Sunshowers
Encyclopedia
"Sunshowers" is a song by British musician M.I.A.
from her critically acclaimed debut album Arular
(2005). It was written and produced by Maya Arulpragasam, Ross Orton, Steve Mackey
, August Darnell and Stony Jr. Browder with additional production by Nesreen Shah and Anthony Whiting. The song includes a sample of "Sunshower" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
. Designer Matthew Williamson
opened and closed his fashion week runway show with the song in 2004. The song was released as the second single of the album on July 7, 2004 and is M.I.A.'s first official release with XL Recordings
.
"Sunshowers" debuted at number 22 on the Canadian Singles Chart
and number 93 on the UK Singles Chart
. The song was widely acclaimed among music critics, who noted its wide ranging lyrical subject matter, delivery and music direction as highlights of the track.
An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Rajesh Touchriver
and filmed in South India
. M.I.A., who wrote the video, was inspired to work with Touchriver after watching his debut film In the Name of Buddha
. The video faced censorship controversies on TV and Radio, and was banned from MTV
after a refusal by M.I.A. to censor some of the song's lyrics or run a disclaimer disavowing them. "Sunshowers" was ranked 100 on Slants "Best of the Aughts: Singles," its list of the top 100 singles of the decade.
, citing the lyric “I salt and pepper my mango/ Shoot spit at the window” compared the song favourably to the song "Galang
", noting that "Sunshowers" "continued the fascinating contrast between playful and defiant." Begrand described the song as speaking of urban violence and anti-Muslim sentiment in the West. Similarly, Josh Timmermann of Stylus
magazine ranked the song alongside "Galang" as "among the most exciting singles of last year" and that the track "managed to sound like honey even while M.I.A. rapped (as much as Mike Skinner or Nellie McKay
“rap”) about a man being gunned down for associating with Muslims." He concluded "M.I.A. may be a critical darling, but she’s not so esoteric in the grand scheme of things. This is music that everyone can relate to, dance to, salt and pepper their mangoes to."
David Day of Dusted magazine, in a track-by-track review of the album, described the song as one of the three best songs on Arular and containing the best lyrics, citing its lyric ""Like PLO we don't surrendo!" Day praised the use of the sample in the chorus, stating it brought the song "a real pop flavor that has crossover written in calligraphy. The beat, minimal like Missy
and Lumidee
, serves to spotlight her wordplay." Betty Clarke of The Guardian
, noted the lyric "I [sic] bongo with my lingo/ Beat it like a wing yo [sic]/ Can't stereotype my thing yo", writing "a fractured backing of hip-hop beats and dancehall rhythms is peppered with poetic slang." Robert Christgau
, writing in the Village Voice noted the references to violence in the song, saying it is "everywhere, dropped casually like a funk grenade or flaunted instructively as in the oft quoted "It's a bomb yo/So run yo/Put away your stupid gun yo." But not for a moment does the violence seem vindictive, sadistic, or pleasurable. It's a fact of life to be triumphed over, with beats and tunelets stolen or remembered or willed into existence." Ruth Jamieson of BBC
called the song "achingly beautiful" with its "unsettling, unusual but ooh-so alluring vo-coded harmonies" singled out for praise.
and filmed in the jungles of South India
. In one scene, M.I.A. is perched atop an elephant.
The song faced censorship
controversies on TV and radio, and was banned from MTV
after M.I.A. refused to remove the lines: "you wanna go? you wanna winna war? Like PLO
, I don't surrendo" for airplay.
The only difference the 12" single has is that tracks 2 and 3 are switched.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
from her critically acclaimed debut album Arular
Arular
Arular is the 2005 debut album by British musician M.I.A. Originally set for a September 2004 release, the album was delayed due to problems obtaining permission to use samples. Arular was finally released in the US on 22 March 2005 and a month later in the UK with a slightly different track...
(2005). It was written and produced by Maya Arulpragasam, Ross Orton, Steve Mackey
Steve Mackey
Steve Mackey is a British musician and record producer best known for playing bass guitar in the band Pulp. He also played bass for Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker in the latter's solo career, and worked as a songwriter and producer with artists such as M.I.A...
, August Darnell and Stony Jr. Browder with additional production by Nesreen Shah and Anthony Whiting. The song includes a sample of "Sunshower" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was a big band and swing influenced disco band, formed in the Bronx, New York. They are best known for their #1 US dance hit, "Cherchez La Femme"/C'est si bon, from their self-titled debut album....
. Designer Matthew Williamson
Matthew Williamson
Matthew Williamson is an English fashion designer. His collections often have an Indian influence, perhaps related to the time Williamson spent working in India for the clothing store Monsoon...
opened and closed his fashion week runway show with the song in 2004. The song was released as the second single of the album on July 7, 2004 and is M.I.A.'s first official release with XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
.
"Sunshowers" debuted at number 22 on the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
and number 93 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The song was widely acclaimed among music critics, who noted its wide ranging lyrical subject matter, delivery and music direction as highlights of the track.
