M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” became one of the biggest songs of her career after starting from a personal experience with immigration and life in Brooklyn.
The 2008 hit reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later ranked No. 46 on Rolling Stone‘s “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
The song appeared on M.I.A.’s second studio album, Kala, which was released in 2007. It became her first major U.S. hit as a lead artist and earned a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.
Rolling Stone included “Paper Planes” at No. 46 on its list of the greatest songs of all time.
M.I.A. Wrote ‘Paper Planes’ While Living in Brooklyn
M.I.A., whose real name is Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, lived in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood from 2006 to 2008. It was during this period that the ideas behind “Paper Planes” came together.
Mathangi Arulpragasam, (M.I.A.), the British rapper, singer and producer, performs live on the main stage during Vodafone Paredes de Coura. Photo by Diogo Baptista/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
According to Songfacts, the song was inspired in part by her problems getting a U.S. work visa. M.I.A. was born in London to Sri Lankan Tamil parents and spent part of her childhood in Sri Lanka before returning to the United Kingdom as a refugee.
After she regained entry to the United States, she completed “Paper Planes” at her home in Bedford-Stuyvesant in 2007.
Her time in the neighborhood helped shape the song’s lyrics. She thought about immigrants and refugees and how they are sometimes viewed in the United States.
Speaking about the song, M.I.A. said: “People don’t really feel like immigrants or refugees contribute to culture in any way.”
She also explained the idea behind the song’s money-focused lyrics, saying: “America is so obsessed with money, I’m sure they’ll get it.”
The track turns those ideas into a character who appears to fit the negative stereotype of a threatening immigrant. The song uses that character to make a larger point about the way immigrants can be viewed.
M.I.A. also used gunshot and cash-register sounds in the chorus. The sounds became some of the most recognizable parts of “Paper Planes.”
She later explained that the gun sounds were connected to the experiences of people who had lived through war and violence.
“Paper Planes” was released as the third single from Kala in February 2008. Its success grew slowly before it became a major U.S. hit.
According to Billboard, the song debuted on the Hot 100 in August 2008 and eventually reached No. 4 on Sept. 27, 2008. It remained on the chart for 20 weeks.
The song also gained wider attention after appearing in the trailer for the 2008 comedy Pineapple Express, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen. It was also featured in Slumdog Millionaire and its soundtrack.
The unexpected success helped turn “Paper Planes” into M.I.A.’s biggest commercial hit at the time.
The song was produced and co-written by M.I.A. and Diplo. It also uses a sample from The Clash’s 1982 song “Straight to Hell.” Because of the sample, members of The Clash were credited as co-writers.
Diplo came up with the idea to use the Clash song as the sample. The result combined M.I.A.’s alternative hip-hop style with elements of punk, reggae and world music.
Rolling Stone described the song as a surprising hit, pointing to its unusual combination of political ideas, money-focused lyrics, gunshot sounds and the Clash sample.
The song also earned a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009. It won an ASCAP award and was named Favorite International Single at the 2009 Canadian Independent Music Awards.
The song was also sampled by Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West and Lil Wayne for their 2008 collaboration “Swagga Like Us.”
More than a decade after its release, “Paper Planes” found another audience online when it went viral on TikTok in December 2024 through a dance trend.
Related: 1961 Country Song, Written by Willie Nelson, Is Still a Powerful Hit 65 Years Later
This story was originally published by Parade on Sep 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.