15 Epic Songs Where the Game is Played | Playlist 🎧
Reading Time: 16min read
15 Epic Songs Where the Game is Played features music courtesy of Adele, Fall Out Boy, Queen, Sufjan Stevens, and Young Thug.
Two words: GAME 🎮 ON! Cutting straight to the chase, whether you’re a gamer, a gaymer 🌈 – HELL, even if you don’t like games – you should be entertained by this musical compendium right here 🤘! That’s right, we’re totally going E-P-I-C with this shee-it – 🎧 15 Epic Songs Where the Game is Played! WOO! The keyword is GAME, so, even if you suck at board games, card games, video games, or anything athletic that involve some sort of competitive game, no worries – let the music cover it for you! 🎧 15 Epic Songs Where the Game is Played features music courtesy of 🎙 Adele, 🎙 Fall Out Boy, 🎙 Queen, 🎙 Sufjan Stevens, and 🎙 Young Thug among others. Honestly, there is no early way you won’t be entertained, so, forget about work because like 🎙 Tommy Edwards sang, 🎵 “It’s All In the Game”!
💿So Much (For) Stardust • 🏷 Fueled By Ramen • 📅 2023
“I’ve got all this love I’ve got keep to myself / All this effort to make it look effortless.” Ah, 🎙 Pete Wentz, the bassist and songwriter for 🎙 Fall Out Boy, always has a way with words! Likewise, 🎙 Patrick Stump has always had the voice, with the right tone, nuance, and expression to bring those potent lyrics to life. 🎵“Flu Game”, the ninth track from the longtime, Chicago, Illinois alternative collective’s 2023 LP, 💿 So Much (For) Stardust, is an odd title. They are renowned for odd titles, of course. But, there is a legendary NBA moment that inspires/fuels the fire here: The iconic, Michael Jordan “flu game” in the 1997 NBA Finals. Essentially, a sick Jordan, with food poisoning/flu-like symptoms pushed through his illness and won a tight game for the Chicago Bulls. Did I mention FOB was born in Chicago?
In the context of “Flu Game,” no, Patrick Stump isn’t singing about the 90-88 hard fought victory the Bulls pulled out over the Utah Jazz. What he does convey, however, is perseverance. There is clearly adversity, but Stump and company are working hard, nonetheless. “Confront all the pain like a gift under the tree,” he asserts in the second verse, adding, “I grind in the sunshine, grind in the rain / So real that I feel fake.” WOO! The bridge is a pivotal moment of this “Flu Game” Fall Out Boy touts:
“One day, every candle’s gotta run out of wax
One day, no one will remember me when they look back
I can’t stop, can’t stop ‘til we catch all your ears though
Somewhere between Mike Tyson and Van Gogh.”
Driving bass, roaring guitars, pummeling drums, and powerful, cutting vocals make 🎵“Flu Game” a fierce rock cut. A tuneful melody, “la-la-la” background vocals, and the loud, in your face performance doesn’t hurt the cause either 🤘!
🏆 Award-winning musician/actress 🎙 Lady Gaga is supremely talented. She’s also a goddess of sex (😂). Admittedly, as a college student in the aughts, I was all-in on 🎵“LoveGame”, which graced her 2008 debut album, 💿 The Fame. At the time, I picked up on some of the sexual innuendoes but because I was taken by the production and sound (🎛 RedOne), I either ignored or didn’t catch everything. Looking back, however, and reexamining “LoveGame,” it’s far more sexual than originally thought!
Obviously, “Let’s have some fun, this beat is sick / I wanna take a ride on your disco stick” finds Lady Gaga H-O-R-N-Y. Obviously, she met a guy at the club, is taken with him, and wants to have sex. Yep, that disco stick is the natural joystick aka penis. That hook is one of the catchier of the aughts, not to mention naughty. In the verses, the sex is lit. “It’s complicated and stupid, got my ass squeezed by sexy Cupid / Guess he wants to play, wants to play a love game, a love game…” In the second verse, she’s “On a mission / And it involves some heavy touching.” My, oh my! Want to know how horny she is? “You’ve indicated your interest, I’m educated in sex / And now I want it bad, want it bad, a love game, a love game.” Woo! By the pre-chorus, we add to the chorus, though I think we all might’ve misheard some of the lyrics:
“Let’s have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Don’t think too much, just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick.”
