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]

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