Songfacts®:

• This Chase & Status produced tune is the title track of British rapper/singer Example's third album. He told The Guardian there is an overall theme running through the record. "This is my drugs and commitment album," he said. "The music industry puts a lot of strain on your relationships and social life. There's always pressure or opportunity to take drugs and to drink and to stay up all night and to cheat. This whole album is me asking: 'Should I be doing drugs? Should I be drinking? Should I commit? Should I stop partying? Should I settle down?' That's what the title is, too – Playing in the Shadows. Am I trying to be someone else? Is it a split personality? But it's also about being in clubs with drugs and women getting thrown at you. I'm worried that being comfortable and having a family will mean I can't write songs that touch people any more. Then, if I do have a family, what will my kids think? What do I say to them when they hear me talking about cocaine like it's a beautiful woman?"