Play Hard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Released15 March 2013[1]
Recorded1 September 2012
Length
  • 3:21
  • 3:28 (new edit)
"Play Hard"
Single by David Guetta featuring Ne-Yo and Akon
from the album Nothing but the Beat 2.0
Released15 March 2013[1]
Recorded1 September 2012
Genre
Length
  • 3:21
  • 3:28 (new edit)
Label
Songwriters
Producers
  • David Guetta
  • Giorgio Tuinfort
  • Frédéric Riesterer
David Guetta singles chronology
"Just One Last Time"
(2012)
"Play Hard"
(2013)
"Right Now"
(2013)
Ne-Yo singles chronology
"Forever Now"
(2012)
"Play Hard"
(2012)
"Tonight"
(2013)
Akon singles chronology
"Like Money"
(2012)
"Play Hard"
(2012)
"Interstellar"
(2015)
Music video
"Play Hard" on YouTube
Audio sample
13 second sample from David Guetta's "Play Hard"

"Play Hard" is a song by French DJ and record producer David Guetta featuring vocals from American singers Ne-Yo and Akon. It was released on 15 March 2013 as the third single from the 2012 re-release of Guetta's fifth studio album, Nothing but the Beat (2011). This is the third collaboration between Guetta and Akon since "Sexy Bitch" in 2009 and "Crank It Up" in 2011. All three artists co-wrote the song along with Frédéric Riesterer and Giorgio Tuinfort, both of whom produced the song with Guetta. It features a prominent synthesizer riff sampled from the 1998 song "Better Off Alone" by Dutch Eurodance project Alice Deejay; as a result, Sebastiaan Molijn and Eelke Kalberg are credited as songwriters.

"Play Hard" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, thus becoming his fourteenth top 10 hit in the UK as a lead artist. It also charted within the top 10 of the charts in several other countries including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland; as well as the top 20 in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and New Zealand.

Synopsis

An official music video was uploaded to Guetta's official Vevo channel on April 22, 2013.[2] The video uses the New Edit version of the song. Directed by Swede Andreas Nilsson,[3] it generated controversy for its stereotypical portrayal of Mexico.[4][5][6] The video and an advertisement from Neon Mixr feature the popular dancers, Les Twins. The video has over 1.1 billion views as of August 2023.

The video takes place in Mexico City, and two guys head to a dealer where they buy pointy cowboy boots to use in a dance competition. Their house has people dancing and cowboys playing dominos with Ne-Yo. They head to the dance competition and the cowboys compete. Eventually, a little boy eating a bag of Takis shows up riding in a Renault Twizy, and he begins dancing and wins the competition.

Track listing

Digital download[7]
No.TitleLength
1."Play Hard"3:21
Digital download[8]
No.TitleLength
1."Play Hard" (New Edit)3:28
Digital download – EP[9]
No.TitleLength
1."Play Hard" (Albert Neve Remix)6:52
2."Play Hard" (R3hab Remix)4:06
3."Play Hard" (Maurizio Gubellini & Delayers in da House Remix)5:00
4."Play Hard" (Maurizio Gubellini Remix)5:11
5."Play Hard" (Spencer & Hill Remix)6:19
6."Play Hard" (Extended)5:12
German CD single[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Play Hard" (Albert Neve Remix)6:52
2."Play Hard" (R3hab Remix)4:06
3."Play Hard" (Maurizio Gubellini & Delayers in da House Remix)5:00
4."Play Hard" (Maurizio Gubellini Remix)5:11
5."Play Hard" (Spencer & Hill Remix)6:19
6."Play Hard" (Extended Version)5:12

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Play Hard"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[69] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[70] Gold 15,000*
Belgium (BRMA)[71] Gold 15,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[72] Gold 15,000^
France (SNEP)[73] Gold 75,000*
Germany (BVMI)[74] Platinum 300,000
Italy (FIMI)[75] 3× Platinum 90,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[76] Platinum 15,000*
Spain (Promusicae)[77] Platinum 60,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[78] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[79] 2× Platinum 1,200,000
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[80] Platinum 1,800,000
Spain (Promusicae)[81] Gold 4,000,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Sampling controversy

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI