| "Stars" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byRoxette | ||||
| from the albumHave a Nice Day | ||||
| B-side | "Better Off on Her Own" | |||
| Released | 26 July 1999 (1999-07-26) | |||
| Recorded | September–October 1998 | |||
| Studio | Atlantis,Cosmos (Stockholm, Sweden) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:56 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter | Per Gessle | |||
| Producers |
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| Roxette singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Stars" onYouTube | ||||
"Stars" is a song by Swedish pop music duoRoxette, released on 26 July 1999 as the third single from their sixth studio album,Have a Nice Day (1999). It was their first – and only – foray into thetechno subgenre and features a children's choir in the song's chorus. A remix of the song by production collectiveAlmighty served as the version which was predominantly played on European radio. The song became a hit throughout Europe, particularly inScandinavia and in Germany, where it became the album's best-performing single. Its music video was directed byAnton Corbijn.
"Stars" was originallydemoed as a guitar-drivenrock song, but itsarrangement was overhauled in the recording studio.[1] It instead became an up-tempodance,electropop andtechno song, which was a new musical direction for Roxette.[2] Lead vocals were performed byMarie Fredriksson, and the song features a children's choir in thechorus.[3]Per Gessle was inspired to incorporate a children's choir in to one of his songs after hearingKeith West's 1967 single "Excerpt from A Teenage Opera".[1]
The song was remixed numerous times. European radio predominantly aired a 7-inch mix of the song by production collectiveAlmighty, although the original album version was used for the music video. Also included on the single was the exclusiveb-side "Better Off on Her Own", and demos for two other tracks fromHave a Nice Day: "I Was So Lucky" and "7Twenty7".[4]
Jørn Holmen fromGjesdalbuen picked the song as the "highlight" of the record. He wrote that "this techno-embossed song shows that Roxette has partially managed to innovate themselves."[5] Brendon Veevers fromRenowned for Sound wrote that "Stars" "showed us exactly what Roxette were capable of doing when they ventured outside of their signature power-ballad comfort zones. ThoughHave a Nice Day as a whole was techno-coated, Stars showed a prominent change of direction for Roxette. Its children’s-choir chorus and Marie’s power-house vocal delivery are stunning and contrasting features within the tracks electronic and energetic construction."[6]
The song's music video was directed byAnton Corbijn, and Fredriksson described making it as a "hilarious experience".[7] It begins with a drunken Gessle passed-out in a cardboard box in an alleyway, with a sign emblazoned with the word "Me" hanging around his neck, although he is then transformed into an unidentified man. Meanwhile, Fredriksson awakens in a large bed inside a palace, surrounded by servants, who begin dressing her in royal attire. She leaves the palace and ventures down a crowded street, and is surrounded by men all wearing similar signs around their necks. After stumbling over the man in the cardboard box, she begins reading the song's lyrics to him from aroyal decree.
During the song's first chorus, she becomes distracted by a passing children's choir and begins dancing frenetically, dropping the royal decree in the process. Disturbed by the scene, the man runs away and steals a boat, but is chased by Fredriksson who then jumps into the river after him. She once again becomes distracted during the song's second chorus when she is surrounded by a raft of serenading ducks. Enamored by Fredriksson, the man beckons her into the boat, and he emerges from the river carrying her in his arms. They are then seen emerging from a church in wedding attire. The video ends with a series of montages depicting the couple at a large dining room table throughout various stages of their lives: first accompanied by an infant child, then by two teenagers and, finally, as an elderly couple alone, walking arm-in-arm toward the camera.[8][9]
The song became a hit throughout Europe, particularly inScandinavia. The single charted highest in Finland, peaking at number nine.[10] It also charted at number eleven in Norway,[11] and at number thirteen in the duo's native Sweden,[12] where it was certified gold by theSwedish Recording Industry Association for shipments in excess of 15,000 units.[13] It went on to be one of the 100 best-selling singles of 1999 in the country.[14] The song also charted in the top thirty in both Spain and Switzerland,[15][16] while it became the highest-charting single fromHave A Nice Day on theGerman Singles Chart, peaking at number 23 and spending almost four months on the chart.[17] It became the duo's final single to enter the top 75 of theUK Singles Chart, where it reached number 56.[18] It charted marginally higher – at number 53 – in Scotland.[19] The music video also received a substantial amount of airplay throughout the continent, spending three consecutive weeks at number 19 onMTV Europe'sEuro Top 20 chart.[4]
In Italy, the song was featured in twoOmnitel (now Vodafone) commercials withMegan Gale that were shown in 2000.[20][21]
All songs were written by Per Gessle.
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Credits are adapted from the liner notes ofThe Pop Hits.[1]
Studios
Musicians
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden (GLF)[13] | Gold | 15,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 26 July 1999 (1999-07-26) | CD |
| [12] |
| United Kingdom | 27 September 1999 (1999-09-27) |
| [29] |
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