"Maps" is a song by the American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the ninth track on their debut studio album, Fever to Tell (2003). The song was released by Polydor in the United Kingdom in September 2003, and by Interscope in the United States in February 2004. Written and composed by the band, "Maps" is an art-punkballad inspired by a troubled relationship Karen O was in. The title is alleged to stand for "My Angus Please Stay", which the band has not confirmed.
"Maps" was praised by critics for its emotional weight and Karen O's vocal performance. The song reached number 26 on the UK singles chart and number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, their first US entry; it also peaked at number nine on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Patrick Daughters, which received four nominations at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards.
"Maps" helped Yeah Yeah Yeahs enter the mainstream and is widely considered to be the band's signature song. The song has become an inspiration to other artists and spawned numerous covers, remixes and samples. It has appeared on critics' rankings of the best songs of the 2000s and of all time.
"Maps" was conceived when Karen O heard a riff played on a whim by Nick Zinner in the band's home, which she wrote lyrics to in five minutes.[5][6] It was among several songs produced by the band with Dave Sitek (credited as David Andrew Sitek), who was chosen because they "didn't know anyone else."[7] Sitek would later become the band's longtime collaborator.[8]
"Maps" is an indie rock,[9]art punk[10] and soulballad[11] written in the key of g major with post-chorus guitar breaks and middle eights.[12][13] Lyrically, the song is about missing someone, expressed through the repeated chorus line "They don't love you like I love you".[14][15] It was inspired by Karen O's relationship with her then-boyfriend Angus Andrew, the frontman of Liars, during a time when their touring schedules were "hectic" and caused a rift in their relationship.[14] It was intended to be a "love song that stands the test of time".[12]
It has been widely suggested that the song title is an acronym standing for "My Angus Please Stay," although this has never been addressed by the band.[16][17][18]
Release
The song was released in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2003, through Polydor Records;[19] the same label released the song in Australia on October 6, 2003.[20] However, the United States release was delayed because the band were hesitant on "Maps" earning a single release.[7] Interscope would wait until February 17, 2004, to release the song onto US alternative radio.[21]
Reception
Yeah Yeah Yeahs performing in 2013
"Maps" was released to critical acclaim. AllMusic's Tom Maginnis greatly praised the song and wrote, "Never bowing to conventionality in song structure or sonic texture, the band refuse to revert to anything as traditional as strummed guitar chords, instead weaving a delicate web of pointillist guitars and tribal drumming together with Karen O[sic] subdued vocal performance into a subtle, stunning gem."[22] In his review of Fever to Tell, Eric Carr of Pitchfork deemed "Maps" said Zinner's guitars were "easily his best to date" and Karen O's vocals "drip genuine, regretful emotion [...] the emotive response it produces is very real, and that means a lot."[23] Writing for Variety magazine, David Sprague likened "Maps" to a "Diane Warren-penned punk power ballad" and said the song "revealed enough dogged determination to suggest they’ll be just as tough to push around (in the 2000s garage rock and post-punk revivals)."[24]
The music video for "Maps" was directed by Patrick Daughters, his first of many for the band.[30] It depicts the band playing in an audition in a high school gymnasium with different light filters changing the color of the room; Karen O is memorably seen crying in the video, which was not staged. She explains: "They were real tears. My boyfriend at the time (Andrew) was supposed to come to the shoot – he was three hours late and I was just about to leave for tour. I didn't think he was even going to come and this was the song that was written for him. He eventually showed up and I got myself in a real emotional state."[31]
"Maps" and its music video were played extensively on MTV; this, along with a notable performance by the band at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards, further heightened the single's success.[32] At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and the MTV2 Award.[33]
Legacy
In 2009, "Maps" was voted the best alternative love song of all time by NME;[34] the same publication ranked it at number 55 on its 2011 list of "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[35] Also in 2009, Pitchfork ranked it at number six on Pitchfork's "Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s".[36] In 2011, Rolling Stone ranked "Maps" at number seven on their "100 Best Songs of the 2000s" list and number 386 on their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list;[37][38] its 2021 revision moved it up to number 101.[39] In 2025, Rolling Stone placed it second on their list of "The 250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century So Far".[40]
A sped-up version of "Maps" gained popularity on TikTok in September 2024. A dance was created along with it where it used different contexts of wanting someone to stop and listen to them. As a result, the song charted at number one on the US TikTok Billboard Top 50 in October 2024.[41][42]
Covers and samples
Kelly Clarkson's 2004 single "Since U Been Gone," which was written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald,[43] is heavily inspired by "Maps" and features similar composition; Karen O said noticing the similarity was "like getting bitten by a poisonous varmint."[44][45] Beyoncé's "Hold Up," a song recorded by Beyoncé for her 2016 album, Lemonade, contains an interpolation of the "Maps" lyric, "Wait, they don't love you like I love you." When Beyoncé released the song on Lemonade, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs received songwriting credits.[46]
↑"100 Best Songs of the 2000s". Rolling Stone. June 17, 2011. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2022. How often do we get a fiery soul ballad and an art-punk classic in the same song?
↑Feldman, Brian (May 30, 2020). "mysteries of the Scatman". bnet.substack.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
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