Play the Game (song)

"Play the Game"
UK single picture sleeve
Single by Queen
from the album The Game
B-side"A Human Body"
Released
  • 30 May 1980 (UK)
  • 6 June 1980 (US)
RecordedFebruary–May 1980
StudioMusicland, Munich
GenreRock
Length3:30 (album version)
3:12 (Queen Forever version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Freddie Mercury
Producer(s)
Queen singles chronology
"Save Me"
(1980) 		"Play the Game"
(1980) 		"Another One Bites the Dust"
(1980)
Music video
"Play the Game" on YouTube

"Play the Game" is a song by British rock band Queen, written by Freddie Mercury. It is the first track on the first side of their 1980 album The Game. It also appears on their album Greatest Hits. The single was a hit in the UK, reaching No. 14 in the charts, and in the US, peaking at No. 42.

Composition

The song commences with a series of overlapping rushing noises on an Oberheim OB-X synthesizer, heralding the band's acceptance of electronic instruments into their once explicitly "no synths" sonic repertoire. They played it in their live shows from 1980 to 1982.

The song features a soft vocal by Mercury, ending with a strong A4 rising in pitch all the way to C5 in chest voice (contrary to the other C5s being hit in falsetto). Mercury also played piano on the track.

Billboard considered "Play the Game" to be a return to Queen's traditional "epic, rather grand sound" after deviating from that sound with the rockabilly of their prior single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".[1] Cash Box similarly said that this was a return to Queen's "patented high tech, progressive pop sound" and they commented on "Freddie Mercury's breathless falsetto and sweet piano work" and "Brian May’s soaring lead guitar".[2] Record World said that "Freddy Mercury leads a celestial choir of pretty falsettos juxtaposed with soaring guitars."[3]

Later singles "It's a Hard Life", "Let Me Live" and "You Don't Fool Me" revisit the theme presented in "Play the Game", with Mercury writing from the same lover's perspective years later in the former song, and reflecting on the memories of the failed relationship in the latter. Both "Play the Game" and "It's a Hard Life" are of a similar structure, revolving around Mercury's piano playing and the band's multi-layered harmonies.[4]

Music video

The sleeve of the single, as well as its promotional video directed by Brian Grant,[5] marked the first time Mercury appeared in either format with moustache. Brian May did not use his trademark Red Special guitar, instead using a Fender Stratocaster replica made by Satellite. This was likely due to the risk of damage involved in the shot in which Mercury snatches the guitar from May, then appears to throw it back to him which was played back in reverse so that it would be easier for May to play the solo after "catching" the guitar in the video.[5] A shot of the band in the unedited blue screen set for the video was later used for the cover of the "Another One Bites the Dust" single release.

Personnel

Charts

Country Peak position
Canada[6] 22
France (IFOP)[7] 42
Germany 40
Ireland 9
Netherlands 15
Norway 6
Switzerland 8
UK 14
US (Billboard) 42
US (Cash Box) 38

Beach House version

"Play the Game"
Song by Beach House
from the album B-Sides and Rarities
ReleasedJune 30, 2017
RecordedJuly 2008
StudioLord Baltimore (Baltimore, Maryland)
Genre
Length4:18
Label
Songwriter(s)Freddie Mercury
Producer(s)
  • Rob Girardi
  • Beach House
Music video
"Play the Game" on YouTube

American indie rock duo Beach House recorded a cover of "Play the Game" that was released as an iTunes Store-only bonus track from Red Hot Organization's compilation album Dark Was the Night (2009).[8][9] On 30 June 2017, the band released their compilation album B-Sides and Rarities (2017), which includes the cover.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 21 June 1980. p. 99. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  2. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 21 June 1980. p. 22. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 28 June 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Queen's Greatest Videos". Episode 1/1. 1999. 30 minutes in. Channel 4. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  5. ^ a b Brian and Roger talk. Greatest Video Hits 1. October 2002.
  6. ^ RPM Weekly – September 1980
  7. ^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. 18 July 1980. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  8. ^ "new beach house :: 'play the game' (queen cover)". Gorilla vs. Bear. 28 February 2009. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  9. ^ "'Play the Game' (Queen cover)". Pitchfork. 2 March 2009. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  10. ^ Phares, Heather. "Beach House - B-Sides and Rarities". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  11. ^ Yoo, Noah (17 May 2017). "Beach House Detail New B-Sides and Rarities Album, Share New Track 'Chariot': Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.