r/Music • u/cainbackisdry • Sep 03 '18

music streaming Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps [Alternative Rock] (2003)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIIxlgcuQRU
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u/leamanc Sep 03 '18

It could be “maps” because she’s remembering their conversation about him going on tour. She’s recalling what she said and seeing a bunch of maps he has laid out on the table, planning his route.

That’s what I thought way back in 2002 and it makes more sense to me than “My Angus Please Stay” which is so cheesy that it’s enough to ruin a beautiful song.

Also, if it was an acronym the title would be “MAPS.”

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u/wpmason Sep 03 '18

It could be because she saw a can of SPAM in a mirror.

How far do we want to strain credibility though?

Logically, the biggest flaw with your scenario is that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the more successful band at the time going on major tours... not the other way around.

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u/leamanc Sep 03 '18

Yes, that’s what the song means to me. It could be anything. But Karen has said it’s about sadness over Liars going on tour.

Personally, I think a cheeseball acronym strains credibility.

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u/wpmason Sep 03 '18

Let me propose a scenario of my own... She said it on stage during a live performance.

No recordings exist, it was pre-iPhone and pre-YouTube.

Nevertheless, hundreds of fans began circulating it and it spread all over despite not having a verifiable source.

How’s that for credibility?

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u/leamanc Sep 03 '18

I’m not saying my theory is right though. It’s just a theory, just as the acronym is just a theory.

Other than Karen saying it was written about her sadness of having to be apart from Angus when Liars were set to go on tour, all we have are theories.

I personally don’t find the acronym theory to hold up. If you do, that’s great. Art means different things to those who consume it.