Playing God (song)
Encyclopedia
"Playing God" is a song by American rock
band Paramore
. It was released on November 15, 2010 as the fifth and last single from the band's third studio album, Brand New Eyes
. It was written by Hayley Williams
, Josh Farro
, and Taylor York
.
said on her Twitter
: "Miss Anne will be making her final appearance in our new video for “Playing God”… She was the best car. She’ll live in our hearts 4ever".
, Josh Farro
and Taylor York
. Hayley said she wrote the song at a time when she felt "very angry". Williams also said the song is about people who judge issues concerning faith.
When asked about the development of music during an interview on each track, Hayley said:
praised the video, noting: "Paramore
are coming home, looking back, wrapping things ... It's a story that began with the band's future in serious doubt and ends with them stronger, happier and better than ever." He also stated; "So if "God" really is the end of the BNE line, well, then it's a fitting farewell. It is time for the band to turn the page, move on." His conclusion was that the video "was a bit of professionalism and fun, and I can not wait to see where they go from here." Emma Gaedeke Billboard magazine
said: "'Playing God' plays off the same momentum that the video for 'Ignorance' did, as Williams is seen poisoning, detaining and interrogating her male bandmates with a magnifying glass in a dark basement ... While the video is an accurate representation of the ill-harbored feelings that the band once shared, there is no doubt that Paramore has since recovered. By the end of the video, Williams has untied the guys just enough so they can still rock out together, suggesting that while she may not be forgetting the past, she's definitely forgiving."
" and "Careful
". During the video's recording, Brandon posted several comments on his Twitter account, giving the news that the video was recorded during the day, and also revealing the first image from the filming of the video, depicting Hayley as what appears to be a housewife, with a pink hair color. The video was released on November 16. It was the last video to feature former band members Josh Farro
and Zac Farro
before the departure in 2010.
, as she is getting revenge on her band mates for doing exactly the same thing to her not too long ago.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
. It was released on November 15, 2010 as the fifth and last single from the band's third studio album, Brand New Eyes
Brand New Eyes
Brand New Eyes is the third album by North American rock band Paramore, released September 29, 2009 through Fueled by Ramen in the United States and Canada. It debuted at number two on Billboard 200....
. It was written by Hayley Williams
Hayley Williams
Hayley Nichole Williams is an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist of the band Paramore.- Life and career :...
, Josh Farro
Josh Farro
Joshua Neil Farro is an American rock guitarist and songwriter, and the lead guitarist of the band Novel American. He is best known as the former lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the alternative rock band Paramore...
, and Taylor York
Taylor York
Taylor Benjamin York , is an American rock guitarist and is currently a member of the alternative rock band Paramore. He also plays the keyboard and glockenspiel occasionally during their live set...
.
Release
In October, 2010, it was announced "Playing God" would be Paramore's next single on the Alter the Press! website, to be released on November 15, 2010. Lead singer Hayley WilliamsHayley Williams
Hayley Nichole Williams is an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist of the band Paramore.- Life and career :...
said on her Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
: "Miss Anne will be making her final appearance in our new video for “Playing God”… She was the best car. She’ll live in our hearts 4ever".
Writing and composition
The song was written by Hayley WilliamsHayley Williams
Hayley Nichole Williams is an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist of the band Paramore.- Life and career :...
, Josh Farro
Josh Farro
Joshua Neil Farro is an American rock guitarist and songwriter, and the lead guitarist of the band Novel American. He is best known as the former lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the alternative rock band Paramore...
and Taylor York
Taylor York
Taylor Benjamin York , is an American rock guitarist and is currently a member of the alternative rock band Paramore. He also plays the keyboard and glockenspiel occasionally during their live set...
. Hayley said she wrote the song at a time when she felt "very angry". Williams also said the song is about people who judge issues concerning faith.
When asked about the development of music during an interview on each track, Hayley said:
Reception
James Montgomery of MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
praised the video, noting: "Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
are coming home, looking back, wrapping things ... It's a story that began with the band's future in serious doubt and ends with them stronger, happier and better than ever." He also stated; "So if "God" really is the end of the BNE line, well, then it's a fitting farewell. It is time for the band to turn the page, move on." His conclusion was that the video "was a bit of professionalism and fun, and I can not wait to see where they go from here." Emma Gaedeke Billboard magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
said: "'Playing God' plays off the same momentum that the video for 'Ignorance' did, as Williams is seen poisoning, detaining and interrogating her male bandmates with a magnifying glass in a dark basement ... While the video is an accurate representation of the ill-harbored feelings that the band once shared, there is no doubt that Paramore has since recovered. By the end of the video, Williams has untied the guys just enough so they can still rock out together, suggesting that while she may not be forgetting the past, she's definitely forgiving."
Music video
The music video to promote the single was filmed on November 2, 2010 and was directed by Brandon Chesbro, who directed the band's previous videos, "The Only ExceptionThe Only Exception
"The Only Exception" is a song by the American rock band Paramore. It was released by Fueled by Ramen in February 2010 as the third single from the band's 2009 studio album Brand New Eyes. The song was written by Paramore band members Hayley Williams and Josh Farro; Paramore is also credited as...
" and "Careful
Careful (Paramore song)
"Careful" is a song by the American rock band Paramore, and is the fourth single from their third studio album, Brand New Eyes. The song charted on the Billboard Hot 100 the week Brand New Eyes was released before it was announced as a single. It charted due to digital downloads...
". During the video's recording, Brandon posted several comments on his Twitter account, giving the news that the video was recorded during the day, and also revealing the first image from the filming of the video, depicting Hayley as what appears to be a housewife, with a pink hair color. The video was released on November 16. It was the last video to feature former band members Josh Farro
Josh Farro
Joshua Neil Farro is an American rock guitarist and songwriter, and the lead guitarist of the band Novel American. He is best known as the former lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the alternative rock band Paramore...
and Zac Farro
Zac Farro
Zachary Wayne Farro is an American musician and drummer of the bands Novel American and Half Noise. He is best known as the former drummer of the alternative rock band Paramore from its inception until 2010...
before the departure in 2010.
Plot
The video was filmed entirely in the home of Williams in Franklin, Tennessee. The video begins with Hayley getting out of her car and entering the house. She then enters into a basement where there are four men (Josh, Taylor, Jeremy and Zac) seated and fastened with rope, and a single light bulb hanging over their heads. During the video, Hayley sits at a table with friends, where she starts to remember the moment in which she "poisoned" the men who are now in the basement. The video also shows Hayley as a "bad girl", which many Paramore fans found surprising and amusing. Hayley's friends shown in the video are also personal friends of the band in real life; seen on screen are the wife of Jeremy Davis; Kathryn Camsey, ex-member Hunter Lamb, Brandon Chesbro's wife and new member of the band on tour, Jon Howard. The video is supposed to be a sequel to Ignorance (song)Ignorance (song)
"Ignorance" is a song by the American rock band Paramore. "Ignorance" was released by Fueled by Ramen in July 2009, as the lead single from the bands 2009 studio album entitled, Brand New Eyes. The single was written by Paramore band members Hayley Williams and Josh Farro; Paramore is also credited...
, as she is getting revenge on her band mates for doing exactly the same thing to her not too long ago.
Chart positions
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Rock Singles (The Official Chart Company UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... ) |
5 |
| Portugal Singles Top (AFP Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... ) |
18 |