Player of Games is a song by Grimes. It was released as the first single for her scrapped sixth album, Book 1.
Background[]
On July 22, 2021, Grimes first previewed a teaser of the track via TikTok alongside the caption:[1][dead link]
❝ Player of Games… demo ? #grimes #Space #dancer #fans #burningman made with @rayjrv @symonekimeka ❞
This came two days after sharing a snippet of 100% Tragedy with a video from the same shoot,[2] and one month after sharing a snippet from Shinigami Eyes.[3]
On July 25, Grimes aired the demo as a part of a Discord DJ set.[4]
On November 17, the track fully debuted as the theme song for season 5 of the vehicular sports video game Rocket League.[5]
On November 29, Grimes tweeted "Player of Games" in Binary Code, with a release date of December 3rd.[6]
Composition[]
Meaning[]
The song is about Elon Musk, and his plans to go to Mars, as presented in this Vanity Fair interview:
❝ One morning I wake to a text about Musk. “Hahaha e says he’ll do an interview with you surprisingly.”
A week later, shortly before midnight on a Friday, Grimes calls from Musk’s Tesla and puts them on speakerphone. It’s date night. They’ve got a sitter for X and Y, and they’re going to the movies—an early cut of dailies by a director friend. We’ve got 12 minutes to talk. Musk is in the driver’s seat letting the car do the driving, and Grimes is refreshing his memory about the chorus to "Player of Games," which dropped in December and is more or less about him: "If I loved him any less I’d make him stay / but he has to be the best Player of Games."
"I wouldn’t say I have to be the best Player of Games," Musk says. He thinks the guy in the song sounds "somewhat overwrought." Grimes concedes a bit of dramatic license, but "it rhymes well." He does like strategy games an awful lot, though, and she asks for permission to share that he has the top score on a popular civilization-building game called The Battle of Polytopia, which Musk describes as a "much more complex version of chess." He’s even bested Polytopia’s creator, Felix Ekenstam. "I literally beat him at his own game," Musk says. (He’s also lost a bunch to Ekenstam too.)
[..]
When "Player of Games" first dropped, Grimes’s fans assumed it was about her rumored split from Musk, when in fact they were welcoming their second child and spending the holidays together as a family. The idea for the song came to her during a conversation with friends two years ago while she was three or four months pregnant with X, when Musk casually mentioned that he planned to depart for Mars in 10 years. She froze.
"I was like, ‘Uhhh….’ " She remembers laughing nervously. "I said, ‘Could we make it 20?’ "
"It wasn’t new information," Musk says in the car, lightly protesting when I bring this up. "I’ve been saying since before she was pregnant that I was going to Mars." Sure, she replies, but "I didn’t know you were going, like, this soon." She is still trying to convince Musk to stick around longer, but either way she came out of it with a killer song for her space opera.
“Player of Games” isn’t about their breakup. It’s about going into space (sort of). ❞
Media[]
Video[]
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Player of Games teaser | |
| Premiere | 22 Jul 2021 | |
| Length | 2:10 | |
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Grimes - Player of Games (Lyric Video) | |
| Premiere | 03 Dec 2021 | |
| Length | 4:12 | |
| Director | Anton Tammi | |
| Notes | Graphic Designer: Aleksi Tammi | |
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Grimes - Player Of Games (Official Video Trailer) | |
| Premiere | 20 Dec 2021 | |
| Length | 0:35 | |
| Director | Anton Tammi | |
| Notes | Graphic Designer: Aleksi Tammi | |
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Grimes - Player Of Games (Official Video) | |
| Premiere | 22 Dec 2021 | |
| Length | 6:42 | |
| Director | Anton Tammi | |
| Producer | Alli Maxwell, Tim Nash | |
| Production company | Somesuch | |
| Editor | Andreas Arvidsson, WGT A&M | |
| DP | Oliver Millar | |
| Notes | Graphic Designer: Aleksi Tammi | |
Additional Credits
- Creative Director/ Story: Grimes
- Line Producer: Veronica Leon
- Local Service Company: The LIFT
- 2nd Unit: Tuomas Nurmi
- 1st AD: Oscar Almengor
- Gaffer: Oscar Gonzalez
- Production Designer: Pol Agusti
- Grimes' Stylist: Turner
- Hair for Grimes: Preston Wada
- Makeup for Grimes: Natasha Severino
- Nails: Victoria Hendrix
- Artemis Gown: Firefly Path[7][8]
- Elizabeth Bolero Dress: Vivienne Westwood
- Knight Costume: Paola Alfaro
- Director’s Assistant: Ludwig Ljung
- 2nd Director’s Assistant: Otis Huss
- Post Producer: Elisa Johanna Känd
- Additional Editor: Martin Zaar
