Isaak's music can be described as a blend of country, blues, rock'n'roll, pop and surf rock.
He signed a contract to Warner Brothers Records in 1984 for his first album "Silvertone". Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner moved him to their Reprise Records label.
His best-known song is "Wicked Game". Though released on the 1989 album "Heart Shaped World", an instrumental version of the song was later featured in the David Lynch film 'Wild at Heart' (and also years later in the 2000 film The Family Man). An Atlanta radio station DJ began playing the full version and it quickly became a nation-wide top ten hit. The music video for the song was directed by Herb Ritts and was a big MTV and VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it starred Isaak and model Helena Christensen rolling on the beach, embracing and whispering in each others' ears.
In 1999, Isaak's "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film 'Eyes Wide Shut', starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
In 2001, Chris Isaak starred in his own television show, 'The Chris Isaak Show'. It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the cable television network Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Chris Isaak and his band playing themselves with the episode plots based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Chris Isaak - the rock star next door.
In 2004, his track "Life Will Go On" was featured on the 'Chasing Liberty' soundtrack, which starred Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode.
He hosted a talk show on the Biography cable channel in the United States in 2009 that offered a unique twist - each guest was a musical artist, and both Chris and the artist performed various songs throughout each show. Eight episodes aired in early 2009, featuring guests Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, Michael Buble, Chicago, The Smashing Pumpkins, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and Jewel.
Isaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles, though he starred with Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda in the 1993 Bernardo Bertolucci-directed 'Little Buddha', and also played a major role in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992). Other motion pictures include 'Married to the Mob' (1988), 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), 'That Thing You Do!' (1996), and 'A Dirty Shame' (2004). He also guest-starred on the Super Bowl Sunday (1996) edition of the television sitcom Friends and on the HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon (HBO).
Chris is also an amateur boxer, avid surfer and a former Golden Gloves champion.
Lovers Game
Chris Isaak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love is just a game to me dear, love is just a game I'd like to play.
I call you up and tell you that I love you, but really to me every girls the same.
Love is just a game to me dear, love is just a game I'd like to play.
If I really loved you, then I'd never call you, cause' I know I'd only hurt you.
If I really loved you, then I'd never call you, cause' I know I'd only hurt you,
I call you up and tell you that I love you, I call you up and play my lovers game.
Love is just a game to me dear, love is just a game I'd like to play.
The lyrics of Chris Isaak's song "Lovers Game" express a recurring dilemma between the desire for love and the fear of commitment. The singer states he calls his love interest and tells her he loves her, but he perceives love as simply a game. He enjoys playing this game with different women and doesn't see any of them as particularly special or deserving of his loyalty. However, he also acknowledges that his feelings for his lover are genuine and that he could potentially hurt her by pretending that love is a temporary distraction.
The lyrics reveal the vulnerability and fear of the singer when it comes to true love. He is unable to commit because he is scared of the consequences of such an action, which seems to include emotional and mental exhaustion as well as the possibility of hurting the person he loves. Thus, he approaches love as an intermittent game where he can call upon his lovers whenever he feels like it, devoid of any deeper emotional attachment.
Overall, the song "Lovers Game" is an intricate exploration of relationships and emotions, a reflection on the apparent oxymoron between love and gamesmanship, and the associated consequences of the singer's reluctance to commit. The song raises some critical questions concerning the authenticity and longevity of love when it is approached only as a game.
Line by Line Meaning
I call you up and tell you that I love you, I call you up and play my lovers game.
I contact you to express my love but really it's just part of a game I enjoy playing.
Love is just a game to me dear, love is just a game I'd like to play.
My attitude toward love is that it's nothing serious - just a pastime that I derive enjoyment from.
If I really loved you, then I'd never call you, cause' I know I'd only hurt you.
If I truly had genuine romantic feelings for you, I would avoid contacting you altogether because I realize that I would inevitably cause you pain.
My love.
This expression, used in a somewhat sarcastic manner, shows that my affection for you is not as sincere as it may seem on the surface.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS ISAAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind