"Paper Planes" is a song by British musician M.I.A. for her second studio album Kala (2007). The song was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Topper Headon, Mick Jones, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer and produced by Diplo with additional production by Switch. A denouement following stereotypical perceptions of immigrants,
violence and M.I.A.'s troubles securing a visa to the US while
recording her second album, the song's development was motivated by her
not knowing the reasons behind her "stupid visa problem...aside from
them thinking that I might fly a plane into the Trade Center – which is
the only reason that they would put me through this...". During the
recording sessions, she wanted to create a song about daily experiences
of immigrants, while listeners could interpret the chorus' protagonist
as being anyone from street hustlers to gun-selling corporations. "Paper
Planes" was released for download in August 2007 and as the album's
third single by XL Recordings and Interscope Records on February 11, 2008.
The song includes a sample of "Straight to Hell" by The Clash. "Paper Planes" is a downtempo rap song ballad, with a folk style melody considered less dance influenced than the other songs on the album. Igniting wide acclaim upon release, contemporary critics complimented the music direction and the subversive, unconventional subject matter of the piece, citing its chorus and its lyrical humour in the promotion of globalization, reaffirming that through these the song continued M.I.A.'s political dance revolution in music. Rolling Stone, Rockdelux, Stylus, NME and The Guardian ranked "Paper Planes" highly in their lists of the best songs of the year, the 2000s decade and of all-time. The song won the Indie Award for Favourite International Single at the 2009 Canadian Independent Music Awards and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized the song as one of the most performed ones of 2008 at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards. Several artists have covered the song and released their own remixes.
Achieving much international commercial success, the single peaked in the top twenty in Belgium, Denmark, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Her first top twenty single in the UK and her next top ten charting song in Canada following "Boyz" (2007), it reached the top ten of seven Billboard charts and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. The single reached two positions higher than "Boyz" to top the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. The song became XL Recordings' best selling single, is certified triple-platinum by the Music Canada (CRIA) in Canada and the Recording Industry Association of America in the US, where it is ranked the fifty-ninth most downloaded song in the digital era and certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand in New Zealand. The song has sold 3.6 million copies in the US, becoming the seventh best-selling song by a British artist in the digital era and one of the biggest crossover hits in the country by a solo artist.
On 3 December 2008, the song was nominated for the Record of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards. "Paper Planes" was sampled in rappers T.I. and Jay-Z's single "Swagga Like Us". M.I.A. gave a well received performance of both singles at the Grammy ceremony on the night she expected her first son's birth. The appearance of "Paper Planes" in the film trailer for Pineapple Express (2008) and the film Slumdog Millionaire the same year greatly increased its international popularity. The single's accompanying music video, filmed in New York City, showed M.I.A. walking and dancing with friends along the streets of the city, selling sandwiches to local people and paper planes flying overhead. The song was performed on Late Show with David Letterman and has regularly featured on M.I.A.'s concert tours since 2007.
The song includes a sample of "Straight to Hell" by The Clash. "Paper Planes" is a downtempo rap song ballad, with a folk style melody considered less dance influenced than the other songs on the album. Igniting wide acclaim upon release, contemporary critics complimented the music direction and the subversive, unconventional subject matter of the piece, citing its chorus and its lyrical humour in the promotion of globalization, reaffirming that through these the song continued M.I.A.'s political dance revolution in music. Rolling Stone, Rockdelux, Stylus, NME and The Guardian ranked "Paper Planes" highly in their lists of the best songs of the year, the 2000s decade and of all-time. The song won the Indie Award for Favourite International Single at the 2009 Canadian Independent Music Awards and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized the song as one of the most performed ones of 2008 at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards. Several artists have covered the song and released their own remixes.
Achieving much international commercial success, the single peaked in the top twenty in Belgium, Denmark, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Her first top twenty single in the UK and her next top ten charting song in Canada following "Boyz" (2007), it reached the top ten of seven Billboard charts and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. The single reached two positions higher than "Boyz" to top the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. The song became XL Recordings' best selling single, is certified triple-platinum by the Music Canada (CRIA) in Canada and the Recording Industry Association of America in the US, where it is ranked the fifty-ninth most downloaded song in the digital era and certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand in New Zealand. The song has sold 3.6 million copies in the US, becoming the seventh best-selling song by a British artist in the digital era and one of the biggest crossover hits in the country by a solo artist.
On 3 December 2008, the song was nominated for the Record of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards. "Paper Planes" was sampled in rappers T.I. and Jay-Z's single "Swagga Like Us". M.I.A. gave a well received performance of both singles at the Grammy ceremony on the night she expected her first son's birth. The appearance of "Paper Planes" in the film trailer for Pineapple Express (2008) and the film Slumdog Millionaire the same year greatly increased its international popularity. The single's accompanying music video, filmed in New York City, showed M.I.A. walking and dancing with friends along the streets of the city, selling sandwiches to local people and paper planes flying overhead. The song was performed on Late Show with David Letterman and has regularly featured on M.I.A.'s concert tours since 2007.
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