Grimes Wrote a Song, and Everyone's Looking at Elon

The lyrics are telling
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 7, 2021 10:50 AM CST

Elon Musk is learning what happens when you break up with a singer—everyone starts parsing lyrics for messy details. Such is the case with the new song from Grimes, called "Player of Games." (The pair have a child together named X Æ A-Xii.) Samples from coverage:

  • The lines: Lyrics getting attention include: "I'm in love with the greatest gamer / but he'll always love the game / more than he loves me." And: "Baby, how can I compare / to the adventure out there?" And: "Baby, would you still love me / Out on Europa or will you forget? Sail away / to the cold expanse of space / Even love / couldn't keep you in your place"

  • Parsing I: "Musk is apparently just like every other toxic workaholic who repeatedly breaks promises not to miss dinner," writes Emily Leibert at Jezebel.
  • Parsing II: The song is "trashing him" as a boyfriend," per TMZ. The site thinks Musk has been "Swifted," a reference to how Taylor Swift disses exes in her music.
  • Parsing III: At Page Six, Lauren Cox sees the references to Musk, who isn't named in the song, more as "subtle digs." She notes that Musk himself has acknowledged that his busy work schedule as CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX was the primary reason for the split after three years.
  • Parsing IV: In the song, Grimes is "speaking to all of the e-girls and their ex-gamer boyfriends," writes Alejandra Gularte at Vulture. "While she mourns the loss of her partner, hopefully Grimes can find some joy in another popular breakup activity: watching people talk s--- about your ex online."
(More Grimes stories.)

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