M.I.A. - Paper Planes

Although this was a single a few months back, this one has just begun to catch on after it was included in the television spots for the movie Pineapple Express. It has begun to garner a considerable amount of radio airplay and digital sales. It entered the top ten of the iTunes chart a couple days ago. In “Paper Planes”, she sings about her own troubles with obtaining a visa. With its The Clash sample and gun shot sounds, this one is very memorable. Some radio stations and video channels have opted to play a version that replaces the gun shots with other sounds. In recent months, M.I.A. had been rather vocal about the fact that this song and video had been censored, taking away from her artistic vision. The sounds were completely eliminated during an appearance on the David Letterman show. M.I.A. was noticeably shocked and bewildered when these quiet popping sounds came in where her gun shots used to be. However, she continued her performance.

This song is finally getting the attention it deserves. Watch and listen to the song here.

Grade: A+