Play Me

Last updated

"Play Me"
Play Me cover.jpg
Single by Neil Diamond
from the album Moods
B-side "Porcupine Pie"
ReleasedAugust 1972 [1]
Genre Pop
Label Uni 55346 [2]
Songwriter(s) Neil Diamond
Producer(s) Tom Catalano
Neil Diamond singles chronology
"Song Sung Blue"
(1972)
"Play Me"
(1972)
"Walk On Water"
(1972)

"Play Me" is a 1972 song by Neil Diamond from his album Moods . The song, the first single from Moods, [3] was recorded in February 1972 in Los Angeles. [4] It was released as a single in May 1972 and peaked at #11 in the United States [1] in September of that year. [5] It was listed by Billboard as #27 of his best 30 songs. [6]

Contents

The "catchy pop-rock" [7] song is a medium-tempo waltz performed in 3/4 time at a standard tempo of 102 bpm. [8] Play Me features broken chords played on the acoustic guitar, courtesy of Diamond's long-time collaborator Richard Bennett. [8] While Bennett had played on a few songs on Diamond's 1971 album Stones , Moods was his first full collaboration with him, establishing Bennett as one of Diamond's essential players, playing on every Diamond album until 1987 and touring with him for 17 years. [9]

Reception

Female praise

"Play Me" is an audience favorite, especially among women, who carry signs that read "Neil, Play Me" to his performances [10] and scream "me, me, me" when he plays the tune, described as "an entreaty to romance". [11] Along with "Love on the Rocks" and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", it is one of the "baritone ballads" that have "60-year-old women erupting in girlish screams;" [12] it makes female audience members shriek [13] and swoon. [14] According to Melissa Ruggieri, writing for Media General about a 2008 concert, "Diamond [at 67] also still possesses the ability to charm, even though he didn't need to do much except wiggle his prominent eyebrows at women in the crowd to elicit schoolgirl-like squeals—'Play Me,' in particular, had a bizarre aphrodisiac effect." [15]

Singer/songwriter Mary Lee Kortes, while performing it in 2000 in New York, suggested that she had lost her virginity to the song. [16] Nancy Sinatra said, "'Play Me' is my favorite [Neil Diamond] song, because it is sexy." [17]

Critical acclaim

It is widely praised by critics and musicians as well; it is among the top-ten favorite songs of American writer and critic David Wild. Wild was especially fond of the lines "You are the sun, I am the moon / You are the words, I am the tune / Play me", [8] and other writers have cited the lines as well. [18] Diamond himself has referred to those lines, for instance in an apology to a 2008 Columbus, Ohio, audience, for performing with a raspy voice while suffering from acute laryngitis. [19] Billboard described it as a "potent cut." [20] Cash Box described it as "a ballad about he, she and the music" and considered it to be "delicious". [21] Record World called it a "sweet and smooth ballad, seemingly born to be covered." [22]

Lyrical criticism

The song also has its detractors, and "Play Me" is not the only Diamond song criticized by some for its lyrics. Janice Kennedy said the song was "an exercise in fingernail-on-blackboard painfulness: 'Song she sang to me, song she brang to me.'" [23] American humorist Dave Barry also cited those lines, claiming that they made him like the song. [24] Martin Pearson also criticised that line, commenting "Ugh! It's "brought", you horrible little American!"

Academic criticism

This song has also created significant debates in academic circles regarding the development of language and meaning within language, especially within the context of popular American songwriting. "If "moose" pluralizes to "moose", but "goose" pluralizes to "geese", then why can't the word "brang" be used as the past participle of "bring" instead of "brought"?. Who says that "brought" is sacrosanct in that case?" argued singer-songwriter David Persons at a symposium on songwriting and creative writing held at Stephen F. Austin University. [25] "There really are no rules in the practical sense in creative uses of English, and I am always thankful that I am a native English speaker, as it has so many irregularities and non-rules that it must be near impossible to learn as a second language. New words develop from new meanings and linguistic demands, and Neil Diamond's writing has made several significant contributions to that development throughout his career as he has added his own personal mark of genius to The Great American Songbook. In this case the rule has to be "Neil Diamond wrote it, I heard it and that settles it, Brang is in fact a word." [25]

Chart history

Notable covers

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Diamond</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts: "Cracklin' Rosie", "Song Sung Blue", "Longfellow Serenade", "I've Been This Way Before", "If You Know What I Mean", "Desirée", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", "America", "Yesterday's Songs", and "Heartlight". Thirty-eight songs by Diamond have reached the top 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, including "Sweet Caroline". He has also acted in films, making his screen debut in the 1980 musical drama film The Jazz Singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm a Believer</span> Song by rock band the Monkees written by Neil Diamond

"I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by American band the Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966, and remained there for seven weeks becoming the last number-one hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling single for all of 1967. Billboard ranked the record as the number-five song for 1967. While originally published by Screen Gems-Columbia Music (BMI), it is now published by Stonebridge Music/EMI Foray Music (SESAC), with administration passed to Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Red Wine</span> 1967 single by Neil Diamond

"Red Red Wine" is a song originally written, performed and recorded by American singer Neil Diamond in 1967 that appears on his second studio album, Just for You. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a person who finds that drinking red wine is the only way to forget his woes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart of Gold (Neil Young song)</span> 1972 single by Neil Young

"Heart of Gold" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young. From his fourth album Harvest, it is Young's only U.S. No. 1 single. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM national singles chart for the first time on April 8, 1972, on which date Young held the top spot on both the singles and albums charts, and No. 1 again on May 13. Billboard ranked it as the No. 17 song for 1972.

