In the latest installment of When Sampling Goes Wrong, we take a bit of a turn.
This is not the usual example of a great song being sampled for a shitty one.
This is about a great 80s song being re-worked into the one of the bigger hits of the 2000s.
Enter The Clash with “Straight To Hell.”
The last great single from The Only Band That Matters.
(The B-side was “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” Between the two, it’s clear to see which song is better as this one wasn’t in a Levi’s commercial.)
The song that sampled it: M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.”
As much as the superfan in me would love to dismiss it with my Gavel of Geeky Judgement, “Paper Planes” is a great song.
Not as good as “Straight To Hell” but a solid jam. Plus, M.I.A. keeps the socially conscious lyrical content. It’s not like she just lifted the melody of “Straight To Hell” and made a song about how she’s glad that it’s Friday.
This will probably be the most positive edition of this series.
Next post will focus on one of the greater musical crimes of all time.
Any guesses to what it may be?


You must be logged in to post a comment Login