1001 Songs Challenge #931: Maps (2003)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenge of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post every day (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be… legendary!

 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps (2003)

 

 

 

We’re leaving Scotland and the UK today, dear reader, so we can cross the Atlantic Ocean back to the US. We’re heading to New York and find ourselves in the company of a band by the name of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The group were formed as a trio in 2000 and led by singer and pianist, Karen O. We join the group in 2003 with the release of their debut album, Fever to Tell, and from there 1001 Songs have gone with the track, Maps. 

Maps was written about the intense relationship between Karen O and Angus Andrew, lead singer of the band, Liars. In fact, Maps is supposed to stand for My Angus Please Stay. The lyrics are quite minimal but see the narrator beseech their lover to remain faithful and not to look to others for the love that they are offering will always supercede that of anyone else. Despite the overflowing love within the track, there is the hint of desperation here and with that the worrying signs that this relationship may be anything but secure.

I wasn’t familiar with the group Yeah Yeah Yeahs or the song, Maps, prior to this challenge but the title I do believe I have come across before, whether it is in an article or something I have read on social media. An indie band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs offer up an engaging track here of a love smeared with fragility. The song would be well-received upon release and proved to be one of their biggest hits. The trio are still together today though Karen O’s relationship with Angus Andrew did not last.

 

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Doors – The End (1967)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)

U2 – One (1991)

Radiohead – Paranoid Android (1997)

Snow Patrol – Run