I Don't Wanna Be a Star

Last updated

"I Don't Wanna Be a Star"
I don't wanna be a star.jpg
Single by Corona
from the album The Rhythm of the Night
ReleasedNovember 1995
Studio Casablanca, Italy
Genre Euro disco
Length3:58
Label DWA
Songwriter(s)
  • Francesco Bontempi
  • Antonia Bottari
  • Ivana Spagna
Producer(s)
  • Checco
  • Soul Train
Corona singles chronology
"Try Me Out"
(1995)
"I Don't Wanna Be a Star"
(1995)
"Megamix"
(1997)
Music video
"I Don't Wanna Be a Star" on YouTube

"I Don't Wanna Be a Star" is a song by Italian band Corona, released in November 1995 as the fourth and final single from their debut album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995). It was a club hit in many European countries, but unlike the previous Corona singles, it has disco sonorities. [1] The song peaked at number one in both Italy and Spain, number five in Hungary and number six in Finland. In the UK and on the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked within the top 30. It was Corona's last major hit.

Contents

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis described the song as "irresistible", naming it one of the standout tracks on The Rhythm of the Night album. [2] James Masterton for Dotmusic commented, "All hail the return of the synth drum. Ever since Corona first hit the dizzy heights of Number 2 with "The Rhythm of the Night" at the end of 1994 they have proved that they are far from one-hit wonders but instead are one of the finest pop acts around." He added that it is "possibly their best single yet", and "such a perfect pastiche of a 1970s disco track that it could almost be a reissue. It isn't, instead being a completely up to date track but sounding every inch a classic already - right down to the cheesy synth drum which has surely not been heard since the days of Kelly Marie and "Feels Like I'm In Love"." [3] A reviewer from Music Week gave it three out of five, writing, "A Seventies version featuring Chic-like string flourishes, handclaps and syn-drums, which should go down a storm in the gay clubs." [4] In an retrospective review, Pop Rescue deemed it as "catchy", noting the single version as "laden with a disco sound", while the album version is not. [5]

Chart performance

"I Don't Wanna Be a Star" peaked at number one in Spain and Italy and entered the top 10 in Finland and Hungary. Additionally, the single was a top-20 hit in France, Iceland, and Scotland. In the UK, it reached number 22 on 17 December 1995, during its first week on the UK Singles Chart. [6] On the RM On a Pop Tip Club Chart, it reached number one. [7] On the Eurochart Hot 100, it entered the top 30, peaking at number 23 in January 1996, while peaking at number four on the European Dance Radio Chart. Outside Europe, the song reached number six on the RPM Dance chart in Canada, number 23 in Israel and number 109 in Australia.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" was shot in Rome, Italy. Many famous places from the city can be seen in the video, like Colosseum, Harry's Bar, and Via Veneto. Many scenes are also showing Corona's frontwoman Olga de Souza singing in front of the Trevi Fountain. Other scenes show her in a restaurant where she poses for photographs or sitting in a taxi while paparazzi are following her. The video is made in a 70s-style, and throughout the video, de Souza wears many different costumes and wigs in different colors. [8]

Track listings

Personnel

Charts

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
ItalyNovember 1995
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
DWA
Spain Blanco y Negro
United Kingdom11 December 1995
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
Eternal [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corona (band)</span> Italian Eurodance band

Corona is an Italian Eurodance project. Initially as a band originally formed by the Brazilian-born singer and model Olga Maria de Souza and the producer Francesco "Checco" Bontempi, it found commercial success with the worldwide hits "The Rhythm of the Night" (1993) and "Baby Baby" (1995). After the second album, Bontempi left the band and was replaced by Francesco Conte and Paolo Dughero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Stop Movin' (Livin' Joy song)</span> 1996 single by Livin Joy

