Galang (song)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Galang"
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)
"Bucky Done Gun"
(2005)
"Galang '05"
(2005)
"Boyz"
(2007)

"Galang" is the debut single by British musician

demo tape in 2003, then on her official Myspace account on 9 June 2004 and was later reworked slightly by Orton and Mackey who received production credit for the song. "Galang" was the second song M.I.A. wrote on her Roland MC-505, intending for the piece to be performed by Frischmann's band Elastica
. Inspired by her experiences and observations of life in London, M.I.A. wrote the song to encourage her friends in the band to continue to make music. However, after cowriting the song, Frischmann convinced M.I.A. to record "Galang" herself, complimenting the piece's lyrical narrative and music direction.

Musically, "Galang" is a dance-oriented midtempo song, combining elements of

Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales
.

The song's accompanying music video, directed by

day-glo colour and her distinct design technique in the art, her costumes and music, triggering the new rave revolution upon its release. "Galang" appeared on several publications' lists of the best song of the year, decade and of all time. The song's rapid international propagation through radio, fashion shows and the internet along with "Sunshowers" made it one of the first viral phenomena
in the modern age, and affirmed M.I.A as one of the first popstars of the digital age.

"Galang" has been covered by jazz pianist

indie music cultural icon
.

Background

Following her work as a photographer/graphic designer and music video director for the band Elastica, M.I.A. decided to video document the band's last tour together in 2001 to direct the music video for their single "Mad Dog God Dam". On the tour, she was introduced to the Roland MC-505 sequencer/drum machine by electroclash artist Peaches, whose minimalistic approach to music inspired her. She found Peaches' decision to perform without additional instrumentation to be brave and liberating and felt that it emphasised the artist.[1][2] While vacationing together in Bequia in the Caribbean, M.I.A. began experimenting with Elastica singer Justine Frischmann's 505, having unexpectedly gaining access to it in London.[3][4] She adopted her stage name, "M.I.A.", standing for "Missing In Acton" during this time, following from her documentary film in Jaffna and her art exhibition of the same name.[5][6] M.I.A. used the 505 to make demo recordings in her bedroom.[7] She initially planned to work as a producer. Composed as a song for Elastica to encourage the band to continue making music, Frischmann convinced M.I.A to record music herself instead after co-writing the composition. M.I.A. lacked confidence in making music and to this end, she approached Caribbean girls in clubs to see if they would provide vocals for the songs, but without success.[8] She chose to perform the vocals herself, saying "I just quietly got on with it ... I didn't wanna convince anyone it was good. I felt it was much better to prove that I could be an individual."[9]

Composition

"Galang" is a moderately fast song, with a

radio microphone, M.I.A. recorded "Galang" in the same vein as the rest of Arular, the song eventually becoming part of a six song demo tape that included "Lady Killa", and her first ever composition "M.I.A."[1][7][12] Having produced rough tracks via trial and error, she honed the finished songs in collaboration with other writer-producers.[1][13][14] Through these collaborations, she sought to produce a diverse style and "drag [her collaborators] out of their boxes, musically".[15] Steve Mackey and Ross Orton, under the name Cavemen, worked further on "Galang" with M.I.A in a professional studio, where she added a bass line and new vocals to give the song a more analogue sound than was possible with the 505.[1] The track was co-written by Frischmann, whose input M.I.A. described as "refreshing" due to Frischmann's experimental approach to lyrical themes.[15] Speaking openly about the lyrical origins of the song, she said "This was only the second track I ever wrote, so I was still experimenting. I just wanted to put down all the advice everyone had said to me about how to survive in London."[16]

Release and song use

M.I.A performing "Galang" at the beginning of her Arular Tour in 2005, with the single artwork in the background

The single/demo was the first release for Jonathan Dickins' Showbiz Records, a label that operated through Dicken's uncle's record label

GQ, commented on how the song went viral across the internet "before anyone was even using the word "viral".[26][27]

