Galang (song)

Last updated

"...The principle (sic) idea behind M.I.A.'s artwork is to have pretty heavy/political ideas, but to present them in a poppy candy-coated wrapper. So someone might buy her painting because it is pretty to the eye, and not necessarily consider that it is a rebellious image that she is presenting. However, after they've had it for a while, they might start to think – why do I have a pink tank on my wall? … I think that ["Galang"] is a very successful video in that we have true images of revolution playing on MTV. However, because there's lots of pretty colors and a pretty girl dancing, no one blinks an eye. Hopefully we have succeeded in subconsciously starting the revolution."

– Director Ruben Fleischer talking to PopMatters about the video for "Galang". [41]

The accompanying video for "Galang", featuring multiple M.I.A.s amid a backdrop of her graffiti artwork animated, was directed by Ruben Fleischer and art directed by M.I.A. [20] [38] [42] M.I.A. told Negar Azimi of Bidoun she had collaborated with Steve Loveridge to spray paint her original artwork for the video, who worked in a car park while it rained. [43] Fleischer animated her artwork to provide a backdrop for M.I.A.'s floppy, energetic, endearing dance stylings. Bright colors pop, a tiger streaks in the background, and rainbow-colored Tamil script adorns the stencils. [44] M.I.A. sings and dances across the screen through the verses and chroruses, before the camera pans out to multiple M.I.A.s during the song's coda.

The musician decided to wear her own designs on the video, and collaborated with designer Carri Mundane on a tracksuit for the shoot. [45] "Galang" received some airplay on MTV2's Subterranean, and was also shown when she appeared as a guest on the show on 29 May 2005. [46] Ranjani Gopalarathinam of Coolhunting notes that M.I.A.'s personal style "might be a little harder to imitate but believe me I will try – the b-girl vacations in the tropics, but won’t ever forsake her kicks for a pair of thongs (cuz she's gotta dance)", concluding "When you see the video you feel familiar with the visuals, but that's just because you WISH." [44]

The visual artwork in the video, as Jason Jenkins of The Japan Times notes, shares the dichotomy present between M.I.A.'s music and lyrics; tanks, grenades and burning palm trees figure prominently in her work, but are presented in the video in bright, kaleidoscopic colours using stencils and Day-Glo spray paint. [47] Rob Wheaton, writing in PopMatters noted that M.I.A.'s approach was an artistic risk, given the "superficial, ephermeral" nature of her chosen media – graffiti stencil art and popular music. He felt that her style was the opposite of radical artists like Fernando Solanas and Octavio Gettino, who followed Frantz Fanon in calling for an art that documented resistance while breaking down the barriers between spectator and artist, stating that "M.I.A.'s art and music, by contrast, are all spectacle. The two-dimensional stencils and the catchy hooks can only subvert the audience's role after their immediate appeal has worn off, and they lack the breadth to contain a full alternative program." However, he argued, this made sense to him, given that "the realm of the image is what M.I.A. is most determined to contest" including media role models promoted on MTV and the conformity of mainstream popular culture. [48] Critics from Slant noted that against a backdrop of graffitied third-world signifiers—tigers, cell phones, palm trees, tanks, bombs—that pulsated along to the song's beats, M.I.A. "simply, and coyly," performs a silly little-girl dance, setting up what would become her multimedia M.O. for years to come. [40]

Cultural impact

Amy Phillips of Pitchforkmedia noted, following M.I.A's performance of "Galang" mashed up with "Lip Gloss" by Lil' Mama at the Terminal 5 club, CMJ Music Marathon, KALA Tour, how "Galang" served as a reminder of how much the mainstream pop, dance, rap musical landscape had shifted since M.I.A first appeared in 2004 with songs from Arular, highlighting megahits such as Fergie's "London Bridge" as having come to resemble M.I.A's sound. Steve Yates of The Guardian highlights the similarity between the latter and "Galang", which the head of Interscope Records Jimmy Iovine described as another case of M.I.A inspiring other artists. [49] Resemblances between "Galang" and Beck's 2005 track "Clap Hands" have been noted by music critics, as have similarities between the video and artwork to that of Rihanna's 2010 hit "Rude Boy". [50] [51]

