Playing For Keeps

Album: The Elle King EP (2012)
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Songfacts®:

  • The lead track from Elle King's debut The Elle King EP, this was her first attempt at co-writing a song. She penned it with Chris DeStefano, who is best known for his collaborations with country stars like Carrie Underwood ("Good Girl", "Something in the Water") and Luke Bryan ("That's My Kind of Night", "Kick The Dust Up ").

    King recalled to Music Times: "I'd written with maybe one or two people before and I was so nervous and Chris was so sweet and lovely. I'd never written a song like that. It was definitely out of my comfort zone. It was really poppy and I remember leaving and going, 'Hey man, there's' something to this song.' This song is catchy, there's something to it. I don't really know how I feel about it, but there's something to it."
  • VH1 was an early supporter of Elle King. They used her music in the 2012 reality series Hollywood Exes, and chose this tune as the theme song for Mob Wives Chicago. She recalled: "I don't think my label or manager expected to hear it and then boom! We got a call from VH1 and they asked to use it as the theme song for Mob Wives: Chicago and I was like, "Dagnabbit I knew it! I knew there was something to that song."

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