Maps (song)

"Maps"
Single by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
from the album Fever to Tell
Released	February 10, 2004
Format	CD, 12"
Genre	Indie rock
Label	Interscope
Producer	David Andrew Sitek Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs singles chronology
"Pin" (2003) "Maps" (2004) "Y Control" (2004)
Music sample Maps

"Maps" is a single by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs from their debut full-length album, Fever to Tell (2003). The song is about the relationship between Liars frontman Angus Andrew and Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O; the title is actually an acronym of the words "My Angus Please Stay".^[1][2] It was released on February 10, 2004, and the band performed the song at that year's MTV Movie Awards. It reached #9 on Billboard's hot modern rock chart and was included in the popular video game Rock Band.

Track listing

1. "Maps"
2. "Countdown"
3. "Miles Away" (John Peel Session)

"Miles Away" is a newly recorded version of the song from the band's self-titled EP.

Video

The video shows the band playing in an audition in a high school gymnasium, with different light filters changing the color of the room. The tears cried by Karen O in the video are real. She explains: "They were real tears. My boyfriend at the time [Angus 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."^[3] It was nominated for four MTV Video Music Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and the MTV2 Award.^[4] The video was directed by Patrick Daughters.

Cover versions

"Maps" has been covered by The White Stripes, in Reading Festival 2004,^[5] Arcade Fire, on The Jo Whiley Show's Live Lounge,^[6] Duke Special, Ada,^[7] and by Ted Leo as part of a medley with Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone". Jazz trio The New Standards provide a cover on their album Rock and Roll. At the 2009 Reading and Leeds festival, Radiohead performed a segment of "Maps" as the introduction to the set-closer, "Everything In Its Right Place". Rogue Wave recorded a rendition of the song for Sweetheart, a Valentine's Day-themed compilation of covers produced in 2009 by Starbucks. In "Meet Me Halfway" by The Black Eyed Peas, the guitar and drum part is used during the solos in the background. The band Garbage performed the chorus in the end of their live version of Vow, in Rockpalast, Germany in 2005. In March 2011, Biffy Clyro covered "Maps" for Jo Whiley's last Radio 1 show.

Reception

"Maps" is widely regarded as one of the greatest songs of the 2000s:

• In 2009, it was voted the best alternative love song of all time by NME.
• The song was also listed at #6 on Pitchfork Media's top 500 songs of the 2000s.
• Rolling Stone ranked "Maps" as the 7th best song of the 2000s.
• In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked "Maps" as 386th in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
• In October 2011, NME placed it at number 55 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".^[8]

Charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
UK Official Charts	26
Chart (2004)	Peak position
Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks	9
The Billboard Hot 100	87

References

Notes

1. ^ Sheffield, Rob (April 7, 2006). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Goth, Nerd, Slut". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-11-21. http://web.archive.org/web/20071121164904/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/yeahyeahyeahs/articles/story/9596960/yeah_yeah_yeahs_goth_nerd_slut. Retrieved 2007-07-05. 
2. ^ Lindsay, Cam (April 2006). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: The Love Cats". Exclaim!. http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=79&csid2=778&fid1=1003. Retrieved 2007-07-06. 
3. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Karen O's Video Crying Was For Real". contactmusic.com. 12 July 2007. http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/karen-os-video-crying-was-for-real_1037190. Retrieved 22 November 2010. 
4. ^ "2004 VMA Winners". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2004/. Retrieved 2009-03-10. 
5. ^ "ARCHIVES // SEPTEMBER 2004: 08.29.04 // THE READING FESTIVAL". WhiteStripes.net. August 29, 2004. http://www.whitestripes.net/September-2004.php. Retrieved 2007-11-19. "A stellar set was played with the addition of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's tune, Maps." 
6. ^ "Arcade Fire Cover Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs". BrooklynVegan. September 9, 2005. http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2005/09/arcade_fire_cov.html. Retrieved 2007-11-19. 
7. ^ "Maps - Ada - Pandora Internet Radio". Pandora Radio. http://www.pandora.com/music/song/ada/maps. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
8. ^ http://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/10

External links

• Allmusic: Maps Entry
• "Maps" Official music video on YouTube