First off, I think this is the best mainstream party song to come out in ages. The sample from The Clash is genius as is the use of gunshots during the chorus. I first heard this song in Toledo and BG over winter break. I immediately thought "wow, a mainstream party song that actually kicks ass." Of course it took like FIVE MONTHS to finally here it down here at the OU bars. This is the original song from the album:

 

 

When she performed it live on Letterman last December, she was literally shocked they cut out the gunshots. It's just unbelievable that a nation that claims to value freedom of expression would do something like this:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaxIELjpDxc

i dk about that, however, a m.i.a. thread may be more like the worst case of being behind the pop music curve in history.  :laugh:

 

but seriously..... i love m.i.a. .... i always liked her trippy throwback boyz video:

 

Yeah, I think I'm gonna leave the title "Worst Censorship in American History" to banning books or the media not being allowed to film caskets of dead soldiers returning home, but I get your point. That does massacre the song.

 

Speaking of horrific censor jobs, my personal favorite has to be "Die Hard 2". Just ridiculous...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAVx8whgwng&hl=en

I should probably change to "worst live performance censorship in American History." It certainly ranks up there.

 

i dk about that, however, a m.i.a. thread may be more like the worst case of being behind the pop music curve in history.

 

Are you kidding? M.I.A. never got big in America until this song. Arular did terrible here (less than 150,000 sales- underground bands on indie labels can slaughter that). You never heard her old work at college bars or the radio. Kala is certainly her biggest mark in America and her first entrance into mainstream pop. "Paper Planes" is her biggest and only real hit.

 

She was one of those artists music critics wanted to get big, but they have no influence on anything. It's completely blind luck that "Paper Planes" became a party anthem. It's very rare to find a mainstream party song in America that's not about "super-soaking hoes" or "making love in this club." This is a serious change of pace for the better. Unfortunately, this will be a one-time deal. It's completely out of the ordinary for a song like this to become an anthem in the Midwest. The kids would rather have Soulja Boy, Rich Boy, Young Jeezy, or Lil' Weezy.

 

As soon as Rich Boy comes out with "Throw Some D's Part 2," M.I.A. is gone forever...

 

i meant that record is like a year old now. sorry but it was a big thing last year. don't get me wrong, i love m.i.a. -- it's great that isolated collegetown bars are finally opening up to it now. the crunchy hippy kids especially have got to like that world music vibe.

 

In my book you're ALL rascals.

The lyrics don't really make any sense.  Sure, I here Sri Lanka sucks and everything, but I don't get the point in framing their situation with cliched American words and music and samples...   

 

Oh, wait, now I remember:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hkjkTe5kZE

 

And someone finally uploaded the very first song I played on my stereo in the dorms.  I waited through my last 18 months of high school itching to drop the needle on this one.  My relationship with my roommate never recovered:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKqAIcqPIp4

 

 

I swear I wrote "hear" not here...must be those bloody censors!

umm. sorry dawg, but no.

 

she was immediately big and the record was loved to death and totally played out before new year's. instantly sold out shows, radio, etc. -- sure, not out your way obviously. until now. but its all good its perfect college kid music. hits all the right notes politically and all that.

 

you keep talking sales -- i'm talking general pop culture zeitgeist. she was played out last year. no, she isn't selling like thriller, but you know that has nothing to do with it. you should know that especially from your own college experience where some music is often unique to the college audience. well, by the same token some music goes right by the college audience the first time around.

 

she instantly sold out shows last year in chicago, sf, la and many other places outside the east coast even before kala came out. how do you explain that? not to mention, but i mean come on, how the heck do you think even i would be over her? lol. bottom line is she was quite well known in the usa last year in many circles, if not your own isolated state u world.

 

 

no, if she does not get much more popular ie., record sales, its exactly because she is already played out outside of isolated state u's who as you say are only now discovering her. they have arrived too late to her music.

 

believe me you can relate your current collegetown experiences just as well as i can relate my "niche city" or whatever you want to call it experiences with it. the fact is m.i.a.'s kala was very much non-stop in bars, retail shops, lounges, radio, etc. late last summer/fall everywhere you went.

 

 

 

They didn't tell her that they were editing the gunshots out!?

 

I've known about M.I.A. for a couple of years and she's always seemed pretty obscure here (until "Paper Planes", that is). My brother in Toledo didn't even hear about her until I sent him the video for "Bird Flu". At OSU, a lot of people didn't know who M.I.A. was, until they found out that she would be performing at the spring concert that the activities board puts on (and that Souljah Boy would be opening for her...). 

 

Most American tweens, teens, and young adults could care less about creativity, musical aptitude, lyrics, and all that jazz. As long as it has a good beat, a catchy chorus, and is adored by the mainstream media it's all cool. That's why most mainstream music today is horrible and you have to dig deeper to get to the good stuff (here I go stating the obvious...).

holy schmokes i missed this reply -- a cdawg classic!  :laugh:

I dusted off my old rap cd's the other day, and totally forgot this Easy-E gem, probably the first song ever recorded with hand gun fire in the refrain... 

 

Other similarities...the unhealthy physical appearance of the two performers, the stupid sunglasses, bad hair, and that's not even getting to the lyrical content.  And on that topic of course the American has the advantage -- the turning of the tables in the last refrain is borderline Shakespearean.

 

And no, I don't recall any Easy E being played on the radio, although I've heard bowling alley DJ's play "Gimme that Nut" on teen night.