Play with Me (song)
"Play with Me" is Extreme's first single from their self-titled debut album. It is one of the band's best known songs as well as a popular list song. It includes a fast and complex guitar solo by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, and takes its intro riffs from Mozart's Alla turca.
| "Play with Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Extreme | ||||
| from the album Extreme | ||||
| A-side | "Kid Ego" | |||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Nuno Bettencourt Gary Cherone | |||
| Producer(s) | Mack | |||
| Extreme singles chronology | ||||
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The lyrics list a wide variety of children's games, toys, and playground songs, and includes backing vocals from The Lollipop Kids. The bridge consists of K-I-S-S-I-N-G, sung by the band with their voices altered to make them sound like children. It includes the line, "Then comes Nanna with a baby carriage," which is immediately followed by a fast guitar lick that ends with "Shave and a Haircut", segueing into the guitar solo.
The song was featured in the movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure during the mall-chase scene, as well as in Jury Duty as Pauly Shore's stripping song.
A cover of the song appeared on the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s as the final track in the game. It is claimed that the high popularity the song gained by its inclusion in Guitar Hero was the reason the band decided to reunite in 2007, as it sparked their popularity once again. A master version of the track appears in the video game Guitar Hero: Smash Hits.
The song was released to radio stations but not on a CD single or vinyl. It was released on the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack.
References
- Kroll, Katy (September 21, 2016). "Extreme's 'More Than Words' at 25: Nuno Bettencourt Recalls Battle to Release No. 1 Hit". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2020.