Released: October 11, 2005

Songwriter: Ross Orton Steve Mackey M.I.A. Justine Frischmann

Producer: The Cavemen M.I.A.

[Refrain]
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha' gwan
Girls say wha', wha'
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha' gwan
Girls say wha', wha'

[Verse 1]
Slam, galang galang galang
Shotgun, get down
Get down, get down, get down
Too late, you down
D-d-d-down
Ta-na-ta-na-ta-na

[Chorus]
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-ang-lang

[Verse 2]
Who the hell is hounding you in the B-M-W
How the hell he find you, 147'd you
The feds gon get you
Pull the strings on the hood
1 paranoid youth blazin' through the hood
Who the hell is hounding you in the B-M-W
How the hell he find you, 147'd you
The feds gon get you
Pull the strings on the hood
1 paranoid youth blazin' through the hood

[Chorus]
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-ang-lang

[Refrain]
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha' gwan
Girls say wha', wha'
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha' gwan
Girls say wha', wha'

[Verse 3]
They say
Rivers gonna run though
Work is gonna save you
Pray and you will pull through
Suck a dick'll help you
Don't let em get to you
If he's got 1 you get 2
Backstab your crew
Sell it I could sell you
They say
Rivers gonna run though
Work is gonna save you
Pray and you will pull through
Suck a dick'll help you
Don't let em get to you
If he's got 1 you get 2
Backstab your crew
Sell it I could sell you

[Chorus]
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-ang-lang
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-ang-lang

M.I.A.

One of the most musically-diverse and perplexing artists of the 2000s, Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam is arguably the decade’s best representation of Hip-Hop in its truest form and artistry in its broadest, most diverse format. Her lyrics are as political as Public Enemy, her sound is more eclectic than Stankonia-era Outkast, and she is as aesthetically-driven as Kanye West.

The road that M.I.A. was forced to travel to international stardom was not an easy one. Born on July 18th, 1975 in Hounslow, West London to Sri-Lankan Tamil immigrants, she moved to her parents' homeland when she was only six months old. However, it was the Sri Lankan Civil War which came to shape her childhood. During her formative years, she witnessed many her father was hunted as an enemy of the state, her schools were bombarded, and her impoverished family was constantly in hiding. In 1986, her family moved back to London to find stability and a sense of relative peace.

In England, she discovered her artistic talents and completed several years of secondary education in fine art – eventually gaining attention as a visual artist, painter, and musician. In the early-2000s, Maya began to seriously explore her musical talents and used the internet and underground radio as the means to build her reputation as a unique and talented firebrand. Amidst her no-nonsense politics, however, critics from around the world heard a talent in the making.