"Playing Games" is a song by American singer

Summer Walker Summer Marjani Walker (born April 11, 1996) is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Atlanta, she signed with the local record label Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records in late 2017. The following year, she relea ...

from her debut studio album, '' Over It'' (2019). 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 Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He began his career in 2011 with his debut mixtape, ''Killer Instinct Vol. 1''. He gained mainstream recognition following the release of his 2015 single ...

. The song samples

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...

's song "

Say My Name "Say My Name" is a song by American group Destiny's Child from their second studio album, '' The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999). It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerki ...

" (1999).

Critical reception

Alphonse Pierre of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' said that, in the song, Walker "addresses the lame dudes that continue to take their passion for granted" while not acknowledging "their relationship on Instagram". ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' 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 Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

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 them flowers and apologizing.

Charts

Weekly charts

Original version

Extended version

Year-end charts

Original version

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Bryson Tiller 2019 singles 2019 songs Bryson Tiller songs Songs written by London on da Track Songs written by LeToya Luckett Songs written by Kelly Rowland Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by Fred Jerkins III Songs written by Rodney Jerkins Songs written by LaShawn Daniels Songs written by Bryson Tiller