15 Songs About Stars You Will Love
Music has the ability to be both direct and indirect at the same time. Many songs about stars are metaphors for love and close relationships. Many musicians have been inspired by our amazing solar system to write some of the most famous pieces of music in history. Here are 15 great songs about stars.
Songs About Stars We Love
1. A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay
Coldplay released “A Sky Full of Stars” on their 2014 album, Ghost Stories. A cool fact about this song is that the Swedish EDM artist, Avicii, can be heard on the song playing the piano. Coldplay wanted this album to have EDM as a huge source of inspiration and they decided to reach out to Avicii for help with that.
In an interview with Music Times, Chris Martin said, “It’s the most important song we’ve ever had lyrically because every time I sing it I’m like, yeah, that’s how I want to live my life.” “A Sky Full of Stars” is my favorite song by Coldplay because of its happy vibe; the songs literally make me feel like I’m in the sky with the stars.
2. Counting Stars by OneRepublic
OneRepublic released “Counting Stars” on their 2013 album, Native. The meaning of the song is that money cannot buy happiness. I love how this song has so much emotion in it and is far from the typical songs you hear on the radio.
In an interview with Billboard, Tedder said, “I felt a responsibility to actually write and sing about things that have a level of human gravity to them.” The song is meant to show the listener about the greedy nature of humans and how we all need to change. Instead of worrying about money, we need to count the stars (our hopes).
3. Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) by Train
Train released “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) on their 2001 album, Drops of Jupiter. Dealing with the loss of a close loved one is a common theme that many bands write about. Train’s lead singer, Pat Monahan, was dealing with the recent loss of his mother and visiting his childhood home when he was inspired for a lyric to the song.
In an interview with Billboard, Pat said, “the song felt like she was writing it- because she was telling me, ‘This is what happens after life. You can do anything you want, swim through the planets.’ And she came back with drops of Jupiter in her hair.” There are many people who believe we return to the stars when we pass and I love how Monahan said, “did you fall for a shooting star?
One without a permanent scar, and did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?” He is saying even though he lost his mother to cancer, she was still able to return to him in spirit after her journey through the afterlife.
4. We Are All Made of Stars by Moby
Moby released “We Are All Made of Stars” on their 2002 album, 18. This song was Moby’s first single that made it to the 11th position on the UK Singles Chart. It also hit the top 10 in multiple different European countries. The lyrics for “We Are All Made of Stars” were based on the science that all matter is made up of stardust.
I love how the music video was inspired by the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and has Moby featured as spacemen who are observing celebrities including Tommy Lee, Gary Coleman, Corey Feldman, Dave Navarro, and others.
5. All of the Stars by Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran released “All of the Stars” in 2014 and was included in the film The Fault in Our Stars and the soundtrack of the film. Ed Sheeran has said that the song was inspired by the whole The Fault In Our Stars movie and is supposed to be sad, but at the same time uplifting.
This song is all about missing someone and I particularly love the lyrics, “I’m staring at the moon, I saw a shooting star and thought of you.” It’s a very slow-pitched song and you can feel the emotion that Ed Sheeran puts into his vocals.
6. Lucky Star by Madonna
Madonna released “Lucky Star” on her 1983 debut studio album, Madonna. I love how the song has a slower tempo than most Madonna songs and the guitar sounds amazing. The lyrics are also based on the nursery rhyme: “star light, star bright, first star I see tonight.”
In “Lucky Star” there is a man who is considered to be Madonna’s “lucky star” and he gives her a warm glow every time they are near each other. The music video is also fantastic and shows Madonna dancing and also how her early mannerisms became a fashion trend. Not only was this song an international success, but the music video also helped Madonna to elevate her popularity.
7. The Prettiest Star by David Bowie
David Bowie was originally released in 1970 as a single and later recorded on Bowie’s 1973 album, Aladdin Sane. I love how this song was recorded as a follow-up to the song “Space Oddity.” The lyrics to “The Prettiest Star” are a love song for Angie Barnett, and he allegedly sang the song over the phone to her when he proposed to her.
