

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (2004–2005)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[8]	40
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)^[9]	2
Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records)^[10]	7
CIS (Tophit)^[11]	246
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[12]	6
Germany (Official German Charts)^[13]	62
Greece (IFPI)^[14]	31
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[15]	27
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[16]	40
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[17]	71
US Billboard Hot 100^[18]	20
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[19]	17
US Rhythmic (Billboard)^[20]	18

Year-end charts[]

Chart (2005)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100^[21]	56
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[22]	38

Certifications[]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[23] certified in 2005	Gold	500,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[24] certified in 2020	Gold	500,000
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Russia	August 11, 2004 (2004-08-11)	Contemporary hit radio	Sony BMG	^[11]
United States	October 26, 2004 (2004-10-26)	12-inch vinyl	J	^[25]
	November 1, 2004 (2004-11-01)	Urban adult contemporary urban contemporary radio		^[26]
	November 8, 2004 (2004-11-08)	Rhythmic contemporary radio		^[27]
	November 22, 2004 (2004-11-22)	Contemporary hit radio		^[28]
Netherlands	December 6, 2004 (2004-12-06)	CD	Sony BMG	^[29]
Australia	January 13, 2005 (2005-01-13)			^[30]
Germany	January 24, 2005 (2005-01-24)			^[31]

References[]

^ "Alicia Keys Goes Gritty And Exotic For New Video". Contactmusic.com. September 13, 2004. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
^ Karma (European CD single liner notes). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. 82876 67307 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Karma (European CD Maxi-single liner notes). Alicia Keys. Sony BMG Music Entertainment, MBK Entertainment, J Records. 2004. 82876 673062.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Karma (US promotional CD single liner notes). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. 82876-62467-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Karma (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. 82876-62467-1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Karma (The Reggaeton Mix) (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. J12-67586-1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Karma (EU 12-inch single vinyl disc). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. 82876 64297 1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Ultratop.be – Alicia Keys – Karma" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "Ultratop.be – Alicia Keys – Karma" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1604. April 29, 2005. p. 25. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Alicia Keys — Karma. Tophit. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
^ "Alicia Keys: Karma" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Alicia Keys – Karma" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "Top 50 Singles Εβδομάδα 27/2–5/3" (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on March 3, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 2005" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Alicia Keys – Karma" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Alicia Keys – Karma". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "Alicia Keys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "Alicia Keys Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "Alicia Keys Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "2005 Year End Charts – Hot 100 Songs". Billboard.biz. November 26, 2005. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
^ "2005 Year End Charts – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard.biz. November 26, 2005. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
^ "American single certifications – Alicia Keys – Karma". Recording Industry Association of America. September 27, 2005. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
^ "American single certifications – Alicia Keys – Karma". Recording Industry Association of America. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^ "Karma [US]". AllMusic. October 26, 2004. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1579. October 29, 2004. p. 19. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1580. November 5, 2004. p. 20. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1582. November 19, 2004. p. 21. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
^ "Karma, Pt. 1 [Netherlands]". AllMusic. December 6, 2004. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
^ "Karma, Pt. 1 [Australia CD]". AllMusic. January 13, 2005. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
^ "Karma, Pt. 2 [Germany CD]". AllMusic. January 24, 2005. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

External links[]

Karma at Discogs
Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

[1] "Alicia Keys Goes Gritty And Exotic For New Video". Contactmusic.com. September 13, 2004. Retrieved November 8, 2012.

[2] Karma (European CD single liner notes). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. 82876 67307 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[3] Karma (European CD Maxi-single liner notes). Alicia Keys. Sony BMG Music Entertainment, MBK Entertainment, J Records. 2004. 82876 673062.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[4] Karma (US promotional CD single liner notes). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. 82876-62467-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[5] Karma (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. 82876-62467-1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[6] Karma (The Reggaeton Mix) (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. J12-67586-1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[7] Karma (EU 12-inch single vinyl disc). Alicia Keys. J Records. 2004. 82876 64297 1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[sc_Flanders_Alicia_Keys-8] "Ultratop.be – Alicia Keys – Karma" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[sc_Wallonia_Tip_Alicia_Keys-9] "Ultratop.be – Alicia Keys – Karma" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[10] "R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1604. April 29, 2005. p. 25. Retrieved October 15, 2020.