The uploading of "Galang" on social networking site MySpace in 2004 and its video's subsequent release and propagation led to the song and "Sunshowers" becoming the web's first viral successes and have contributed towards M.I.A's reputation as being "several miles" ahead of the pack in the music industry. Described as a new raver "before it was old", she is often praised for having triggered the genre and aesthetic into music in the mid-2000s. [52] Hattie Collins of The Guardian noted how the songs of the album showcased M.I.A as a quirky female singer/rapper "before the Mini Allens had worked out how to log on to MySpace." [52] When asked by Craig McLean of Spin about how she felt towards paving the way for Lily Allen's success, the singer was quoted as saying "she works with the same sort of sound, similar vibes to it, you just make a template. Of course, if you're the first one to do it it's really hard" but added that her familiarity with being an outsider and the privilege of artists such as Allen meant she was not frustrated that others had taken her template and sold more records with it, noting "I'm used to dealing with those situations better." [53] Eddy Lawrence of Time Out commented how "Galang" alongside M.I.A's other releases helped make the singer a carnival queen and everyone's favourite "grime/electro/ravehall artist – beloved of the broadsheet fashionistas yet simultaneously patron saint and pin-up for the Day-Glo nu-rave kids." In December 2011, "Galang" was ranked number 10 on Time Out's list of the "100 best London songs" ever released. [54] [55]

Track listings and formats

"Galang"
Galang showbiz.jpg
Single by M.I.A.
from the album Arular
Released2003 (limited edition)
25 October 2004 (Australia release)
1 November 2004 (UK re-release)
11 October 2005 ("Galang '05")
Recorded2003
Genre
Length3:35
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
M.I.A. singles chronology
"Galang"
(2003)
"Sunshowers"
(2004)

"Sunshowers"
(2004)

"Galang"
(2004)

"Bucky Done Gun"
(2005)

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2004)Peak
UK Singles Chart [56] 77
Chart (2005)Peak
US Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales [57] 11
UK Singles Chart [56] 77