Let’s be honest, we all hoped “bust that kick” was about busting something else 🫢🤫 😂! Even though Lady Gaga didn’t take that particularly line to the next lustful level, she sort of set us up to think lustfully. Of course, the music video 🎶📼 is a sight to behold itself (those dancers though 😍).
“I fucked her the first night and then I never called again / Next time lil’ shawty seen me, I was ridin’ with her friend.” Hmm, so let’s break this down. The melodic 🏆 Grammy-winner 🎙 Young Thug has sex with said woman one night – a one-night stand. Then, he curbs her, and has sex with her friend, because he can. Furthermore, he doesn’t care about either – it’s just sex. Classy? But as he says himself on 🎵 “Hate The Game”, the 19th track on his 2021 album, 💿Punk, “Do not hate me, hate the game, baby.” I suppose, I suppose.
“Hate The Game” lacks any semblance of depth if you couldn’t tell by the excerpts from the chorus. It’s all drip, sex, and violence. Take the first verse, for example. One moment, Young Thug “Hopped off a Delta to a private jet.” 💰 The next moment, he “cocked that Beretta then I shot his neck.” 🩸 Ouch! And, covering the sex aspect, he asserts, “Throw me a baddie and I caught the catch,” as well later adding, “I don’t want none of these sluts from off the streets.” Give Thugga credit for being honest and true to self on the banger 🎵 “Hate The Game”, even if he’s unapologetic AF. He never said he was classy, right? Shout out 🎛 Louis Bell, watt, and KrishnaMusic for the lit backdrop 🔥, which has punk vibes – it’s that rhythmic guitar!
4. Adele, “Love Is A Game”
💿 30 • 🏷 Melted Stone / Columbia • 📅 2021
🎵 “Love is a Game” serves as the final piece of the puzzle, rather 🎙️ Adele’s fourth studio album, 💿 30. “Love is a Game” marks homerun for the 🏆 Academy award and Grammy-winning musician. Vocally, she sings with incredible passion, sounding authentic to the nth degree. I love the sound of her lower register on the verse. Stylistically, I heart the fact that she taps into the vintage soul of the late 60s and 70s. This is the perfect vibe for her, particularly since she is tackling the plight of love.
The chorus marks one of the best on an album full of fabulous choruses!
“That love is a game for fools to play
And I ain’t fooling (fooling), what a cruel thing (cruel thing)
To self-inflict that pain.”
Other things to rave about “Love is a Game” is the modulation (key change), those soulful backing vocals, and the production by 🎛 Inflo. “Love is a Game” provides the closure that Adele needed, and that the album deserved.
“I don’t wanna be the center of the universe / I don’t wanna be part of that shame,” 🎙 Sufjan Stevens asserts on the first verse of his song, 🎵“Video Game.” He adds, “In a way, wanna be my own redeemer / I don’t wanna play your video game.” As is common in a Sufjan Stevens song, he makes numerous spiritual references. While this highlight from 💿 The Ascension isn’t religious, it’s intriguing how he weaves it into the theme. So, what is he getting at? Essentially, on this sleek, electro-fueled alternative cut, Mr. Stevens has no intention to play that clout, fame game. Also, a once faith-driven artist, Stevens seeks to preserve some semblance of faith and not let his celebrity and the expectations of being a musician destroy him. “I don’t wanna be a puppet in a theater,” he asserts in the second verse. Later, it’s, “I don’t wanna put the devil on a pedestal / I don’t wanna put the saints in chains / I just wanna make my life a little easier.” As he cites the fact, he doesn’t want to be Julius Caesar and ultimately suffer his demise from within, he also knows “In a way, you gotta follow the procedure.” Ultimately, “Video Game” is jam-packed and a lot to unpack. A surefire gem from The Ascension.