"Galang" was released in Australia by Remote Control Records on 25 October 2004 and rereleased on 1 November 2004 by XL Recordings as the second official single from the album, in two CD formats and a 12-inch vinyl format. On the first CD a remix by Cavemen appeared on the B-side, while on the second the same remix and an instrumental version appeared on the B-side alongside a remix by South Rakkas. "Galang" was released again in October 2005 following her signing to Interscope Records in the US, under the title "Galang '05", with one remix by Dave Kelly featuring the singer Cham, and another by Serj Tankian.[28]

Jazz pianist

Dancing Stage Universe 2. The song featured in the 2008 film Pride and Glory. "Galang" appears on the video game Dance Central
released in 2011.

Live performances

"Galang" has featured on the setlist of the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with the song, leading to an encore in response to crowd enthusiasm, a rarity for the festival and the first tent encore at Coachella.[31][32] Describing the performance she said, "When I played three years ago, it was such a crazy moment. It was my first festival and I had only done about five shows in my entire life...They dismantled the stage and had to put it back together because all the people started going, 'M.I.A! M.I.A!' I don't think I'd ever be able to do something like that again, because it was my moment."[32]

The rapper performed "Galang" and a cover of the rock band

Mercury Music Prize ceremony.[33]

Critical reception

"Galang" earned massive critical success upon its release, with its novelty, genre amalgamation and lyrics highlighted as positive features of the song, and typical of the compositions on Arular. Michaelangelo Matos in the

Dazed & Confused described the song as a "nagging electro bashment monster." NME described the song as "100 per cent ersatz: Sri Lanka imagined from a Shoreditch loft, Jamaican riddim conjured up from a GameBoy memory card." The reviewer implored listeners to not "be fooled by the sweetness of Maya's singalong patois, though", concluding that "'Galang' secretes a martial edge under its seductive exterior; this is a song that advances on you, knife between clenched teeth" and that the single as a whole was effortlessly brilliant.[37] It was also named Rough Trade's "Single of the Year."[38] "Galang" placed highly in "Best of Year" and "Best of decade/Alltime" lists in several publications in various countries.[citation needed
]

Awards and accolades

The critical success of "Galang" was cemented after its appearance on several publications' Best of the Year Lists in 2004. The song has frequently been named one of the best compositions released in the 2000s decade and of all time.

Village Voice list of the tops songs of 2004. German radio network 1LIVE named the song the twenty third best single on their 2004 list, while laut.de
named it the forty fourth best song of the year. Iguana music magazine named it the ninety third best single of the year while Zündfunk of Germany named it the top single of 2004.

On its list of the "Top 500 Songs of the 80s–00s" period, Blender ranked "Galang" eighty one. Pitchforkmedia named the song the twentieth best song in their list "The 100 Best Singles of 2000–2004." Porcys of Poland named it the eleventh best song on their "100 Singles 2000–2004" list. The song appears at number forty one on Stylus magazine's list "The 50 Best Singles of 2000–2004". "Galang" is listed on

Slant named the music video for "Galang" the forty-eighth "Best Music Video of the 2000s Decade".[40]

Music video

"...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

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

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

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

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. ^
    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. ^ a b Shapiro, Peter (17 June 2005). "Talking about her revolution". The Times. London. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  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. 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. KEXP. 11 May 2005. Archived from the original
    on 25 May 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  15. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b 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
    . Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  26. GQ
    . 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. Retrieved 1 October 2007.
  32. ^ a b 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. 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. ^ a b "Remote Control – Release – M.I.A. – Galang". Remote Control Records. 2004. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  39. ISBN 978-1-4165-6202-3
    .
  40. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. 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. ^ a b Collins, Hattie (18 August 2007). "Hattie Collins meets rapper MIA". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  53. ISSN 0886-3032
    . Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  54. ^ "MIA: interview". Timeout.com. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  55. ^ "London Music – 100 best London songs: the full list – Time Out London". Timeout.com. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  56. ^ a b "Chart Log UK: M – My Vitriol". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  57. ^ allmusic (((M.I.A. > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles)))
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Galang_(song)&oldid=1197886930"