Recording Artists Who Put Games at the Forefront of Their Lyrics

Recording Artists Who Put Games at the Forefront of Their Lyrics 1

Recording artists have always had a close affinity to games, be they digital or otherwise, with many choosing to indulge in them during long stints away from home.

For some musicians what starts out as a hobby turns into something of a passion, with the likes of The Eagles famously falling head over heels for poker, for example.

Here are just some of the other recording artists of past and present whose connection to games has inspired some of their biggest hits.

Lana Del Rey

Of course, for every recording artist enjoying the challenges presented by video games, there are some who make mention of them for altogether different reasons.

In the case of Lana Del Rey, in her smash hit song titled Video Games, the songstress bemoans the fact that the man she is infatuated with often pays more attention to his games console than he does to her.

The song acts as a word of warning; that like many things in life, games should be enjoyed in moderation, unless you want to strain your relationships. 

Katy Perry

In 2017 Katy Perry released a song called Roulette which many fans thought could easily have been a hit single for the pop star rather than languishing as a regular album filler.

Although the song is mainly about taking a chance on love, there was plenty of terminology unique to the casino game including words like grind and metaphors like drop a pin to my location or let’s roll it, which might sound familiar for those who have already tried the different versions of roulette online or in land-based casinos.

Eiffel 65

Eiffel 65 make the sort of euro trash EDM that has serious DJs tearing their hair out in frustration, but that only seems to spur them on, as does their apparent love for games of all varieties.

Their song called My Console is a homage to all things video games, and even went as far as to reference popular titles such as Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil, before then literally spelling out the name of their favoured console in the chorus.

Recording Artists Who Put Games at the Forefront of Their Lyrics
Purveyors of EDM are well used to spending hours in front of screens, which may explain their penchant for video games

Motorhead

It takes real genius to create a song that is simply about playing slots in a pub, but rock gods Motorhead managed just that when they wrote the lyrics for the Ace of Spades.

It was said that the idea for the song came about due to Lemmy’s obsession with the spinning reels that he would play whenever he got a spare moment on a night out.

Jerry Reed

Ace of Spades was released in 1980 but going even further back in time there was Jerry Reed’s song from 1971, which told of the singer-songwriter’s affinity for games such as craps.

The song’s most iconic lyric was ‘When you’re hot, you’re hot… and when you’re not, you’re not’ which is something that gamers of all varieties can agree is the cold hard truth.

Nine Inch Nails

There are many instances of recording artists allowing game developers to use a couple of their tracks to enhance the atmosphere and overall feel of a game. However, there are very few bands who have ever been enlisted to create a game’s entire soundtrack.

That was the honour bestowed on heavy metal outfit Nine Inch Nails in 1996 when they wrote the score for the genre-defining game titled Quake.

Going one step further, their lead singer even provided the gravelly voice for the game’s protagonist.

Charli XCX

Whoever is in charge of the career of Charli XCX pulled a masterstroke with the music video for hit song Boys, combining a string of hunks with video game sound effects that set airwaves and screens alight.

The star even appeared in a Nintendo backed music video called We Are Born To Play. Perhaps, we should expect a few more gaming-related hits to come out soon, as new consoles and mobile gaming titles hit the market by the end of the year.

 

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

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