🎙 Summer Walker proved herself to be quite the promising R&B artist, shining on her 2018 debut studio album, 💿 Over It.Over It certainly doesn’t disappoint, particularly the PLAYFUL song at hand, 🎵 “Playing Games.”🎵 “Playing Games (Extended Version)” marked the LP’s first collaboration, featuring 🎙 Bryson Tiller. The nostalgic vibes that characterize the album in general continue, thanks to an interpolation of the 90s 🎙 Destiny’s Child classic, 🎵“Say My Name”. Walker sounds truly awesome, bringing a smooth delivery where it sounds as if she’s never forced to break a sweat. Love dominates the theme, and ideal match for R&B.
“So, won’t you say my name, say my name?
If you claim you want me, it ain’t no thang
You acting kind of shady
You ain’t been calling me baby, oh
Boy, you can go’n stop playing games
Playing games.”
Basically, Walker just wants the attention that she deserves – her man to treat her like a queen, and not with materialism. The chorus is a huge selling point, while Tiller provides a welcome contrast to Walker on the third and final verse (“Me, I’m never actin’ shady / You will always be my baby / You’ll be my baby, yeah, yeah”).
🎵 “The Games We Play” has the arduous task of following up “If You Know You Know,” arguably the crowning achievement of 🎙 Pusha T’s 2018 LP, 💿 DAYTONA. “The Games We Play” follows up with soulful, old-school, minor-key production by 🎛 Kanye West and Andrew Dawson. A notable feature is the horns, which only fuel the fire of Push. Beginning once more with an intro, T proceeds to ‘dig right in.’ “This ain’t a wave or phase, ‘cause all that shit fades,” he asserts on the first verse. Poetically, he later goes on to say, “This is for my bodybuilding clients moving weight / Just add water, stir it like a shake.” While the rapper doesn’t add anything we haven’t already heard in the past, he continues to be articulate and compelling with his drug tales.
8. Taylor Swift, “End Game” (Ft. Ed Sheeran & Future)
💿reputation • 🏷 Big Machine • 📅 2017
“I wanna be your end game / I wanna be your first string / I wanna be your A-Team / I wanna be your end game, end game.” In the context of 💿 reputation (and arguably, her career), 🎵 “End Game” marked a ‘change of pace’ for 🏆 Grammy-winning superstar, 🎙 TaylorSwift. Collaborating with pal 🎙 Ed Sheeran isn’t far-fetched but bringing 🎙 Future into the fold is quite surprising. “You’re so dope, don’t overdose / I’m so stoked, I need a toast,” Future raps in the first verse, continuing, “We do the most, I’m in the Ghost like I’m whippin’ a boat / I got a reputation, girl that don’t precede me.” Beyond featuring the Atlanta rapper, the gimmickry is amped up to the nth degree, particularly at the onset. Once things settle in, “End Game” sounds a bit more stable and respectable. Still, with the pop-rapping from Ed Sheeran (“Knew her when I was young, reconnected when were little bit older / Both sprung, I got issues and chips on both of my shoulders”), “End Game” is, um, a bit flimsy. Still, there’s charm and personality as well.
💿 Back in Black • 🏷 Universal Island Ltd. • 📅 2006
“For you I was a flame / Love is a losing game.” Songs about love, particularly the plight of love, never grow old. 🎙 Amy Winehouse had a terrific record about being on the losing end of it with 🎵“Love Is a Losing Game”. The gem appeared on her 🏆 Grammy-winning, tour de force, 💿 Back in Black (2006), the album that made her a star. Sadly, Winehouse would become a member of the infamous 27 club, succumbing to alcohol poisoning in 2011. Even though Winehouse left a small discography, it’s definitely a case of quality over quantity.
“Played out by the band
Love is a losing hand
More than I could stand
Love is a losing hand.”
“Love is a Losing Game” in Winehouse’s hands sounds like it could’ve been recorded in the 1950s or 1960s. This is vintage, retro-soul at its best, perfectly emulating the sound of music long past. Even though this record sounded uncharacteristic of the mid-aughts, it provided a refreshing vibe as opposed to an anachronistic, irrelevant one. Winehouse keeps things short, just crossing the two-and-a-half-minute mark. That is a sufficient amount of time for her to bless us with a distinct, once-in-a-lifetime tone that’s throaty, and incredibly expressive and nuanced. With that expressiveness comes a high degree of authenticity, as Winehouse draws you into her love pains. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s backed by splendid production (🎛 Mark Ronson) and orchestration, incorporating strings and horns. To quote 🎙 Al Green, “Love Is a Losing Game” is 🎵“Simply Beautiful”.