An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Rajesh Touchriver
Rajesh Touchriver
-Biography:Rajesh was born in Kerala to a Malayali family. He inherited a flair for Kathakali, the classical dance of Kerala, from Siva Sankaran Nair, his father who was a veteran Kathakali artist. He also had some early training in Kalaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala...
and filmed in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. M.I.A., who wrote the video, was inspired to work with Touchriver after watching his debut film In the Name of Buddha
In the Name of Buddha
In the Name of Buddha is a 2002 British film drama written and directed by Rajesh Touchriver. The film tells the true story of Tamil doctor Siva, who fled to Britain in 1993, flushing his false passport down the toilet during his flight. Siva is a friend of the film's producer Sai George...
. The video faced censorship controversies on TV and Radio, and was banned from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
after a refusal by M.I.A. to censor some of the song's lyrics or run a disclaimer disavowing them. "Sunshowers" was ranked 100 on Slants "Best of the Aughts: Singles," its list of the top 100 singles of the decade.
Background
Critical reception
Writers for Slant, listing the song at number 100 on the "Best of the Aughts: Singles," its list of the Top 100 Singles of the Decade, noted the song's lyrical range and novelty in being used on fashion runway shows, saying "A runway is not the venue you expect to hear about gun culture, the Iraq War, the PLO, snipers, racial profiling, and sweatshops, but those are just some of the topics that M.I.A. managed to squeeze into the three-minute sophomore single from her debut album Arular. Adrien Begrand of PopMattersPopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
, citing the lyric “I salt and pepper my mango/ Shoot spit at the window” compared the song favourably to the song "Galang
Galang
"Galang" is the first single from M.I.A.'s album Arular. It is written by Maya Arulpragasam , Justine Frischmann, Ross Orton and Steve Mackey. The word 'galang' comes from the Jamaican patois for 'go on'. The first time Arulpragasam released "Galang", in 2003, it was released on an indie label,...
", noting that "Sunshowers" "continued the fascinating contrast between playful and defiant." Begrand described the song as speaking of urban violence and anti-Muslim sentiment in the West. Similarly, Josh Timmermann of Stylus
Stylus (magazine)
Stylus is a print magazine devoted to fine writing instruments . It is published on a bi-monthly calendar and includes reviews of new pens and accessories, as well as articles about vintage pens, collecting, inks and paper...
magazine ranked the song alongside "Galang" as "among the most exciting singles of last year" and that the track "managed to sound like honey even while M.I.A. rapped (as much as Mike Skinner or Nellie McKay
Nellie McKay
Nellie McKay , is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and former stand-up comedienne, noted for her critically acclaimed albums, and for her Broadway debut in The Threepenny Opera , for which she won a Theatre World Award...
“rap”) about a man being gunned down for associating with Muslims." He concluded "M.I.A. may be a critical darling, but she’s not so esoteric in the grand scheme of things. This is music that everyone can relate to, dance to, salt and pepper their mangoes to."
David Day of Dusted magazine, in a track-by-track review of the album, described the song as one of the three best songs on Arular and containing the best lyrics, citing its lyric ""Like PLO we don't surrendo!" Day praised the use of the sample in the chorus, stating it brought the song "a real pop flavor that has crossover written in calligraphy. The beat, minimal like Missy
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
and Lumidee
Lumidee
Lumidee Cedeño is an American singer-songwriter and rapper. Cedeño was born in Spanish Harlem where she was raised by her grandparents...
, serves to spotlight her wordplay." Betty Clarke of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, noted the lyric "I [sic] bongo with my lingo/ Beat it like a wing yo [sic]/ Can't stereotype my thing yo", writing "a fractured backing of hip-hop beats and dancehall rhythms is peppered with poetic slang." Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
, writing in the Village Voice noted the references to violence in the song, saying it is "everywhere, dropped casually like a funk grenade or flaunted instructively as in the oft quoted "It's a bomb yo/So run yo/Put away your stupid gun yo." But not for a moment does the violence seem vindictive, sadistic, or pleasurable. It's a fact of life to be triumphed over, with beats and tunelets stolen or remembered or willed into existence." Ruth Jamieson of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
called the song "achingly beautiful" with its "unsettling, unusual but ooh-so alluring vo-coded harmonies" singled out for praise.
Music Video
The music video for "Sunshowers" was directed by Rajesh TouchriverRajesh Touchriver
-Biography:Rajesh was born in Kerala to a Malayali family. He inherited a flair for Kathakali, the classical dance of Kerala, from Siva Sankaran Nair, his father who was a veteran Kathakali artist. He also had some early training in Kalaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala...
and filmed in the jungles of South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. In one scene, M.I.A. is perched atop an elephant.
The song faced censorship
Censorship of music
Censorship of music is the practice of restricting free access to musical works. This censorship may stem from a wide variety of motivations, including moral, political, military or religious reasons. Censorship can range from the complete government-enforced legal prohibition of a musical work, to...
controversies on TV and radio, and was banned from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
after M.I.A. refused to remove the lines: "you wanna go? you wanna winna war? Like PLO
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
, I don't surrendo" for airplay.
Track listings and formats
CD single- "Sunshowers" – 3:16
- "Fire, Fire" – 3:28
- "Sunshowers" (Instrumental) – 3:15
- "Sunshowers" (A capella) – 2:52
The only difference the 12" single has is that tracks 2 and 3 are switched.
Personnel
- Maya Arulpragasam - main performer, artwork, producer
- Nesreen Shah - chorus
- Steve Mackey - producer, mixing
- Ross Orton - producer, mixing
- Anthony Whiting - producer, mixing
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart | 22 |
| UK Singles Chart | 93 |