"Don't Stop Movin'" is a song by Italian electronic music group Livin' Joy. It is the follow-up release to their previous single, "Dreamer", which was a number-one hit in the UK. The song was released on their only album, Don't Stop Movin (1996). Along with the rest of the album, the song featured vocals by Tameko Star who also wrote the track. "Don't Stop Movin" peaked at number one in Italy and number 12 on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the UK, the single had was released on 3 June 1996 and peaked number five on the UK Singles Chart, where it spent seven weeks in the top 10 and a 14 weeks in the top 100. It ended the year as the UK's 34th-biggest-selling single of 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boom Boom Boom</span> 1995 single by The Outhere Brothers

"Boom Boom Boom" is a song by American hip house duo the Outhere Brothers, released in June 1995 as the fourth single from their debut album, 1 Polish, 2 Biscuits & a Fish Sandwich (1994), and is also featured on their compilation albums The Fucking Hits (2002), and Dance History (2005). It peaked at number 54 on the Cash Box Top 100 and number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Boom Boom Boom" topped the charts in Germany, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. In the latter two countries, the song became the duo's second chart-topper. The original version contained sexually explicit lyrics which were removed for the radio edit but were retained in remixes of the track on the single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)</span> 1994 single by The Outhere Brothers

"Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)" is a song by American hip-house duo the Outhere Brothers, released in 1994 as a single from their debut album, 1 Polish, 2 Biscuits & a Fish Sandwich (1994). The song topped the charts in the Republic of Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Although the music video and radio edit of the song featured a remixed, clean version of the song, the original, explicit lyrics were featured on different versions of the track on the CD single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Can Play That Game (song)</span> 1994 single by Bobby Brown

"Two Can Play That Game" is a song by American R&B singer-songwriter Bobby Brown from his third album, Bobby (1992). The single release was remixed by K-Klass and originally reached No. 38 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1994. In April 1995, it re-entered the chart, peaking at No. 3. It received positive reviews from music critics and also reached No. 3 in the Netherlands. Additionally, it became a top-20 hit in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and Italy. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Two Can Play That Game" peaked at No. 10. This version of the song appeared on Brown's remix album of the same name, released later in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Wanna Be a Hippy</span> 1995 single by Technohead

"I Wanna Be a Hippy" is a song by English electronic music group Technohead. The vocals were taken from David Peel's song "I Like Marijuana", which he sung in the movie Rude Awakening. It first appeared as the B-side to the group's Mary Jane EP, issued by Dutch hardcore techno label Mokum Records. John Peel featured the track "Mary Jane" on his show on 10 February 1995, which helped give the release recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Think of You (Whigfield song)</span> 1995 single by Whigfield

"Think of You" is a song recorded by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield, which was performed by Danish-born Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was released in May 1995 as the third single from her first album, Whigfield (1995), and scored success on the charts in Europe. The single reached number seven in the UK and was a top 10 hit also in Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain and Zimbabwe. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Think of You" reached number four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreamer (Livin' Joy song)</span> 1994 single by Livin Joy

"Dreamer" is a song by Italian house group Livin' Joy, written and recorded by Janice Robinson and produced by brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi. Originally released in August 1994, it was re-released in 1995 and topped the UK Singles Chart at the number one spot that May, ending 1995 as the UK's 40th-biggest-selling single of 1995. In the United States, it went to number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was a sleeper hit on pop radio, but finally managed to peak at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 75 on the Cash Box Top 100. MTV Dance ranked "Dreamer" number 15 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" in November 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life (Haddaway song)</span> 1993 single by Haddaway

"Life" (known as "Life (Everybody Needs Somebody to Love)" in the US) is a song by Trinidadian-German Eurodance artist Haddaway. Written and produced by Dee Dee Halligan (Tony Hendrik) and Junior Torello, the song was released on 30 July 1993 as the second single from Haddaway's debut album, The Album (1993), and the follow-up to his successful debut single, "What Is Love". The song peaked at number one in Finland, Israel, Spain and Sweden. And within the top 5 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Life" reached the top spot. Another CD maxi were produced at the end of that year containing new remixes (one of them was made by Bass Bumpers). By March 1994, "Life" had sold 1.5 million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Baby (Corona song)</span> 1995 single by Corona

