Paper Planes (M.I.A. song)

"Paper Planes"
Cover art of the single depicting the texts "Paper and "Planes", in colourful and abstract styles, on the top and bottom, respectively. Above the word "Planes" is the text "M.I.A." in a similar styling. The background shows a human's hand signifying the peace-symbol (V sign hand gesture) in front of a crowd at a music festival.
Single by M.I.A.
from the album Kala
Released11 February 2008
Recorded2007
Genre
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
M.I.A. singles chronology
"Jimmy"
(2007) 		"Paper Planes"
(2008) 		"Born Free"
(2010)
Music video
"Paper Planes" on YouTube

"Paper Planes" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her second studio album Kala (2007). It was released on 11 February 2008 as the third single from the album. It is produced and co-written by her and Diplo. It appeared in the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire and on its soundtrack album. The song samples English rock band the Clash's 1982 song "Straight to Hell", leading to its members being credited as co-writers. A downtempo alternative hip hop, pop track combining African folk music elements, the song has a less dance-oriented sound compared to other songs on the album. Its lyrics, inspired by M.I.A.'s own problems obtaining a visa to work in the USA, satirise American perceptions of immigrants from Third World nations.[1]

Its accompanying music video, filmed in Bedford-Stuyvesant, depicts M.I.A. as an undercover dealer and features images of paper planes flying overhead. While the video proved popular on MTV, the network censored the song's cannabis reference and gunshot sounds. The song was M.I.A.'s biggest commercial success, entering the top 20 on charts in several countries including Denmark and the UK. It peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming M.I.A.'s first and only song to chart in the US top 100 as a lead artist. The song was certified multi-platinum in Canada, the UK and the US and gold in New Zealand.

The unexpected success of "Paper Planes" paralleled M.I.A.'s condemnations of the Sri Lankan government's war crimes against the Tamils, with whom M.I.A. shares ethnic and cultural backgrounds, generating accusations that she supported terrorism. The song received widespread acclaim from contemporary critics, who complimented its musical direction and the subversive, unconventional subject matter. It won awards from the Canadian Independent Music Awards and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and earned a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. The song has received praise in publications such as NME, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, each naming it among either the best songs of the 2000s decade or of all time.

  1. ^ "'Slumdog Millionaire' soundtrack sells 2 million units". Neapolitan Music. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.