- Additional Editing: Tim Montana & Grimes
- Colourist: Nicke Cantarelli
- VFX & Online: Stefan Ekman
- 3D/VFX: Oscar Böckerman
- EP Post: Sofia Misgena, WGT
- A&M Sound Design: Akseli Soini
- Title Design: Aleksi Tammi
- Title Animation: Inari Sirola
- Custom Swords and Lightsabers: SaberForge
- Dark King: Andrei Pishchalnikov
Behind the Scenes
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_001.jpg "Player of Games BTS 001.jpg (150 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_010.jpg "Player of Games BTS 010.jpg (402 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_002.jpg "Player of Games BTS 002.jpg (152 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_009.jpg "Player of Games BTS 009.jpg (112 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_011.jpg "Player of Games BTS 011.jpg (384 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_003.jpg "Player of Games BTS 003.jpg (92 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_004.jpg "Player of Games BTS 004.jpg (124 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_005.jpg "Player of Games BTS 005.jpg (207 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_006.jpg "Player of Games BTS 006.jpg (383 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_012.jpg "Player of Games BTS 012.jpg (67 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_014.jpg "Player of Games BTS 014.jpg (400 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_007.jpg "Player of Games BTS 007.jpg (102 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_015.jpg "Player of Games BTS 015.jpg (664 KB)")
![[1]](/wiki/File:Player_of_Games_BTS_016.jpg "Player of Games BTS 016.jpg (241 KB)")
Background
In conversation with Eartheater for The Travel Almanac, Grimes said:[9]
❝ I'm especially interested in the unintentional Easter eggs. In "Player of Games", having the knight be in armour and me be naked- I hadn't even dissected the symbolism there. Really, I hadn't looked at it at all. And then we put it out and everyone was so crazy about that; we were just going for pure aesthetics, and then in retrospect, it was like my hand was subconsciously painting this picture or something. ❞
The plot of the video was taken from The Seventh Seal film, where the protagonist - also a knight - plays a chess game with Death, to decide whether he gets to live or die during the Black Death pandemic,[10][11] and Grimes was like: "Should we do the pop version of that kind of thing?"[11]
❝ [Shinigami Eyes and Player of Games, in terms of the inspiration there, anything there about the stories that took you in a particular direction?]
I mean, Player of Games is sort of a- it's sort of like, the main character is like a simulated girl and- have you guys seen The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman? [No.] Okay, well, in that movie, like, the guy is kind of like playing chess with the devil and, you know, when he loses the game he's gonna die or whatever... It's been a really long time since I've seen this movie so I'm probably not- I might be messing up the plot here but, um, in Book 1, like, part of the story is about this simulated girl - she's sort of like a simulated concubine, like, companion character and she's sort of like- she's playing games with her creator (..) but yeah, it's kind of like this sci-fi, matrix-y, sexy version of The Seventh Seal if that makes any sense. (..) It's like a cyber Marie Antoinette playing chess with her creator or playing a variety of video games with her creator in a simulation and see if she gets to live or not. ❞ - Grimes on CHANEL Connects[12]
Grimes said of this painting:[13]
❝ I am so obsessed w this painting it was the main image we used when working on the "player of games" music video ❞
The painting is called Sower of Temptation by Seb McKinnon.[14]
In preparation for the music video, Grimes would learn lightsaber and sword swinging, and choreography from Michelle Christa Smith.[15][16][17]
Despite that being unrealistic, Grimes in the music video gripped lightsabers because "(..) we had minimal lighting in the Dark woods".[18][19]
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Grimes - Player of Games (Official BTS) | |
| Premiere | 01 Dec 2021 | |
| Length | 0:20 | |
Artwork[]
_001.jpg "Facebook Profile Pictures (03 Dec 2021) 001.jpg (953 KB)")
(horizontally)
.png "Player of Games single artwork (dragon).png (3.05 MB)")
![Promotional artwork by Rahi Jay[20] He "(..) made a Cyber Grimes piece using one of her pictures!"](/wiki/File:Grimes_Player_Of_Games_Promotional_Artwork2.jpg "Grimes Player Of Games Promotional Artwork2.jpg (62 KB)")
He "(..) made a Cyber Grimes piece using one of her pictures!"
