LogFAQs > #954184714

218. M.I.A. Paper Planes (2007)
from the album Kala

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRjZoRtu0Y

Key lyrics:
All I wanna do is *gunshots*
and a *gun cocking* *cash register*
and take your money

There is something sinister about making such a catchy chorus and corrupting it in such a way to prevent anyone from singing along. Yet in doing so, M.I.A. shot into the spotlight. The strange thing here is that, for those who have listened to her other work, Paper Planes might actually find M.I.A. at her most restrained. Compared to the aggressively up-tempo Bird Flu and Boyz, the first two singles from the same album, Paper Planes can be described as downright mellow. Being that Paper Planes was only the fourth single, M.I.A. seemed to have accidentally stumbled into a sound that would resonate with a larger audience.

The mellow atmosphere masks some serious anger. M.I.A. positions herself as someone forging visas, a foreigner robbing people of their jobs, a secret agent here to corrupt your society. The rampant attacks on immigrants are reduced to absurdity when spoken aloud by one accused. Yet she has fun in playing that role, dishing out boasts about running the drug trade and comparing herself to a one-woman KGB. There are many ways to fight bigotry, but few expose the baselessness like playing along. Paper Planes is one of the strangest songs to achieve mass popularity, and it did so with a singular message.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/