<i>Stones</i> (Neil Diamond album) 1971 studio album by Neil Diamond

Stones is the seventh studio album by Neil Diamond, recorded and released in 1971. It was one of the biggest hit recordings of his career. The conductors and arrangers were Lee Holdridge, Marty Paich and Larry Muhoberac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Don't Bring Me Flowers</span> 1978 single by Barbra & Neil

"You Don't Bring Me Flowers" is a song written by Neil Diamond with Alan and Marilyn Bergman for the daily TV sitcom All That Glitters. The song was intended to be the theme song, but Norman Lear, the show's creator, changed the concept of the show and the song was no longer appropriate. Diamond then expanded the track from 45 seconds to 3:17, adding instrumental sections and an additional verse. The Bergmans contributed to the song's lyrics, which tell the story of two lovers who have drifted apart while they "go through the motions" and heartache of life together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cracklin' Rosie</span> 1970 single by Neil Diamond

"Cracklin' Rosie" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond in 1970, with instrumental backing by Los Angeles session musicians from the Wrecking Crew, including Hal Blaine on drums, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass, Al Casey on guitar and Gene Estes on percussion – arranged by Don Randi. The song was included on Diamond's album Tap Root Manuscript. In October 1970 the song became Diamond's first American No. 1 hit within the Billboard Hot 100, and his third to sell a million copies. It was his breakthrough single on the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 3 for four weeks in November and December. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 17 song of 1970. It also reached No. 2 in both the Australian Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart. Its best performance was in New Zealand, where it stayed at No. 1 for five weeks at the end of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longfellow Serenade</span> 1974 single by Neil Diamond

"Longfellow Serenade" is the title of a 1974 song by the American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. It was written by Diamond, produced by Tom Catalano, and included on Diamond's album Serenade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solitary Man (song)</span> 1966 single by Neil Diamond

"Solitary Man" is a song written by American musician Neil Diamond, who recorded the song for Bang Records in late January 1966. It has since been covered many times, notably by T. G. Sheppard, Gianni Morandi, Chris Isaak, Johnny Cash and HIM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Song Sung Blue</span> 1972 single by Neil Diamond

"Song Sung Blue" is a 1972 hit song written and recorded by Neil Diamond, inspired by the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto #21. It was released on Diamond's album Moods, and later appeared on many of Diamond's live and compilation albums. The song was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States for one week, the week of July 1, and it spent twelve weeks in the Top 40. It also reached #14 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Moods</i> (Neil Diamond album) 1972 studio album by Neil Diamond

Moods is the eighth studio album by Neil Diamond, released by Uni Records in 1972. It contained the second of his No.1 songs, "Song Sung Blue", and was something of a follow-up in style to the highly experimental Tap Root Manuscript. The album entered Billboard on July 15, where it reached No. 5 in early September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever in Blue Jeans</span> 1979 single by Neil Diamond

"Forever in Blue Jeans" is a song by Neil Diamond which he co-wrote with his guitarist Richard Bennett. The up-tempo track was released as a single by Columbia in February 1979, having featured on Diamond's album You Don't Bring Me Flowers which was released the previous year. Diamond said about the song: "the simple things are really the important things". It peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 on the Easy Listening chart in March 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You</span> 1967 single by the Monkees

"A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" is a song written by Neil Diamond, recorded by the Monkees in 1967 and released as a single on the Colgems label. The lead vocal was Davy Jones' first on a Monkees single. The single reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart, while on the Billboard Hot 100 it reached No. 2, with "Somethin' Stupid" by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra keeping it from the top spot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am... I Said</span> 1971 single by Neil Diamond

"I Am... I Said" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond. Released as a single on March 15, 1971, it was quite successful, at first slowly climbing the charts and then more quickly rising to number 4 on the U.S. pop singles chart by May 1971. It fared similarly across the Atlantic, reaching number 4 on the UK pop singles chart as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shilo (song)</span> 1970 single by Neil Diamond

"Shilo" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond. It was originally recorded in 1967 for Bang Records. Though not one of Diamond's biggest hits, "Shilo" has become one of his best-known songs, and was a staple of his concert appearances. It was included on Diamond's 1972 Hot August Night live album as well as almost all of his compilation albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Holy</span> 1969 single by Neil Diamond

