Games People Play (The Alan Parsons Project song)

"Games People Play"
"Games People Play"
Single by The Alan Parsons Project
from the album The Turn of a Friendly Card
B-side	"The Ace of Swords"
Released	November 1980
Length	4:23 (album); 3:17 (7-inch single);
Label	Arista
Songwriter(s)	Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson
Producer(s)	Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson
The Alan Parsons Project singles chronology
Music video
	"Games People Play" on YouTube

"Games People Play" is a 1980 song by the Alan Parsons Project. It peaked at No. 16 on 14 March 1981 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well as No. 18 on Cash Box.^[2]^[3] It appears on the album The Turn of a Friendly Card and was sung by Lenny Zakatek.

Single version

The single version of the song features two edits, one during the instrumental section preceding the guitar solo, and another shortening the guitar solo. It is also sped up slightly. The "single edit" included on the deluxe anniversary edition of The Turn of a Friendly Card from 2015 is edited differently and presented at the original pitch, so it is not the actual single version.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1980/1981)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[4]	95
Canada (RPM Magazine)^[5]	9
United States (Billboard Hot 100)	16

Year-end charts

Year-end chart (1981)	Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)^[6]	66
Canada (RPM Magazine)^[7]	90

Release history

Country	Date
United States	November 1980
United Kingdom	January 1981

References

^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 616.
^ "Music: Top 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
^ "Cash Box 3/14/81". Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 229. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "RPM Top 50 Singles - February 28, 1981" (PDF).
^ "Number One Awards – Billboard's 1981 Year-End Charts : Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 51. 26 December 1981. p. YE-9.
^ "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1981 - December 26, 1981" (PDF).

This 1980s rock single-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Great Rock Discography". p. 616.

[2] "Music: Top 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 11 July 2016.

[3] "Cash Box 3/14/81". Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2016.

[aus-4] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 229. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[5] "RPM Top 50 Singles - February 28, 1981" (PDF).

[6] "Number One Awards – Billboard's 1981 Year-End Charts : Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 51. 26 December 1981. p. YE-9.

[7] "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1981 - December 26, 1981" (PDF).

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v t e The Alan Parsons Project
Alan Parsons Eric Woolfson Ian Bairnson Andrew Powell David Paton Stuart Elliott Stuart Tosh Richard Cottle Laurence Cottle Duncan Mackay Mel Collins Lenny Zakatek Chris Rainbow Geoff Barradale John Miles Colin Blunstone Jack Harris Dave Townsend
Studio albums	Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976) I Robot (1977) Pyramid (1978) Eve (1979) The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980) Eye in the Sky (1982) Ammonia Avenue (1984) Vulture Culture (1985) Stereotomy (1985) Gaudi (1987) The Sicilian Defence (2014)
Compilations	The Best of the Alan Parsons Project (1983) The Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Volume 2 (1988) The Instrumental Works (1988) The Definitive Collection (1997) The Essential Alan Parsons Project (2007)
Singles	"The Raven" "(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether" "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" "Games People Play" "Time" "Sirius" "Eye in the Sky" "Old and Wise" "Don't Answer Me"
Related articles	Discography Keats Ladyhawke Freudiana