Grimes sings about a doomed relationship on her new single “Player Of Games,” and many think the song may allude to her breakup (or “semi-separation”) from Elon Musk.
There’s several lines that appear to relate back to her relationship with the billionaire and father of her son X Æ A-Xii, better known by “X.” Let’s break them down:
“Baby / would you still love me / out on Europa,” Grimes asks on the opening lines. “Baby / how can I compare / to the adventure out there?”
This could very well be a reference to Musk’s company SpaceX, which scored a deal with NASA to be involved with the exploration of Jupiter’s moon Europa, according to the New York Post.
Grimes previously joked about traveling to the icy moon separate from her partner to found a lesbian space commune, which makes the verse seem doubly pointed.
The hit-maker has more to say about space travel on the pre-chorus.
“Sail away / to the cold expanse of space / even love / couldn’t keep you in your place,” she sings.
Musk told Page Six that his work played a large role in their decision to reevaluate their relationship.
“It’s mostly that my work at SpaceX and Tesla requires me to be primarily in Texas or traveling overseas, and her work is primarily in LA,” he told the publication in September. Texas to Los Angeles is already a far distance. Los Angeles to outer space would put them on another level.
It’s worth pointing out that, although Grimes does sing about a breakup, there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood.
“If I loved him any less / I’d make him stay,” she admits on the chorus. “But he has to be the best / player of games.”
Based on that, it sounds like the singer is sad about the loss but doesn’t begrudge her partner’s decision. Perhaps that’s evidence the pair will be able to work out a relationship that will allow them to happily continue to co-parent their son?
While she sounds more resigned than angry on the song, the lyric video also seemingly refers to a challenging relationship. In it, the artist appears in the nude and clutches a “player,” who is dressed in a suit of armor.
Is that a metaphor for her vulnerability and love being unreturned by someone who is more stoic and guarded? Hopefully she’ll let us know more in the coming weeks.
This isn’t the first time the public has thought Grimes was commenting on her breakup with Musk. Back in October the talent was spotted on the streets of Los Angeles sporting what can only be described as an otherworldly, elven costume while reading a copy of The Communist Manifesto.
She took to Instagram to reveal that the light reading was not a dig at her former partner (who has a net worth of approximately $200 billion) but was actually a way of keeping the paparazzi busy.
Thus, it’s possible that “Player Of Games” does in fact comment on her relationship with the father of her child. Or Grimes could simply be gaming the system. Either way she certainly got us talking!
Check out the lyric video below to see what you think about the possible references.