"Baby Baby" is a song by Italian band Corona, released in February 1995 by ZYX Music as the second single from their debut album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995). The song, written by Francesco Bontempi and Antonia Bottari, was originally a hit in 1991 for Italian project Joy & Joyce as "Babe Babe". Both tracks were produced by Lee Marrow. Particularly devoted to the dance floors, it was very successful on the singles charts around the world, peaking at number-one in Italy, and on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada. In the UK, it peaked at number five for two weeks. Two different music videos were produced for the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Try Me Out</span> 1995 single by Corona

"Try Me Out" is a song by Italian band Corona, released in July 1995 as the third single from their debut album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995). The song was written by Francesco Bontempi, Giorgio Spagna and Annerley Gordon. Going for a harder, more underground house music sound, it peaked within the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, the UK, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. Outside Europe, the song was a top-10 hit also in Australia and on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, while peaking at number 43 in New Zealand. It contains samples from the 1987 song "Toy" by Teen Dream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rhythm of the Night</span> 1993 song by Corona

"The Rhythm of the Night" is a song by Italian Eurodance group Corona. It was released as their debut single in 1993 in Italy, then elsewhere the following year. The song is the title track of the group's debut studio album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995), and was written by Francesco Bontempi, Annerley Emma Gordon, Giorgio Spagna, Pete Glenister and Mike Gaffey. It was produced by Bontempi, and the vocals were performed by Italian singer Giovanna Bersola, who is not credited on the single and does not appear in the music video. The woman who appears in the video is the group's frontwoman Olga Souza. The video was A-listed on Music TV-channels, such as Germany's VIVA. The song was a worldwide hit in 1994, peaking at number-one in Italy, and within the top five in most of Europe, while in the US, it fell short of the top ten, reaching number eleven on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)</span> 1994 single by Donna Summer

"Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" is a song by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on October 31, 1994 by Mercury Records and Casablanca Records as a new track and the lead single for her 1994 hits compilation album, Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits. The song was written by Summer, David Cole, Robert Clivillés and Joe Carrano, and produced by Summer and Welcome Productions. It just missed the top 20 in the United Kingdom and was a top-40 hit in Belgium. The song was formed with several remixes and was her tenth number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In Australia, the single peaked at number 79 in December 1994. It was awarded the ASCAP Dance Song of the Year prize in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Your Loving Arms</span> 1994 single by Billie Ray Martin

"Your Loving Arms" is a song by German singer Billie Ray Martin, the former lead singer of Electribe 101. It was released by Magnet and Sire in October 1994 as the first single from the singer's debut solo album, Deadline for My Memories (1995). Written by Martin and David Harrow, it received critical acclaim and is known to be one of her most notable singles. It was produced by English electronic dance group the Grid and was originally released on October 31. The track found greater chart success in 1995, when it peaked at number one in Italy and on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and number six on the UK Singles Chart. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 21. There were made two different music videos for the song. The success of "Your Loving Arms" earned Martin the prize for Best New Dance Solo Artist of 1995 at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami, and Mixmag featured it in the magazine's "100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time" list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shut Up (and Sleep with Me)</span> 1995 single by Sin With Sebastian

"Shut Up (and Sleep with Me)" is a song by German Eurodance artist Sin With Sebastian, released in May 1995 by the Sing Sing label as the lead single from his debut album, Golden Boy (1995). The song features classic opera vocals by singer Donna Lynn Bowers aka Steve. Co-produced by Inga Humpe and Sebastian Roth (real name of Sin With Sebastian), who also wrote it, the song became a Europe-wide hit, reaching number-one in Austria, Finland, Lithuania and Spain. Outside Europe, it also reached number-one in Mexico. It was nominated to the 1996 Echo Awards for the best German dance single. Its accompanying music video was directed by Matthias Schweger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tears Don't Lie</span> 1994 single by Mark Oh