I love how Bowie keeps referring to her as “the prettiest star” and how you can tell how much passion he has for Angie Barnett. Even though “The Prettiest Star” was not one of Bowies most famous songs, hearing this song allows you to see the immense talent Bowie has and how special his voice is.
8. Shooting Star by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan released “Shooting Star” on his 1989 album, Oh Mercy. When listening to the song, you can tell that it is a song about lost love. Many listeners have interpreted this song as Dylan’s way of talking about his relationship with God or just a failed relationship between a couple.
I love the lyrics, “seen a shooting star tonight and I thought of you. You’re trying to break into another world.” This is hands down one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs and one of my favorite songs about stars.
9. Starlight by Muse
The English alternative rock band, Muse, released “Starlight” on their 2006 album, Black Holes and Revelations. The band actually used the lyrics, “Our hopes and expectations, black holes, and revelations” as the title for the album.
The song tells a story about a man far from home who is shocked to see the starlight while he says, “Lord, am I going to leave everyone I love?” It’s also a great song that mentions the longing of someone when he is far away due to trying to make his dreams come true. The song has the most perfect hook that has peaks and valleys to touch anyone’s heart.
10. Waiting for a Star to Fall by Boy Meets Girl
The American pop duo, Boy Meets Girl, released “Waiting for a Star to Fall” in 1988 on the album, Reel Life. Two band members, George Merrill, and Shannon Rubicam, wrote the song after they watched a falling star at a Whitney Houston concert.
This song covers the topic of the grieving that comes when you love and watch someone from far away. Many consider this song to be a masterpiece of pop music from the 80s. I particularly love the line “Carry your heart into my arms, that’s where you belong” and the chord progression for it.
11. Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden
Soundgarden released “Black Hole Sun” on their 1994 album, Superunknown. Many people consider “Black Hole Sun” to be Soundgarden’s signature song and is their most well-known song. Chris Cornell gained inspiration for the song when he was driving and overheard a news anchor mention “black hole sun.”
The lyrics are not only easy to remember but they are beautiful and actually paint a bigger picture. The song actually has a general feeling of sadness and despair but at the same time can make the listener feel happy.
12. Shining Star by Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is a progressive soul band that released the song “Shining Star” on their 1975 album, That’s the Way of the World. The idea for the song came from lead singer Maurice White when he was walking at night. He looked up at the sky and saw the stars and was instantly inspired to write a song about it with his other band members.
“Shining Star” features a very uplifting tune and inspires hope in all of us that our dreams are obtainable and within reach. As far as disco tunes are concerned, “Shining Star” is a very meaningful piece and is still a classic to this day.
13. Rewrite the Stars by Zac Efron and Zendaya
“Rewrite the Stars” is a single by Zac Efron and Zendaya that they performed for the 2017 film, The Greatest Showman. This song is a stunning duet and perfectly melts into the theme of the film. The song’s theme is that of two love interests whose different backgrounds are preventing them from being together.
This is a very smooth song that comes to a full circle by the end and makes it feel as if the song never ends. The line about rewriting the stars together is beautiful and is exactly perfect for the theme of the film.
14. There’s a Star for Everyone by Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin released “There’s a Star for Everyone” on her 1981 album, Love All the Hurt Away. The song is about how one feels heartbroken and lost when a relationship fails. Aretha’s beautiful voice shines as bright as a star in “There’s a Star for Everyone.”
The song’s title can also mean that there are billions of stars, just like people. So, if a relationship were to ever fail for you, there are so many people out there, you are sure to find someone for you. I love the star metaphors in the song and Aretha’s voice is worth giving this song a shot.
15. Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra
The song “Fly Me to the Moon” was originally written in 1954 by Bart Howard and was titled “In Other Words.” In 1964, Frank Sinatra released his version on his album, It Might as Well Be Swing, and is closely aligned with the Apollo missions to the moon. During the Apollo 10 mission, they even played Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” on a portable cassette player.
On top of the song’s dealings with the Apollo, the song also deals with love. Multiple lyrics pertain to how happy an individual is who is in love. Sinatra also addresses how being drunk on love can cause your thinking to be distorted and in return, you may lose sight of yourself.
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This article was written by Jesse and edited by Michael.