.jpg "Player of Games single artwork (extended).jpg (219 KB)")
(featured on her website)
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Baby, would you still love me -
out on Europa -
or will you forget? La, la, la, la-a
Baby, how can I compare -
to-the eh-heh-he-(ad)venture out there?
[Pre-Chorus]
Sail away -
to the cold expanse of space
Even love -
couldn't keep you in your place-
Can't you love me -
like that?
Why can't you need me -
like that?
[Chorus]
If I loved him any less -
I'd make him stay -
but he has to be the best -
Player of games -
If I loved you any less -
I'd make him stay -
Player of games
Player of games
[Post-Chorus]
Player of games
Player of games
Player of gamеs
Player of games
[Verse 2]
I'm in love -
with thе greatest gamer -
but he'll always love the game -
more than he loves me (ooh, ooh)
[Pre-Chorus]
Sail away -
to the cold expanse of space (ah-ah-ah) -
Even love -
couldn't keep you in your place-
Can't you love me -
like that?
Why can't you need me -
like that?
[Chorus]
If I loved him any less -
I'd make him stay -
but he has to be the best -
Player of games -
If I loved him any less -
I'd make him stay -
Player of games
Player of games
[Post-Chorus]
Player of games
Player of games
Player of games
Player of games
Baby, would you still love me -
out on Europa -
or will you forget? La, la, la, la-a
Baby, how can I compare -
to-the eh-heh-he-(ad)venture out there?
Sail away -
to the cold expanse of space
Even love -
couldn't keep you in your place-
Can't you love me -
like that?
Why can't you need me -
like that?
If I loved him any less -
I'd make him stay -
but he has to be the best -
Player of games -
If I loved him any less -
I'd make him stay -
Player of games
Player of games
(Player of games)
(Player of games)
(Player of games)
(Player of games)
(Player of games)
(Player of games)
(Player of games)
(Player of games)
(Player of games)
(Player of games)
Trivia[]
- The title of the song is a copy of the book's name The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks.[21]
- It is the first chapter of Book 1.[22]
- Player of Games and Enjoy the angels on earth share the same Grimes' smirk sound effect at the very end of the songs.[23][24]
Versions[]
▶ Standard - 4:05
▶ Music Video - 4:37
▶ Rocket League - 1:56
▶ Trailer - 0:35
Demos
▶ Original Version - 3:11
References[]
- ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@grimes/video/6987682636051287301/
- ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@grimes/video/6987107421281996037
- ↑ https://x.com/GrimezszCharts/status/1405693068091736068
- ↑ https://youtu.be/LyuO73fWzzU?t=2123
- ↑ https://www.rocketleague.com/news/rocket-league-goes-cosmic-in-season-5/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1465421681204285447
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/vaqz2c/grimes_for_the_travel_almanac_i_decided_to_post/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seventh_Seal
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://youtu.be/uV1SaZx1enM?si=LN3r9CQOZvV3jcxv&t=1104
- ↑ https://youtu.be/cbEw-Sjfe0w?si=l3unNWE3LqETopTi&t=1736
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1791735968422408526
- ↑ https://twitter.com/SebMcKinnon/status/1363241869031964677
- ↑ https://www.vogue.com/article/tiktok-lightsaber-stunt-artist-michelle-smith-grimes
- ↑ https://youtu.be/qpguy7XHARA?si=sRubupMa6xeORumM
- ↑
- ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1473809007253065734
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightsaber
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CWRc-KkphOe/?img_index=1
- ↑ https://youtu.be/KOwm7GUjcg8?si=cTAwbIdcStsUhAjp&t=1621
- ↑ https://youtu.be/ADHFwabVJec?si=YvwzvZVt7CS7143f&t=29
- ↑ https://youtu.be/CLhD4rBnNm4?si=tvFfzoRBG8d71N4e&t=238
- ↑ https://youtu.be/nxD5uB5x2rM?si=x5plfBvUL94bDqpg&t=215
