The Grimes-Lana Del Rey connection continues to be slowly forged after the former toured with her as an opening act in 2015, and then, in 2019, had the kind of conversation with her for Interview Magazine that one could imagine overhearing in the paid-for-by-parents SoHo lofts of NYU kids. Perhaps because it’s been ten years since Lana Del Rey graced us with an anthem that made gaming “romantic” as opposed to full-stop dweebish, Grimes felt obliged to bring us an update to Del Rey’s instant classic (now viewed as “vintage”). One that happens to mark ten years since LDR’s arrival onto “the scene” (as Variety recently acknowledged by giving her the Artist of the Decade award–even though some might have thought the “entertainment trade” was still more focused on movies than music). In any case, Grimes must have surely noted that she was stepping into already-trodden territory with a song like this, and yet, Grimes herself is far more versed in the video game world than Del Rey ever was.
As such, she brings a different perspective to incorporating video games as part of a parallel metaphor for her relationship. Like all great lyricists, Grimes knows the value of wordplay, and in this case, she uses it to prime effect by referencing both a man who plays video games and emotional games. Obviously, it’s not difficult to deduce that the man she’s likely talking about is billionaire Elon Musk. After going to the dark side and choosing to have his spawn, it has appeared as though Grimes wants nothing more than to cleanse herself of this entire experience, hence being photographed reading The Communist Manifesto right after their breakup.
And now, crafting a song to rival “Video Games.” Though it’s not about the “sweetness and sorrow” of her time together with Elon, but rather, about how he’ll always be too focused on being “the best player of games.” In capitalist society, that means playing at the rigged game of making more money by already being born into wealth. And few can deny that Elon has been quite good at that. “The best” at being a douchebag, if you will. To boot, as he fucks up the Earth even more than it already is with his “eco-friendly” car brand, he seeks more intergalactic pastures for himself and his elite brethren to defect to when Gaia’s brink is finally reached. Indeed, it seems Grimes subs out “Mars” in this song for “Europa” (one of Jupiter’s moons) as she sings, “Would you still love me/Out on Europa/Or will you forget?/Baby, how can I compare/To the adventure out there?/Sail away/To the cold expanse of space/Even love couldn’t keep you in your place.”
But of course, how could something as quaint as “love” ever compare to the infinite power at a billionaire’s disposal? This, too, is why neither Bezos nor Gates could hold on to their “loves.” Namely because their only true love is themselves and the power they hold thanks, in part, to that cold-hearted narcissism that is required of all billionaires, even Rihanna.
Co-producing with fellow Canadian Illangelo, the tone of the music is in keeping with Grimes’ usual moodiness, punctuated by a lyric video that features her brandishing a knife held behind her back as she clutches tightly to a proverbial knight in shining armor like they’re on the cover of a romance novel. Grimes, as we’ve seen, has clearly chosen to pull the knife on Elon, no knight–regardless of possessing the finances to save anyone from their misery.
Grimes laments, “I’m in love with thе greatest gamer/But he’ll always love the game/More than he loves me.” It’s a revelation that’s certainly in contrast to, “It’s you, it’s you/It’s all for you/Everything I do” and “This is my idea of fun/Playin’ video games.” (Lizzy) Granted, Del Rey is intermixing sadness with the happiness of this idyllic relationship, actually wishing that it could have been so idyllic with another boy she loved in that distinctly “first love” type of way. Which is why she commented on the song at the time, “The verse was about the way things were with one person, and the chorus was the way that I wished things had really been with another person, who I thought about for a long time.”
Unfortunately for Grimes, Elon will have to embody both of those tropes in “Player of Games” a more “adult,” tongue-in-cheek “redux” of “Video Games.”
