THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
915-M.I.A.-Paper Planes.
2007-It didn’t chart in the UK until 2009, when it reached Number 19.
Best Bit-At 0.56. The sound of gunfire frightens me, but the sound of tills cashing, gets me excited.
M.I.A. was born Mathangi Arulpragasam. in Hounslow, London, England, her stage name is an initialism for both ‘Missing in Action,’ or ‘Missing in Acton.’ M.I.A. was born to Sri Lankan Tamil parents, her father Arul Pragasam (1948-2019) was a political activist, and founding member of the ‘Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students’ (EROS), a political Tamil group affiliated with the ‘Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’ (LTTE.) The first 11 years of M.I.A.’s life was marked by displacement, caused by the Sri Lankan Civil War, with her fathers political views, and her upbringing having a great influence on her lyrics, including in this song. Her music is a mix of ‘Hip-Hop,’ Electronic.’ ‘World Music,’ and ‘Experimental,’ she is also a singer and a Rapper.
The discography of M.I.A. includes six studio Albums released between 2005-2022, and 40 singles, issued between 2003-2022, she has also released two ‘EP’s,’ and ‘two ‘Mixtapes.’ In the UK she has charted on five occasions within the top 40, twice as the lead artist, and a further three times as the featured artist, with ‘Paper Planes’ charting the highest at Number 19. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, M.I.A. has reached that charts top 40 on four occasions, where ‘Paper Planes’ peaked at Number 4 in 2008, her other three chart entries were as a featured artist, with ‘Franchise,’ by Travis Scott, and featuring Young Thug, and M.I.A. making Number 1 in 2020.
‘Paper Planes’ was the fourth and final single released from M.I.A.’s second studio Album ‘Kala,’ from August 2007, both the single and the Album have been critically acclaimed many times in the musical press for bringing ‘unconventional subject matter’ in to the world of ‘Hip-Hop,’ and ‘Dance Music.’ ‘Paper Planes’ was co-written by M.I.A. and Diplo, and because the song samples ‘Straight to Hell’ by ‘The Clash,’ (see also best songs 867-638 and 294) from their 1982 Album ‘Combat Rock,’ the four members of ‘The Clash’ at that time also receive song writing credits, the songs production is credited to M.I.A. and Diplo. Both ‘Paper Planes’ and ‘Straight to Hell’ have similar subject matter, in that both deal with immigration, and xenophobia. it was Diplo’s idea to use ‘The Clash’ sample. It has also been pointed out that the chorus of ‘Paper Planes’ sounds similar to the 1992 song ‘Rump Shaker,’ by ‘Wreckx-N-Effect’s (Billboard Number 2, and UK Number 24 hit.)
‘Diplo’ was born Thomas Wesley Pentz on November 10th, 1978, in Tupelo, Mississippi, United States, his stage name derives from his childhood fascination with dinosaurs, his alias is short for ‘Diplodocus.’ It was M.I.A. who first introduced herself to Diplo, after hearing one of his songs in 2004, which led to the pair working together, and also being in a romantic relationship, through until 2008. Diplo (see also best songs 210) has released four studio Albums between 2004-2022, and has also been a member of other projects including ‘Major Lazer,’ ‘Jack U,’ and ‘Silk City.’
‘Paper Planes’ is an attack on those who stereotype illegal immigrants, claiming that it not true that they all want to harm you, and take all your jobs. It also satirises American perceptions of visa seeking foreigners, and immigrants from Third World nations. M.I.A. wrote the lyrics while living in a rough area of Brooklyn, New York, she has said,’I was thinking about living there, waking up every morning, it’s such an African neighbourhood. I was going to get patties at my local, and just thinking that really the worst thing that anyone can say is some s–t like ‘What I wanna do is come and get your money.’ People don’t really feel like immigrants or refugees contribute to culture in any way. That they’re just leeches that suck from whatever. So in the song I say ‘All I wanna do is (sound of gun shooting and reloading, cash register opening) and take your money.’ I did it in sound effects. It’s up to you how you want to interpret. America is so obsessed with money, I’m sure they’ll get it.’
‘I fly like paper, get high like planes. If you catch me at the border, I got visas in my name. If you come around here, I make ’em all day. I get one done in a second if you wait, I fly like paper get high like planes.’