"Oh My God" is a song by the English indie rock band the Kaiser Chiefs. It was initially released as their debut single by the Drowned In Sound label on 17 May 2004, reaching number 66 on the UK Singles Chart. It was re-released on 21 February 2005, just two weeks before the release of their debut album Employment. This time, it peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, which earned the band their first top 10 hit, as well as their highest-charting single at the time until it was succeeded by UK chart-topper "Ruby" on 25 February 2007. The song also appeared on the soundtrack for the video game . The original single release, now a rarity due to its limited run of 500 copies, features artwork by frontman Ricky Wilson, and its B-sides were earlier versions of "Born to Be a Dancer" and "Caroline, Yes", both of which would also appear on Employment.
Track listing
Initial release
All of these tracks are different, earlier versions of the album editions.
In 2006, "Oh My God" was covered by Lily Allen on her second mixtape. Allen later re-recorded the track with Mark Ronson for his second studio albumVersion, and then went on to become the second single release from the album that same year. The single was a success, number eight on the UK Singles Chart. It was released as the album's first single in Brazil, due to Lily Allen's success in that country.
Music video
The music video was directed by Nima Nourizadeh, and features a cartoon version of Allen performing the song and flirting in the Ink and Paint Club. The Kaiser Chiefs themselves make a cameo. Of notice is that, in the video, "Lily Allen" is the only toon present. Most of the toons that worked at the club have been replaced by real people.
Live performances
When Ronson performed at the BBC Electric Proms in 2007, Allen had been the intended singer of the song but cancelled at the last minute. Rather than not perform the song, Ricky Wilson, who was performing with the Kaiser Chiefs the next day, stepped in. Ronson and Wilson performed the song again on the last Friday Night with Jonathan Ross of 2007, which also featured Candie Payne. Daniel Merriweather, who appears on Ronson's debut single "Stop Me", also has a cameo in this video.
2020 reworked edit
The band, influenced by the current coronavirus pandemic, unveiled a reworked "Stay Home" edition with new, lockdown-inspired lyrics. The idea came about as a joke, when a fan of The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X texted in to suggest alternative lyrics, prompting Chris to message Ricky with the idea. Ricky then rewrote the song, notably changing the chorus from "Oh my God I can't believe it, I've never been this far away from home" to "Oh my god I can't believe it, I've never spent this much time at home" and re-recorded it from home, on call with the other band members. It also mentions the Clap for our Carers appreciation gesture. The song was posted on Twitter and uploaded to YouTube on April 14.
