Karen O on the strange trajectory of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs masterpiece, ‘Maps’
New York was an interesting place at the turn of the century. A city that was known as the hub for creativity and seen by many as the place to be didn’t have much going for it. The whole place stood in a strange limbo as the amenities for cultural revolution were there, but no one knew how to use them. That was until bands like The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs came along, and the Meet Me In The Bathroom movement started.
Since then, many bands from this period have thrived, but one of the most successful has to be Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Not only has their original material aged incredibly well, but newer albums such as Spitting Off the Edge of the World are considered just as important.
One of the first tracks that put the band on the map was, ironically, called ‘Maps’. It is considered by many a classic and is essentially the indie love song. Its lyrics’ simplicity and repetitive nature represent life on the road and the daunting prospect of falling in love. Karen O displays tremendous vulnerability while conveying an eclectic swagger, summarising her as a performer and laying the groundwork for the band.
That being said, despite being a track on Yeah Yeah Yeah’s debut album and despite clearly being the strongest on the record, it was released late and during a period when it was looking like the band might have failed before they started. “’Maps’ was like a third or fourth single on Fever to Tell – that just happened to connect,” said O, discussing the tricky situation the band found themselves in after their first few singles didn’t do the numbers their label hoped for: “The label had already given up on the record. They’re like, ‘The reaction’s been so-so like for the first two songs.’”
The lack of success of the singles was something that O would have no doubt struggled with, as she has previously been very open about the fact the reason she was keen to work with a major label so early on was that she wanted their music to reach as many people as possible. When the songs initially released by the band failed to connect, she will have no doubt been worrying about whether the band would ever get off the ground.
Finally, in a last attempt to get people interested in the debut and put Yeah Yeah Yeahs on people’s radar, the band released ‘Maps’. A love song with indie rock at its heart, O finally made that connection, something which hasn’t been broken since. “You make silly single decisions sometimes,” O said when asked why they didn’t opt to release ‘Maps’ as their first single.
“It’s quite blurry for me,” she said, discussing the song’s trajectory, “The radio play is when I start processing that something was happening because we were playing those radio Jingle Ball festivals all the sudden, and people were flocking to see us because of ‘Maps’.”
The truth is, no matter how good your music is, it can be tough to know what will connect with the audience at large and what won’t. When Yeah Yeah Yeahs released ‘Maps’ and finally started to get attention, they knew the kind of sound the audience wanted, and that has inspired them to keep making excellent music ever since.