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Moayeri, Lily (1 March 2005). "And Interview (sic) with Maya Arul a.k.a. M.I.A. – Arul on recording Arular". Remix Magazine . Penton Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  2. Harrington, Richard (16 September 2005). "M.I.A., No Loss For Words". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  3. Mangla, Ismat (4 October 2004). "Not-So Missing in Action". Nirali Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  4. Maclean, Craig (4 August 2007). "Agent Provocateur". The Telegraph . London. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  5. Empire, Kitty (20 March 2005). "Flash-forward". The Observer . London: Guardian Media Group . Retrieved 30 March 2007.
  6. Orlov, Piotr (2004–2005). "Interview with M.I.A. from Arthur Magazine". Arthur. Vol. 16.
  7. 1 2 Shapiro, Peter (17 June 2005). "Talking about her revolution". The Times . London. Retrieved 30 September 2008.[ dead link ]
  8. Binielli, Mark (15 December 2005). "M.I.A. : Rolling Stone – Guerrilla Goddess". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 15 January 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
  9. Simmons, Will (7 November 2005). "Interview : M.I.A." Stylus . Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
  10. Begrand, Adrien. "M.I.A.: Arular < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  11. Veneziale, Marcella (4 January 2005). "M.I.A. lyrics draw inspiration from tough upbringing". The Miscellany News . Archived from the original on 12 July 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  12. Garcia, Nicholas (24 July 2007). "M.I.A. – "Boyz"". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
  13. McKinnon, Matthew (3 March 2005). "Tigress Beat". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  14. "M.I.A. Radio Interview (audio)". KEXP. 11 May 2005. Archived from the original on 25 May 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  15. 1 2 Pearson, Gemma (2004). "M.I.A." Fused Magazine . Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  16. Mugan, Chris (1 October 2004). "Mia: Learning to speak guerrilla language". The Independent. UK. Retrieved 23 August 2010.[ dead link ]
  17. 1 2 3 "Interview with Jonathan Dickins". HitQuarters. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  18. "Radio 1 – Gilles Peterson – 13/11/03". BBC Radio 1 . 13 November 2003. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  19. "Radio 1 – Pete Tong – 19/12/03". BBC Radio 1 . 19 December 2003. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  20. 1 2 Pearson, Gemma (2004). "M.I.A." Fused Magazine . Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  21. Merritt, Stephanie; Phillips, Sarah; Ojumu, Akin; Siegle, Lucy; Hoggard, Liz; Vernon, Polly (7 December 2005). "They've got stars in their eyes". The Guardian. London.
  22. Sung, Hannah (2007). "M.I.A. is back in action". AOL Music Canada. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  23. Timmermann, Josh (24 February 2005). "M.I.A. – Arular – Review". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on 27 February 2005. Retrieved 24 December 2007.
  24. Sung, Hannah. "M.I.A. Is Back in Action". AOL Music Canada. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  25. Slant Staff (25 January 2010). "Best of the Aughts: Singles". Slant . Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  26. Shteyngart, Gary (July 2010). "She Might Get Loud: M.I.A". GQ . Archived from the original on 26 June 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  27. Malik Meer (7 August 2010). "MIA takes on Google, YouTube and Wikipedia". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  28. "M.I.A. – Interview – Stylus Magazine". Stylus Magazine . 7 November 2005. Archived from the original on 29 March 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  29. Ostroff, Joshua (2005). "Funk, Soul & Outernational Vibes – Year in Review 2005". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  30. "HBO: Entourage Music: Season 02: Episode 22". HBO . Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  31. "Coldplay, NIN Top Coachella With Emotional Performances". MTV. 2 May 2005. Archived from the original on 7 May 2005. Retrieved 1 October 2007.
  32. 1 2 Eliscu, Jenny (28 April 2008). "My Coachella: M.I.A. Gets the Bodies Moving". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  33. "BBC - Radio 1 - Jo Whiley - Photos". Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  34. Michaelangelo, Matos (17 March 2004). "Stormy, Tipsy, Mya, M.I.A." Seattle Weekly . Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  35. SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. November 2004. p. 114. ISSN   0886-3032 . Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  36. Frere Jones, Sasha (22 November 2004). "Bingo in Swansea: Maya Arulpragsam's world". The New Yorker . Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  37. "NME Reviews - MIA: Galang 2005". NME. 25 October 2005. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  38. 1 2 "Remote Control – Release – M.I.A. – Galang". Remote Control Records . 2004. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  39. Plagenhoef, Scott; Schreiber, Ryan, eds. (November 2008). The Pitchfork 500. Simon & Schuster. p. 185. ISBN   978-1-4165-6202-3.
  40. 1 2 "The 50 Best Music Videos of the Aughts". Slant Magazine. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  41. Wheaton, Robert (6 May 2005). "London Calling – For Congo, Columbo, Sri Lanka." PopMatters . Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
  42. Wheaton, Robert (6 May 2005). "London Calling – For Congo, Columbo, Sri Lanka..." PopMatters . Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  43. "Brown Girl in the Ring M.I.A. interviewed by Negar Azimi Photography By Marcelo Krasilcic | Bidoun Projects". bidoun.org. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  44. 1 2 "Rewind this Video: M.I.A.'s Galang - Cool Hunting". coolhunting.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  45. Emmanuel "BoyWonder" Ezugwu. "Head2head: Afrikanboy Vs Cassette Playa". RWD magazine . Archived from the original on 30 March 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  46. "altmusictv Subterranean archive 2003–2006". altmusictv. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  47. "The Japan Times - News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More". japantimes.co.jp. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  48. "PopMatters Music Interview | London Calling -- For Congo, Columbo, Sri Lanka..." Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  49. Yates, Steve (15 September 2007). "New world order | Music | The Observer". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  50. "Album Review: Beck – Guerolito | Prefix". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  51. "Rihanna's Video Attribution Is Somehow M.I.A." PopEater.com. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  52. 1 2 Collins, Hattie (18 August 2007). "Hattie Collins meets rapper MIA". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  53. SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. August 2007. p. 46. ISSN   0886-3032 . Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  54. "MIA: interview". Timeout.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  55. "London Music – 100 best London songs: the full list – Time Out London". Timeout.com. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  56. 1 2 "Chart Log UK: M – My Vitriol". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  57. allmusic (((M.I.A. > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles)))