Paper Planes - Chart Performance

Chart Performance

"Paper Planes" has achieved commercial success by reaching the top ten in the Canada and the United States, appearing in the top ten of six Billboard US charts, the top 20 in Denmark, Belgium, Israel and the United Kingdom and charting in many other countries in Europe, South America and Oceania. The song debuted at number 72 on the Hot Canadian Digital Sales chart and at number 89 on the Canadian Hot 100 in late February 2008 due to strong digital downloads. By late March 2008, the song reached number 3 on the US Hot Singles Sales chart and topped the US Hot Dance Singles Sales chart, becoming M.I.A.'s first single to top the chart after her debut "Galang" reached number 11 and "Boyz" peaked at number 3. After its appearance in the trailer for the film Pineapple Express, the song entered the Pop 100 chart at number 99, and the Bubbling Under Hot 100 at number 14 in the United States. By early May 2008, the song had climbed to number 4 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, and number 80 on the US Billboard Pop 100, overtaking the peak of 99 achieved on the chart by M.I.A.'s previous single "Boyz". "Paper Planes" debuted on the US Billboard Hot Digital Songs at the same time at number 57, climbing to number 71 on the Pop 100 chart. In Europe, the song debuted on the Belgian Singles Chart, peaking at 18 in June 2008. The song rebounded on the US charts following use in the Pineapple Express trailer the next month, entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart at position 55, with sales of 42,000 downloads. In subsequent weeks, it continued to climb the chart, with download sales totaling 888,000 the following month. In its ninth week on the chart, "Paper Planes" rose from number five to number four on the Hot 100, where it peaked. The song was notable for having received heavy airplay across radio stations of different genres, including Mainstream, Pop, Modern Rock Tracks (Alternative), and Urban Contemporary such as R'n'B and hip hop-formatted stations. As of August 2009, the song sold over three million units in the United States. "Paper Planes" has been certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in the U.S. and Music Canada (CRIA) in Canada, becoming the 29th most downloaded song in the digital era in the United States in 2009, and has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand in New Zealand. As of November 2011, "Paper Planes" has sold 3.68 million digital copies in the United States, making M.I.A. the fifth highest selling British solo artist of the digital era in the country with the song. "Paper Planes" ranks as of November 2011 as the 59th most downloaded song according to Nielsen SoundScan's running list of the 200 best-selling songs in US digital history.

On 7 September 2008, "Paper Planes" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 69 on downloads alone and by 4 October 2008 peaked at number 19. Following its appearance in the film Slumdog Millionaire, the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart on 15 February 2009 at number 33. The song spent thirty-five weeks on the chart, and reappeared on the singles chart in January 2010 at number 61, a position it retained for one week. By November 2011, "Paper Planes" had sold 3.6 million copies in the US, becoming the seventh best-selling song by a British artist in the digital era. It entered the French Singles Chart for the first time on the February 18, 2012 at position 196, before climbing to number 162.

"Paper Planes" remained XL Recordings' best selling single until the 2010 release of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". M.I.A. left the label in 2011 following the completion of her contract. Eric R. Danton of the Hartford Courant noted that the song's success "speaks to the idea that the best pop music rarely originates with the major label corporate music machine that exists to sell pop music" but rose from underground artists with something to say, offering significant lessons to the music industry in an era of declining music sales and general financial turmoil.