Songfacts®:

• Kleptocracy is a form of government where those in power (kleptocrats) use their access to public resources to enrich themselves through corruption, bribery, and embezzlement. They prioritize personal gain over the needs of the people they govern.
  
  This song delves into themes of corruption, political manipulation, and the detrimental effects of power concentrated in the hands of the few. Lyrics like "Saudi money over Central Park. Khashoggi's body got dissected" allude to real-world events, highlighting the audacity and consequences of unchecked power.
• "Kleptocracy" takes aim at right-wing leaders such as Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. The song emphasizes a sense of powerlessness and disillusionment with lines like "It doesn't matter who you vote for, they've bought the man you elected" and "The narcissist stole the exit." It reflects the frustration and helplessness many feel facing systemic corruption.
  
  "This is the most political song that we have ever recorded," said Andy McCluskey of OMD. "The band believes that democracy is the only legitimate way to balance different opinions and create a functioning representative government. Sadly, we are living through times that see us ruled by thieves and flagrant liars. Democracy has been subverted by Kleptocracy."
• OMD recorded "Kleptocracy" for Bauhaus Staircase, an album largely inspired by world politics during the late 2010s and early 2020s.
• Andy McCluskey loves art history; OMD named the album after Oskar Schlemmer's painting Bauhaus Stairway. The oil painting depicts the Bauhaus school, a German art school that the Nazis closed after taking power. "The Bauhaus movement was amazing," McCluskey's band mate Paul Humphreys told The Sun. "It was shut down by the Nazis in 1933 because it was a threat and so it's also inspired by our love of the Bauhaus era."
• McCluskey and Humphreys wrote, produced and mixed most of the album themselves, but this track, along with "Slow Train," was mixed by rock producer David Watts (The Reytons).