M.I.A.

Released: December 20, 2010

Songwriter: Henri Overduin Michael Mulders

Producer: Diplo

[Verse 1]
When everybody leaves you lonely
Times are worse than sad
And the world is falling on your head
Just remember that for all you know
Good or bad, come what may
You're gonna live tomorrow if you don't die today

[Hook]
It takes a muscle to fall in love
It takes a muscle to fall in love, yeah
It takes a muscle to fall in love
It takes a muscle to fall in love

[Verse 2]
Now the fear got in me
It's got in me deep
That's where it's gonna stay and never leave
Someone come lay my worry
Someone come kill my pain
Someone come and put me on my feet again
Yeah, yeah, yeah

[Hook]
It takes a muscle to fall in love
It takes a muscle to fall in love, yeah
It takes a muscle to fall in love
It takes a muscle to fall in love

[Verse 3]
We gotta love one another
That's what the good man say
But I got too much trouble going 'round my head
Someone come and pick up my love
Take it all away
'Cause I could break down tomorrow
If I don't die today

[Hook]
It takes a muscle to fall in love
It takes a muscle to fall in love, yeah
It takes a muscle to fall in love
It takes a muscle to fall in love

[Outro]
Ay, ay, ay, ay

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.

more tracks from the album

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From the album

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It Takes a MuscleM.I.A.

M.I.A.

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