"Holly Holy" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond with instrumental backing provided by the American Sound Studio house band in Memphis. Released as a single on October 13, 1969, it was a successful follow up to "Sweet Caroline", reaching #6 on the U.S. pop singles chart by December. The song also reached #5 on the Easy Listening chart. It became a gold record and then eventually a platinum record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-Bit Manchild</span> 1968 single by Neil Diamond

"Two-Bit Manchild" is a song written and performed by Neil Diamond. It appears on Neil's 1968 album Velvet Gloves and Spit, and was released as an A-side with a B-side of "Broad Old Woman ". It is a "strong and interesting" song according to Robert Jamieson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love on the Rocks (song)</span> 1980 single by Neil Diamond

"Love on the Rocks" is a song written by Neil Diamond and Gilbert Bécaud that appeared in the 1980 movie The Jazz Singer and was performed by Diamond on the soundtrack album to the film. It was also released as a single and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in January 1981. The song also made it to #3 on Billboard's US Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard rated it as the #26 pop single overall for 1981. It performed less well in the UK, reaching only #17.

<i>Song Sung Blue</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Johnny Mathis

Song Sung Blue is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on September 13, 1972, by Columbia Records and featured his renditions of mostly recent chart hits.

<i>When Will I See You Again</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1975 studio album by Johnny Mathis

When Will I See You Again is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released in March 1975 by Columbia Records and was again predominantly composed of covers of recent hit songs by other artists.

References

  1. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (December 9, 2006). "Neil Diamond's Top Singles". Billboard . p. 57. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  2. "Top 40 Easy Listening". Billboard . August 26, 1972. p. 36. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  3. Jackson, Laura (2005). Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion. ECW Press. p. 92. ISBN   978-1-55022-707-9 . Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  4. "Talent in Action". Billboard . February 19, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  5. Lonergan, David F. (2005). Hit records, 1950–1975. Scarecrow Press. p. 174. ISBN   978-0-8108-5129-0 . Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  6. Bronson, Fred (2003). Billboard's hottest hot 100 hits (3 ed.). Watson-Guptill. p. 82. ISBN   978-0-8230-7738-0 . Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  7. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Chris Woodstra; Stephen Thomas Erlewine (2002). All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul (3 ed.). Hal Leonard. p. 308. ISBN   978-0-87930-653-3 . Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Wild, David (2009). He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond. Seal Press. pp. 18–19. ISBN   978-0-306-81835-6 . Retrieved May 1, 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. Childs, Zac (May 3, 2007). "Features— Artists: Richard Bennett". Vintage Guitar . Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  10. Wiskirchen, Julie (July 27, 2001). "Neil Diamond – Today Show Concert". Ape Culture. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  11. "Neil Diamond may not be hip, but he makes great music". Star Tribune . July 13, 1996. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  12. Rayner, Ben (December 3, 2008). "Neil Diamond shines bright at ACC show". Toronto Star . Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  13. Padman, Padmaja (July 27, 1992). "There's No Doubt That Diamond Is Forever". New Straits Times . Retrieved May 3, 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  14. "Diamond in the Round". Wichita Eagle . November 18, 1996. pp. 9A.
  15. Ruggieri, Melissa (December 9, 2008). "Older, toned-down Diamond let his songs sparkle". Media General. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  16. Powers, Ann (December 13, 2000). "Pop Review: A Tribute by So Many to Interpret a Solitary Man". The New York Times . Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  17. Block, Debbie Galante (December 9, 2006). "Playing Favorites". Billboard . pp. 38ff. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  18. Johnson, Caitlin (April 29, 2008). "After 40 Years, Neil Diamond Is Still Shining". MSNBC. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  19. "Neil Diamond offers concert audience a refund". Reuters. August 28, 2008. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  20. "Radio Action and Pick Singles" (PDF). Billboard. August 19, 1972. p. 50. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  21. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 29, 1972. p. 22. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  22. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. August 12, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  23. Kennedy, Janice (April 13, 2010). "The iPhone's assault on the English language". The Vancouver Sun . Retrieved May 1, 2010.[ dead link ]
  24. Barry, Dave (2000). Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 3. ISBN   978-0-7407-0600-4 . Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  25. 1 2 Dr. Lee Shultz Creative Writing Series. March 1989. David Persons: Writing Songs From Creative Writing Models.
  26. Steffen Hung. "Neil Diamond - Play Me". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  27. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. October 7, 1972. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  28. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  29. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 7, 1972". Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  30. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN   0-89820-142-X.
  31. "Programmer's Potpourri". Billboard. March 31, 1973.
  32. Bessman, Jim (December 9, 2006). "Mining Diamond's Catalog". Billboard . pp. 58–65. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  33. Donahue, Ann (February 7, 2009). "Stars Salute Neil Diamond At MusiCares Event". Billboard . Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  34. Boehm, Kristin; Marisa Laudadio (February 7, 2009). "Inside the All-Star MusiCares Tribute to Neil Diamond". People . Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2010.