"Price to Play" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Staind Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and dr ...

. It was the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from their fourth album, ''

14 Shades of Grey ''14 Shades of Grey'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Staind, released on May 20, 2003. The album continues to develop a post-grunge sound seen on the band's previous album ''Break the Cycle'', though the songs on ''14 Shades of ...

''. "Price to Play" was released in advance and became a hit, charting high on both rock charts (number two on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and number six on the Modern Rock Tracks) and peaking within the top 100 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 66. It was also the official theme song of

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

's Vengeance 2003 event.

Themes and composition

Frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Aaron Lewis Aaron Lewis (born April 13, 1972) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and founding member of the nu metal band Staind, with whom he released seven studio albums. Since 2010, he has pursued a solo ca ...

explained that the song was the last song written and recorded for the ''14 Shades of Grey'' album, and the lyrics initially were influenced from his frustrations that the band was so close to done with finishing the album. He explained: Similarly, Lewis stated the song was about the physical and mental toll of working in the music industry. While ''14 Shades of Grey'' was less heavy than previous Staind albums at that time, "Price to Play" retained Staind's heavier and more aggressive sound, with heavy guitars in the verses, soaring vocal harmonies, and melody/harmony guitars to complement the vocals.

Track listing

#"Price to Play" #"Let It Out" #"Can't Believe" (Live Version from MTV Unplugged)

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price To Play 2003 singles 2003 songs Staind songs Elektra Records singles Song recordings produced by Josh Abraham Songs written by Aaron Lewis Songs written by Mike Mushok