"Tears Don't Lie" is a song by German DJ Mark 'Oh, released in as the third single from his debut album, Never Stop That Feeling (1995). The song uses the same melody best known in English-speaking countries as "When a Child is Born", which when originally a number-one hit in Germany for Michael Holm in 1974 was called "Tränen lügen nicht" or "Tears Don't Lie", which is a cover of the Italian Instrumental "Soleado" by Ciro Dammicco. "Tears Don't Lie" peaked at number-one in Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Sweden and was a top 10 hit across continental Europe and Ireland. It was also nominated to the 1996 Echo Awards for the best German dance single. Matt Broadley directed the music video for the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Give Me Your Life</span> 1995 single by Alex Party

"Don't Give Me Your Life" is a song by Italian dance music group Alex Party. It is produced by Italian producer brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi with DJ Alex Natale, and was released in February 1995 by UMM and Systematic as the first single from the group's first and only album, Alex Party (1996). The vocals are performed by British singer Robin 'Shanie' Campbell, who also wrote the lyrics and melody. The song peaked at number two in the UK and number five on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. It also topped the Club Record category at Music Week's 1995 Awards. Today, it is widely regarded as one of the biggest dance anthems of the 1990s. Idolator ranked it number 21 in their list of "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1995" in 2015.

<i>The Rhythm of the Night</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Corona

The Rhythm of the Night is the debut album by Italian Eurodance act Corona, released in 1995. The album includes the worldwide hit single "The Rhythm of the Night", along with the singles "Baby Baby", "Try Me Out" and "I Don't Wanna Be a Star".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independence (song)</span> 1993 single by Lulu

"Independence" is a song recorded by Scottish singer and songwriter Lulu. It was released in 1993 as the first single from her eleventh album by the same name (1993), and was by many seen as the singer's comeback, after not releasing new material since 1982. The song became a hit in both Europe and the US, peaking at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, number 34 on the Eurochart Hot 100 and number three on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It received remixes by Brothers In Rhythm, C.J. Mackintosh and Tony Humphries, and a music video was also produced to promote the single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reach (Judy Cheeks song)</span> 1994 single by Judy Cheeks

"Reach" is a song by American singer and actress Judy Cheeks, released in 1994 by Positiva Records as the second single from the singer's fifth album, Respect (1996). The track was written by Jim Dyke and Nina Ossoff, and produced by Brothers In Rhythm, peaking at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and number 24 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. In 1996, it was re-released in a new remix which charted at number 22 in the UK. Both versions were successful in clubs, and they both reached number-one on the UK Club Chart.

References

  1. Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit.tubes (in French). Alinea Bis. p. 294. ISBN   2-9518832-0-X.
  2. Promis, Jose F. "Corona - The Rhythm of the Night". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  3. Masterton, James (17 December 1995). "Week Ending December 23rd 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  4. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 2 December 1995. p. 18. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  5. "Review: "The Rhythm Of The Night" by Corona (CD, 1995)". Pop Rescue. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100 17 December 1995 - 23 December 1995". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  7. "The RM On A Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 9 December 1995. p. 8. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  8. "Corona - I Don't Wanna Be a Star [Official Video]". YouTube. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  9. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2015-06-05". Imgur. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "I Don't Wanna Be a Star", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 13 February 2008)
  11. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2915." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  12. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . 6 January 1996. p. 9. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  13. "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media . 20 January 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  14. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media . 3 February 1996. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  15. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (10.02.1996 – 16.02.1996)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir – Tónlist. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  16. 2 January 1996
  17. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 13, no. 1. 6 January 1996. p. 11. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  18. "Corona - I Don't Wanna Be A Star" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  19. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 (17 December 1995-23 December 1995)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  20. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  21. "The RM on a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). 9 December 1995. p. 8. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  22. "1996 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 13, no. 51/52. 21 December 1996. p. 12. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  23. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 9 December 1995. p. 35.