M.I.A. has always been a slightly edgy, underground UK hip-hop/dance artist until she hit the mainstream with the success of her slightly pop-infected single “Paper Planes”. The amount of attention this track has received over the year is astonishing. And it deserves every bit of it. Most noticeable is that the song samples The Clash‘s “Straight To Hell”, which results in the island sound; a downtempo, catchy tune with a thick and syrupy drum beat under The Clash’s reggae riff. And of course, not to be forgotten, is the now infamous gunshots and ringing of cash registers over the chorus, which is actually sung by children from Brixton (throwback reference to The Clash? I think so).
In addition to the impressive layering of the song, the lyrics are pertinent and poignant. The song is a satire on the perception of immigrants in the United States; that they cause a threat to society. M.I.A., an immigrant and refugee to the U.K. herself, sings “If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name / If you come around here, I make ‘em all day / I get one down in a second if you wait.” Because of the success and brilliant complexity of the song, it is no surprise that it’s been remixed many a times over. Here are some of the best, but first, the original.
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This remix turns the song upside down and makes it a fun, upbeat dance floor favorite. It doesn’t alter the original much, but it significantly speeds it up to a great effect and adds a stomping drum line. It also cuts up the vocals nicely, resulting in the same lines being constantly repeated over and over. Furthermore, it throws in an interesting sound over the entire track, which, to be honest, I can’t make out what it is. Almost synth like but with the touch of a kazoo, it slides the rhythm up and down, expanding and contracting. This is the version that should be played at every party, club, or wherever a dance floor exists.
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DFA Remix
It is by no surprise now that I am a huge DFA fan. And they do not disappoint with this remix. DFA always manages to take a song, keep it intact, and yet completely make it their own. They are the purveyors of dance punk and disco today, and those flavors are felt in this remix. This version is slightly slower than the original and the vocals are kept in check. DFA throws out The Clash’s main riff and injects a tremendously thick, funk bass line over the entire song, which really drives the sound on this one. Under all of that they layer the track with soft, throbbing synths and horns. Also removed are the iconic gunshots and cash registers ringing, which was a wise adjustment, and instead the “All I wanna do is” is followed by sounds of laser beams. And to make this remix more amazing than it already is, DFA tops it off at the end with a slow and bouncing piano roll.
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Remix For The Children by Adrock
Adrock is of course Adrock from the Beastie Boys. This remix is completely opposite to the DFA one. It strips most of the sound out, including The Clash’s riff, and keeps the sound sparse. Vocals are intact. This is an extremely slowed down, darker version of the original. The mix starts with a light guitar strumming and a strong Caribbean piano riff, which keeps the island feel in check. It also makes no effort in removing the gunshots and ringing of cash registers, on the contrary, it has fun with those effects and scatters them through the mix, probably even more so than the original. Of course Adrock would keep the gunshots in, after all, this remix is for the children. The mix ends with an interesting and zany bass line.
