"Play" (stylized as "PLAY") is a song recorded by Norwegian DJs K-391, Alan Walker, Tungevaag and Swedish songwriter and producer Mangoo.[2] Incorporating uncredited vocals provided by Norwegian recording artist Torine,[2][3] it was released through MER Musikk, and exclusively licensed to Liquid State, a division of Sony Music, on 30 August 2019.[4][5] It is a revamp of Mangoo's song "Eurodancer", which was released in 2000.
"Play" | ||||
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Single by K-391, Alan Walker, Tungevaag and Mangoo | ||||
Released | 30 August 2019 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:47 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | ||||
K-391 singles chronology | ||||
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Alan Walker singles chronology | ||||
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Tungevaag singles chronology | ||||
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Mangoo singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Play" (K-391's Video) on YouTube "Play" (Alan Walker's Video) on YouTube "Play" (Tungevaag's Video) on YouTube |
Background
editWalker confessed to Norwegian website 730 that when he started listening to "Eurodancer" many years ago, it was only possible to find it on YouTube, yet everyone listened to it. He added that later, when he started making music himself, he felt the track pretty close to the sound he was inspired by. The release of the new track "Play" was an interactive campaign. The fans followed day per day the development of the song's pre-release in real-time via a live-chat website named www
They also created a remix competition of the song for anyone to participate in. The participants had to publish their version or demo on YouTube with the hashtag #PressPlay before Sunday 8 September. After, K-391, Tungevaag and Alan Walker each chose their favourite version. Then, three participants were selected to create their own remix of the track. Each worked with one of the three DJs.[6][7] In the end, this competition allowed several thousand people to participate in the world.[8] The three remixes were released on 4 October 2019, before the release of the second pack of remixes on 25 October 2019.
Among this second pack was a remix by Taiwanese electronic music duo G5SH. According to Asian online edition of British magazine Mixmag, they only discovered the event a day before the deadline, which forced them to start the remix immediately and to complete it within 10 hours. Despite this, they managed to be selected for inclusion in the pack. On this occasion, DJ M.A.T.H, one half of the duo, said, "When I received the message on 23 October [...] we were excited to find out that it was true." They then shared their contentment with their fans on Facebook.[8]
Critical reception
editWriting for EDM.com, Lennon Cihak described the song as "an euphoric track from start to finish". He described the DJs as "heavy, punchy, tight" and full of dynamism. He noticed too that the original track has the perfect blend of melodic elements for Alan Walker and K-391 to assemble an equally as jaw-dropping refresh. He remarked K-391 influences by the use of percussion elements, and also a resemblance to "Faded" style and all the melodies the listeners are used to hear with Alan Walker.[6] In the same way, Valentin Malfroy from aficia says that the song is endowed with "a very recognizable imprint of Alan Walker".[2] Scandipop called the song "a downtempo and dreamy dance track" that perfectly corresponds to Alan Walker style.[9]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Play" | 2:47 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Play – Norda & K-391 Remix" (featuring Mangoo & Norda) | 2:42 |
2. | "Play – Niya & Alan Walker Remix" (featuring Mangoo & Niya) | 2:36 |
3. | "Play – B2A, Anklebreaker & Tungevaag Remix" (featuring Mangoo, B2A & Anklebreaker) | 2:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Play – Tobu Remix" (featuring Mangoo & Tobu) | 3:08 |
2. | "Play – ElementD Remix" (featuring Mangoo & ElementD) | 3:00 |
3. | "Play – G5SH Remix" (featuring Mangoo & G5SH) | 2:44 |
4. | "Play – Di Young Remix" (featuring Mangoo & Di Young) | 2:34 |
5. | "Play – INFANCTUS Remix" (featuring Mangoo & INFANCTUS) | 3:22 |
Charts
editChart (2019–2020) | Peak position |
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Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] | 44 |
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[13] | 9 |
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 11 |
Norway (VG-lista)[15] | 2 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16] | 25 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] | 78 |
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[18] | 32 |
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Norway (IFPI Norway)[19] | 2× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Play, a song by K-391, Alan Walker, Tungevaag, Mangoo on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ a b c Malfroy, Valentin (2 September 2019). ""Play" : Alan Walker donne une nouvelle jeunesse au titre "Eurodancer" avec K-391, Tungevaag & Mangoo". aficia (in French). Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ a b Alan Walker (6 September 2019). "FREDAGSFJAS med Alan Walker: – Planen var aldri å ende opp der jeg er i dag". 730 (Interview) (in Norwegian). Interviewed by Oda Knutsen Sætre. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Alan Walker】新曲『Play』をリリース!【K-391】". Tokyo EDM (in Japanese). 29 August 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ Abdillah, Achmad (4 September 2019). "Lirik Lagu PLAY - Alan Walker, K-391, Tungevaag, DJ Mangoo". InsertLive (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ a b Cihak, Lennon (30 August 2019). "Alan Walker, K-391, Tungevaag, and Mangoo Form an unstoppable team for "Play" on Liquid State". EDM.com. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ Bein, Kat (4 September 2019). "How You Can Win Studio Time With Alan Walker and Friends". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ a b Ho, Waiying (30 October 2019). "Taiwanese duo G5SH selected by Alan Walker for latest remix album". Mixmag Asia. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "SONG: K-391, Alan Walker, Tungevaag & Mangoo - 'PLAY'". Scandipop. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ "Play (Remixes, Vol. 1) by K-391 on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ "Play (Remixes, Vol. 2) by K-391 on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ "K-391, Alan Walker & Martin Tungevaag feat. Mangoo – Play" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 40. týden 2020 in the date selector. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "Singlet 37/2019 – Suomen virallinen lista". Suomen virallinen lista (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ "Topplista – Single 2019-W38" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ "Veckolista Singlar – Vecka 36". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ "K-391, Alan Walker & Martin Tungevaag feat. Mangoo – Play". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ "Alan Walker Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Norwegian single certifications – K-391, Alan Walker, Tungevaag, Mangoo – Play" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 26 April 2023.