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Single: Play With Me
Artist: Mi•Mi
Label: Five Pesky Kids
Release Date: June 1st, 2015
Genre: R&B, Crunk
Written by: Airemese Smith, Mi Kyung Lee, Mae Na Geum
Produced by: FancyN
Length: 3:40
Play With Me is a song recorded by Korean-pop group Mi•Mi for the live album, He Say She Say. It was written by Airemese Smith, Mi Kyung Lee, Mae Na Geum, and produced by FancyN. A crunk&B song, Play With Me contains a prominent pan flute breakdown, a thick bassline and "club-friendly" beat. A song that marks a new era for the girls, playing out a scenario where they run into an ex and shows him just how well they've been doing without him, it's a track that's so bold that it almost teases the man, both to provoke him and to turn him on. Completely different form anything Mi•Mi has ever put out before, the lyrical content contain themes of a more mature girl power and self empowerment, some of which the critics think do the exact opposite. Overall, the song received positive reviews, it's lyrics catching a few side-eyes. Serving as the lead single for He Say She Say, it impacted urban contemporary radio and was released as a digital download in the United States on June 1st, 2015.
Play With Me was the third song written for their upcoming album. After being composed in October of 2014, it was soon enough chosen as the lead single due to it's empowering lyrics about moving on, finding yourself and not focusing on a man that has deliberately put you through hell, obviously declaring a new era for the girls. Compared to the likes of Ciara, the song was noted for it's Crunk&B vibes that made it perfect for the clubs. The song's title was first revealed in the announcement of the He Say She Say track listing on March 26th, 2015. On that same day, a 17 second teaser was released for play With Me along with teasers for the rest of the album. Play With Me was one of the most talked about teases, alongside Chairs and More Than Love. Never being announced as a single, the song was dropped in complete surprise in the middle of the album's stream on May 30th, 2015, garnering 3,000,000 listens since then from just one night.
When it came to Play With Me music critics liked the song in general but when taking the lyrics literally, a few female music critics seemed to find a problem. In a mixed review Aimee Cliff of Fact said the track was "a great bouncy club banger" from the singers but questioned whether the lyrics were self empowerment or self degrading. Alex Macpherson of The Quietus questioned the same thing, pointing out that while it had strong lyrics like "Missing you would never make me weak" and "You taught me well but this time I'll think for me", the song goes on to repeat "Since you went ghost, I've been dead and gone" several times without specifying if that's exactly a good thing except for according to this critic "when talking about dancing provocatively and taking off their clothes." In a negative review, Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani completely bashed the song after saying it sounded "utterly generic", complaining that "This is just another 'you left me so now I've decided to become a slut' song, one of which the world doesn't need topping the charts. I'm so tired of females being portrayed like this! Whatever happened to breaking up with someone and continuing with life afterwards? Why are we always the one's going through the crazy phase, the stripper phase, the I'm gonna cut my hair phase? Why can't we wholesomely move on and be just fine about it?" Many critics have stuck up for the song on Mi•Mi's behalf, Exclaim! writer Jabbari Weeke saying, "People are only being this analytic because it's Mi•Mi singing it and not Rihanna," something of which many agree with, including Mi•Mi. Weeke goes on to applaud the track, saying it provided a "truly nasty, finger-snapping demand for the respect from not only the said ex in the song but everyone listening and witnessing Mi•Mi evolving into something even greater than before,". Bradley Stern of MuuMuse commended its "powerhouse" chorus, and flute instrumentation, pointing out "Remember in late 2013 when Mi•Mi debuted with their saxophone filled Not Waiting Amy Longer and all of a sudden 2014 became the year of horn chorus'? The pan flute in the bridge of Play With Me says hi." Writing for Complex, Garvey named it Mi•Mi's best song yet, declaring "how can you go wrong with ratchet pan flutes?".
Though no one vocally takes the true lead in this song, Miki has been note as the star of Play With Me even managing to make it onto the cover art. While all the girls take turns snarling, belting and cooing the lyrics, Miki brings the sass to the table, instigating and cosigning in the background with sharp vocals and snappy comments. It's clear that Miki is the only one of the group who truly fits this song but since the parts are divided and distributed almost perfectly, it doesn't hold the song back. Mae Na gets the least amount of parts in this song but he comes in right where it counts, her soft high vocals chiming in just when the song is asking for them. Misu the lead singer of the group brings the first verse in just right with her fragile approach and does the same when her powerful belting brings in the 2nd part of the chorus. Dae also has her share of showing off in her line on the chorus but she tones it down when taking over the bridge, gaining composure to clarify and verify that Mi•Mi are nothing to be played with.
Mi Su
Miki
Dae
Mae
All
Don't play with me
If you're gonna get mad when I learn my ABCs, b-c
When it's looking real bad and you just can't count on me, 2-3
You taught me well but this time I'll think for me, for me
It was looking real bad...
Hide and seek
Missing you would never make me weak
No one to look for so I found me (Right, right)
And since you went ghost, I've been dead and gone, dead and gone, oh
Peekaboo
Coming back around when the focus ain't on you
You deserve an explanation? Hell, I do too!
Since you went ghost, I've been dead and gone, dead and gone, oh
Don't play with me
If you're gonna get mad when I learn my ABCs, b-c
When it's looking real bad and you just can't count on me, 2-3
You taught me well but this time I'll think for me, for me
When it's looking real bad, baby...
Come play with me!
Don't get mad when you don't like what you see, you see!
Dumb and naive if you still don't believe baby, baby!
Don't get mad when you don't like what you see, you see!
When it's looking real bad, baby...
Pattycake
Found myself but ain't nothing changed
Found my song and now you'll watch me shake
Since you went ghost, I've been dead and gone,dead and gone, dead and gone, oh
Take it down, drop it low, watch me bring it back up slow
Did I make you frown? Bump your crown? You don't have to make a sound (hey!)
Is it hot in here? Don't you fear, I'll just take off all my clothes
Dead and gone, dead and gone, dead and gone
Uh!
Come play with me!
Don't get mad when you don't like what you see, you see! Boy please!
Dumb and naive if you still don't believe baby, baby!
Don't get mad when you don't like what you see, you see!
When it's looking real bad, baby...
Don't strain your eyes
You're seeing right
I was all yours, hey
But that was a long time ago, the blame is yours
You needed space (space?)
Said you needed time (mhmm)
To find your peace
And so I found mine, hold your piece, oh
Don't play with me
If you're gonna get mad when I learn my ABCs, b-c (Mi•Mi)
When it's looking real bad and you just can't count on me, 2-3 (Mi•Mi)
You taught me well but this time I'll think for me, for me
When it's looking real bad, baby...
Come play with me!
Don't get mad when you don't like what you see, you see! (you see...)
Dumb and naive if you still don't believe baby, baby! (oh oh)
Don't get mad when you don't like what you see, you see!
I bet it's looking real bad, baby, hehehEdited by user 01 June 2015 05:31:20(UTC)
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AmyJayneXoX on 01/06/2015(UTC), Welat65 on 01/06/2015(UTC), BrownSugar on 01/06/2015(UTC), JohnnyBBB on 01/06/2015(UTC), erich hess on 01/06/2015(UTC), chaotic_princess on 01/06/2015(UTC), GirlSpice on 02/06/2015(UTC), RoseJapanFan on 02/06/2015(UTC), Famouss7x7 on 02/06/2015(UTC), mebeme101 on 03/06/2015(UTC), Realms Of Darkness on 16/06/2015(UTC)
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