Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps” released

Maps Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Writer(s): Brian Chase, Karen Lee Orzolek, Nick Zinner (see lyrics here) Released: September 22, 2003 First Charted: October 31, 2003 Peak: 87 BB, 9 MR, 26 UK, 11 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 109.25 video, 268.48 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The indie-rock band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs formed in 2000 in New York City “peddling a punky, garage-rock-derived sound.” TB Like the White Stripes, they didn’t have a bassist, “but they more than make up for this with the effects-laden guitar work of Nick Zinner and Brian Chase’s sturdy backbeat. The real star of the show is vocalist Karen O, a mutant cross-breed of PJ Harvey and Chrissie Hynde.” TB They released their debut album, Fever to Tell, in 2003. It has sold a million copies worldwide. The lead single, “Date with the Night,” has been the band’s highest charting song to date, reaching #16 in the UK. However, it was the third single, “Maps,” which became the band’s best known song. It’s “an outlier for the band; the rest of the…album…is much more aggressive.” SF The “art-punk ballad” WK is about Karen O’s relationship with then-boyfriend Angus Andrew, frontman of the Liars. WK In 2006, she told Rolling Stone that their hectic touring schedules caused a rift in their relationship. WK She called it “the ultimate ‘you are always on my mind’-type song.” SF The band has never confirmed it, but some believe the song’s title stands for “My Angus Please Stay.” WK Beyoncé’s 2014 song “Hold Up” includes an interpolation of the line “they don’t love you like I love you” from “Maps.” The members of Yeah Yeah Yeahs were given a writing credit. WK Similarly, Kelly Clarkson’s 2004 hit “Since U Been Gone” uses “a precise replica of this song’s guitar break.” SF Songwriter Dr. Luke loved the song “Maps” but writing partner Max Martin complained that it built up to a chorus that was a let down. Luke said, “’Why don't we do that, but put a big chorus on it?’ It worked.” WK In a 2022 countdown, listeners of Kansas City’s 90.9 The Bridge voted “Maps” the #1 song of the decade. In 2009, New Musical Express (NME), ranked it as the “greatest alternative love song” of all time. WK Resources: SF Songfacts TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 307. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/6/2025.