My Play

"My Play" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on December 22, 2020 via S-Curve Records as the third single from the band's fourth studio album OK Orchestra.

"My Play"
Single by AJR
from the album OK Orchestra
ReleasedDecember 22, 2020 (2020-12-22)
Recorded2020
GenrePop, electropop
Length3:10
LabelS-Curve
Songwriter(s)
  • Jack Met
  • Adam Met
  • Ryan Met
Producer(s)Ryan Met
AJR singles chronology
"Bummerland"
(2020)		 "My Play"
(2020)		 "Way Less Sad"
(2021)
Music video
"My Play" on YouTube

Background

Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met share parents who divorced during their childhood, inflicting psychological trauma.[1][2] Jack told ABC Audio that "many other artists have written about divorces, people can be desensitized about the topic". After coming up with the idea of a child performing a play twice to divorced parents, they felt they had a "fresh angle".[3] In an interview on Zach Sang Show, Jack explains this as "putting on a play for your parents which is the most exciting thing in the world when you're five years old... and the feeling of showing both of your parents is the best thing in the world, and now that is gone, it's taken away from you, and that is such a devastating thing".[4] "My Play" was initially planned to have an electric guitar for the main melody, but while writing the song Ryan used a MIDI "wonky clean guitar" that was later favored for its connection to the song.[5] The song was teased on social media on December 14 and officially released on December 22, 2020.[6]

Composition

"My Play" is composed in 4
4 time signature in the key of C-sharp minor and follows a tempo of 79 beats per minute (bpm).

The instrumental composition heavily layers detuned sped-up female vocals, an 808 MPC/drum kit hybrid, several guitars, and violins to create a "big, cluttered, panicky headache".[5]

Music video

The official video, released on December 27, 2020, was directed by Jason Merrin, animated by Venturia Animation Studios, and produced by Rachel Liu.[7] The video "acts out imaginative scenes of childhood, featuring adventures on dinosaurs, in outer space, under the sea and more before a moving box-filled depiction of divorce triggers confusion and anger".[8] The video has amassed over 4 million views as of September 2023.

Live performances

"My Play" made its live debut during virtual concert AJR's One Spectacular Night on December 26, 2020.[9] During the band's OK Orchestra Tour, the song had a limited appearance in only the 12 shows during the 2021 leg, and has not been played since.[10]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]

Charts
Weekly chart performance for "My Play"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[12] 40

References
  1. "Did AJR's parents divorce?". Celebrity.fm. 4 November 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  2. Ceballos, Celina (April 21, 2021). "AJR's new album "Ok Orchestra" breaks political and musical boundaries". The Current. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  3. "My Play by AJR". Songfacts. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  4. AJR (March 30, 2021). AJR Breaks Down Their New Album "OK ORCHESTRA" (YouTube video). Zach Sang Show. Event occurs at 1:04:29. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  5. "HOW WE MADE: MY PLAY". Twitter. December 29, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  6. "MY PLAY. New song comes out next week. Playing it for the first time ever live for One Spectacular Night". Twitter. December 14, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  7. Johnson, Josh (December 28, 2020). "AJR brings all the feels with video for "My Play"". 97.9 WRMF. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  8. Aniftos, Rania (December 28, 2020). "AJR Reminisce on a Simpler Time in Animated 'My Play' Video". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  9. Lakshmin, Deepa (December 23, 2020). "At-Home Livestreams Are So 2020. Bigger, Bolder Concert Experiences Are The Future". MTV. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  10. Sowinski, Monique (July 12, 2021). "AJR Announces Additional 2021 Dates For The OK ORCHESTRA Tour". Live Nation Entertainment. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  11. OK Orchestra (Media notes). AJR. AJR Productions. 2021.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
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