“I’ve been a rolling antique / For all my life.” That’s probably true of 🎙 Robin Pecknold and 🎙 Fleet Foxes’ music. It definitely serves as one of the best lyrics from 🎵 “Young Man’s Game,” which graces the band’s fourth LP, 💿Shore. Characterize “Young Man’s Game” as Fleet Foxes’ ‘goofier’ song of sorts. This colorful record isn’t as serious as many of the deeper numbers from Shore. It’s not a ‘pop bop,’ but the lighter nature is part of the charm. Pecknold plays around with youthful naivety like a boss – well – an alternative, indie-folk boss!
“I’ve been lucky as sin
Not one thing in my way
Just the arena I was in
But it’s a young man’s game.”
11. Lana Del Rey, “Video Games”
💿Born to Die • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2012
“It’s you, it’s you, it’s all for you / Everything I do / I tell you all the time.” Cutting straight to the chase, 🎵“Video Games” marked the beginnings of the brilliant, 🏆 Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, 🎙 Lana Del Rey. “Video Games” hails from 💿 Born to Die, an album that highlighted her immense potential (she’s since become a much more mature artist). Here, Del Rey imparts a tale and unsurprisingly, L-O-V-E comes into play. “Swingin’ in the backyard, pull up in your fast car / Whistlin’ my name,” she sings on the opening lines of the first verse. Clearly, the flirty-ness is going to lead to more. She goes on to reference the video game, though more importantly, sex (“Take that body downtown”). Video games are mentioned throughout, fittingly, but ultimately, Del Rey uses them metaphorically/symbolically. If you were expecting her to get specific about the games her boyfriend plays, well, you’ll be disappointed. With the games, there’s a personal tie, and, the games represent the state of the relationship too. Lots to unpack for sure on this utterly sublime, early Lana Del Rey joint.
“I left my girl back home / I don’t love her no more / And she’ll never fucking know that / These fucking eyes that I’m staring at.” Woo! So, the 🎵“Wicked Games” of which 🎙 The Weeknd speaks begin with cheating. Keep on truckin’ in the first verse alone and it is crystal clear that the 🏆 Grammy-winning Canadian R&B singer/songwriter is paying for sex (“Let me see that ass / Look at all this cash / And I emptied out my cards too”) and using substances (“Now I’m fucking leaning on that”). That is a jam-packed opening verse on this record that helped make The Weeknd a star. Peaking at a modest no. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Wicked Games” wouldn’t come close to being the biggest hit of Tesfaye’s career, but the highlight from his 2011 mixtape, 💿 House of Balloons (re-released in the commercial, triple-disc compilation, 💿 Trilogy), is an important stepping stone in his career.
What stands out about “Wicked Games” is the voice. At the time it picked up traction on radio, there was no one who sounded like The Weeknd. His high tenor was ear-catching (it still is). Furthermore, his bluntness added another dimension, including profanity, as well as themes that paint him authentically as rough around the edges. “Bring the cups, baby, I could bring the drank / Bring your body, baby, I could bring you fame,” he sings in the pre-chorus, adding, “And that’s my motherfucking words too / Just let me motherfucking love you.” WOO! Clearly, this is a #BIG MOOD! Also, adding to the allure was the lethargic pace – “Wicked Games” is the ultimate slow jam. It’s all parts seedy, sexy, sketchy, and unapologetic. Shout out the colorful, moody production work by The Weeknd, 🎛 Martin “Doc” McKinney, and Carlo “Illangelo” Montagnese.
