Playing Games


"Playing Games" is a song by American singer Summer Walker from her debut studio album, Over It. The song was released as the lead single from the album on August 23, 2019. The extended version features guest vocals from American singer Bryson Tiller. The song samples Destiny's Child's song "Say My Name".

Critical reception

Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork said that, in the song, Walker "addresses the lame dudes that continue to take her passion for granted" while not acknowledging "their relationship on Instagram". The Fader named it one of the best songs on Over It, reasoning their choice by stating that the chorus is a "full interpolation of one of Destiny’s Child’s most ubiquitous preachings" despite Walker not "phoning it in" and compared it to an old Nelly song.

Music video

The music video was released on October 8, 2019, and was directed by Christine Yuan. Despite being featured on the extended version of the song, Bryson Tiller does not appear in the clip. The video features shots of Walker sitting and lying on a bed surrounded by bright city lights in the backdrop. During the video, Walker has one man tied up and hanging from the ceiling while another one is seen being confined to a chair. Being fed-up with lies, Walker goes on to ignore a man bringing her flowers and apologizing.

Charts

Weekly charts

Original version

Extended version

Year-end charts

Original version

Certifications