[cis-11] Jump up to: ^a ^b Alicia Keys — Karma. Tophit. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

[sc_Finland_Alicia_Keys-12] "Alicia Keys: Karma" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[sc_Germany_Alicia_Keys-13] "Offiziellecharts.de – Alicia Keys – Karma" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[14] "Top 50 Singles Εβδομάδα 27/2–5/3" (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on March 3, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2020.

[sc_Dutch40_-15] "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 2005" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[sc_Dutch100_Alicia_Keys-16] "Dutchcharts.nl – Alicia Keys – Karma" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[sc_Switzerland_Alicia_Keys-17] "Swisscharts.com – Alicia Keys – Karma". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Alicia_Keys-18] "Alicia Keys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[sc_Billboardrandbhiphop_Alicia_Keys-19] "Alicia Keys Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[sc_Billboardrhythmic_Alicia_Keys-20] "Alicia Keys Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[21] "2005 Year End Charts – Hot 100 Songs". Billboard.biz. November 26, 2005. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2010.

[22] "2005 Year End Charts – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard.biz. November 26, 2005. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2010.

[RIAA-23] "American single certifications – Alicia Keys – Karma". Recording Industry Association of America. September 27, 2005. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

[RIAA1-24] "American single certifications – Alicia Keys – Karma". Recording Industry Association of America. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.

[25] "Karma [US]". AllMusic. October 26, 2004. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

[26] "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1579. October 29, 2004. p. 19. Retrieved May 25, 2021.

[27] "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1580. November 5, 2004. p. 20. Retrieved May 25, 2021.

[28] "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1582. November 19, 2004. p. 21. Retrieved May 25, 2021.

[29] "Karma, Pt. 1 [Netherlands]". AllMusic. December 6, 2004. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

[30] "Karma, Pt. 1 [Australia CD]". AllMusic. January 13, 2005. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

[31] "Karma, Pt. 2 [Germany CD]". AllMusic. January 24, 2005. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

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show v t Alicia Keys songs
Discography
Songs in A Minor	"Girlfriend" "How Come You Don't Call Me" "Fallin'" "A Woman's Worth"
The Diary of Alicia Keys	"Karma" "If I Was Your Woman / Walk on By " "You Don't Know My Name" "If I Ain't Got You" "Diary"
Unplugged	"Unbreakable" "Every Little Bit Hurts" "Wild Horses" "Love It or Leave It Alone / Welcome to Jamrock"
As I Am	"Superwoman" "No One" "Like You'll Never See Me Again" "Teenage Love Affair"
The Element of Freedom	"Doesn't Mean Anything" "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" "Wait Til You See My Smile" "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" "Put It in a Love Song" "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" "We're Almost There"
Girl on Fire	"Brand New Me" "New Day" "Girl on Fire" "Fire We Make" "Tears Always Win" "Not Even the King"
Here	"Blended Family (What You Do for Love)" "In Common"
Alicia	"Show Me Love" "Time Machine" "Underdog" "So Done" "Perfect Way to Die" "Good Job"
As featured artist	"Brotha Part II" "Calma" "Empire State of Mind" "Fireworks" "Gangsta Lovin'" "Ghetto Story Chapter 2" "I Will Pray (Pregherò)" "International Party" "Looking for Paradise" "New Day" "What's Going On"
Other songs	"28 Thousand Days" "America The Beautiful" "Another Way to Die" "Back to Life" "Die Without You" "Don't Give Up (Africa)" "If This World Were Mine" "It's On Again" "Little Drummer Girl" "My Boo" "People Get Ready" "Raise a Man" "Rapture" "Someday We'll All Be Free" "Speechless" "The Christmas Song" "Us" "Wake Me Up" "We Are Here" "We Gotta Pray"
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