“Another round, do we give up? / This is taking longer than Zelda.” Woo! That is taking a long time then, 🎙 Alessia Cara! She continues singing, “Hold on, what I meant was / Is it too late to get a one-up?” There is lots to like about 🎵 “Nintendo Game,” a highlight from 💿The Pains of Growing, the 2018 sophomore album by the 🏆 Grammy-winning Canadian pop singer/songwriter. “Nintendo Game” maintains soul showcased consistently throughout The Pains of Growing. Furthermore, the record is faster than the one that precedes (🎵“Comfortable”) and throws in some modern production tricks (🎛 ClickNPress). Cara penned “Nintendo Game” alongside 🎼 ✍ Kaleb “KQuick” Rollins and Marc Soto. The lyrics – comparing love to a Nintendo video game – are top-notch.
“Push and shove, go ‘head and take your aim
We better duck ‘cause right now nobody’s safe
And we could grow up, but it’s no fun that way
And so, we treat love like it’s a Nintendo game
But nobody wins.”
14. The Spinners, “Games People Play”
💿 Pick of the Litter • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 1975
“Games people play / Night or day they’re just not matchin’ / What they should do / Keeps me feelin’ blue.” 🎙 The Spinners were one of the best and successful soul groups of the 1970s. Interestingly, the iconic collective had seven top-10 hits. 🎵“Games People Play” was one of them, peaking at no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and spending a total of 18 weeks on the charts. Helping to craft the sophisticated Philly soul sound is the late, great producer, 🎛 Thom Bell. “Games People Play” commences with a distinct, unmistakable groove. Furthermore, there is a superb string and horn arrangement, which falls in line with 1970s soul. In addition to the core rhythm section, the use of percussion is a marvelous musical touch. Also, shout out to 🎼✍ Bruce Hawes, Charles Simmons, and Joseph B. Jefferson, who penned this masterpiece. The harmonic scheme is incredibly notable, going beyond basic, tried and true chord changes
Sound and songwriting play a pivotal role. So do the incredibly sophisticated, soulful vocals. In the hands of the late 🎙 Bobby Smith, Pervis Jackson, and Evette Benton, nothing sounds forced – it feels organic. All three vocalists contrast yet complement each other. Smith serves up a sweet tenor, while Jackson delivers a robust bass. As for Benton, she adds a glorious, feminine touch. The vocal arrangement is nothing short of stupendous. As far as the most memorably part of this gargantuan soul joint, it’s the chorus, one of the most memorable by The Spinners (“Been down too long / Right, wrong, they just can’t stop it / Spendin’ all day / Thinking just of you”). 🎵“Games People Play” is indeed the ‘pick of the litter’ from the collective’s 1975 album, 💿 Pick of the Litter.
“Open up your mind / And let me step inside.” Hmm, okay 🎙 Freddie Mercury, if you say so! As the saying goes, an open mind is the best kind… something like that! Anyways, 🎵“Play The Game”, the song from which the lyrics hail, commences 💿 The Game (1980), an album which Max Bell of udiscovermusic asserts iconic band 🎙 Queen “broke all the rules.” The rules broken namely were the inclusion of synths, specifically Mercury playing the 🎹 Oberheim OB-X, which has been well documented. In the intro, the listener hears the synths/sound effects, which also recur in the song. Post-intro, we hear the celestial piano and vocals of the legendary front man.
Despite the synth evolution on this classic, which peaked at no. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, the theme itself is tried-and-true: LOVE. The game of love has been around forever – it’s well established. Even so, it never fails to captivate, particularly when the inspiration is a breakup or heartbreak. According to Mercury, per the chorus, “It’s so easy when you know the rules / It’s so easy, all you have / To do is fall in love / Play the game / Everybody play the game of love.” He has a point BUT, is it really that easy, Freddie? The falling part, yes, however, things get more arduous beyond that! Later, the second chorus features varying lyrics, with Mercury giving advice: “don’t play hard to get.” The bridge marks one of the most intriguing moments both musically (change of feel, articulation, and melodically) and lyrically. Notably, Mercury asserts, “My game of love has just begun / Love runs from my head / Down to my toes / My love is pumping / Through my veins / Driving me insane.” Honestly, with song like “Play The Game”, there’s so much more to capture. Besides Mercury’s stellar lead vocals, what about the layered backgrounds? What about the ripe guitar of Brian May including the solo post-bridge leading into another chorus? 🎵“Play The Game” exhibits the genius of this once in a lifetime band, PERIOD!
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