Paper Planes

The track was recorded for Kala with M.I.A. working with Diplo and Switch during the album sessions. Its instrumental was built around a sample of the Clash recording Straight to Hell, with the chorus using cash register and gunshot sound effects. Released on Kala in 2007 and as a single in 2008, it became M.I.A. breakthrough international hit. The single reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart and number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, bringing her politically charged pop into the mainstream. It remains M.I.A. signature song and one of the defining crossover records of the late 2000s. The track gained further cultural reach through Slumdog Millionaire, Pineapple Express and later sample based records by Jay Z and T.I.