Hey kids - we'd been meaning to post this for a while, but today's news the M.I.A. was nominated for an Oscar for "O Saya" put a bee in our bonnet. To be honest, we really, really, didn't even think we would need to post something like this. We kind of just assumed everyone knew. But after a vague survey amongst (we thought) musically astute friends, we discovered that a surprisingly few people seem to be aware. So, here you go: a public service announcement. Those of you who feel that this is old hat, please bear with us.
It's about Maya's "Paper Planes". We don't know how else to put it, so we'll say it straight: you know that's a Clash sample, right? The little organ riff that drives, oh, you know, the whole song? It's ripped straight from the beginning of "Straight To Hell", a tune off of the band's final album as a unit, Combat Rock.
We're not sure why we feel it's quite so necessary for you all to know this, except maybe that we think The Clash, despite all of the critical recognition, seem to still get lost in the shuffle sometimes. Their legacy is so much more than "Rock The Casbah" and "I Fought The Law", and while those who love them recognize it, a lot of others don't.
"Straight To Hell" is exactly the sort of epic, sprawling political commentary that made the band so popular, yet relevant at the same time. Given her history in art and politics, we're sure M.I.A. realized that when she picked the sample, so now, urm, you can too: have a listen.
mp3: M.I.A. - Paper Planes (YouSendIt, Click Through)
mp3: The Clash - Straight To Hell (YouSendIt, Click Through)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A Word On M.I.A., "Paper Planes", And The Clash
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2 comments:
I always tell people about this. they never seem to care. le sigh.
So.... you don't think Paper Planes should get any accolades because it has this sample? Maybe I'm not understanding your point.
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