Star (Erasure song)

Last updated
"Star"
Erasure single star.jpg
Single by Erasure
from the album Wild!
B-side "Dreamlike State"
Released21 May 1990 (1990-05-21)
Genre Pop
Length3:53
Label Mute
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Erasure singles chronology
"Blue Savannah"
(1990)		"Star"
(1990)		"Chorus"
(1991)
Music video
"Star" on YouTube

"Star" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in May 1990 by Mute Records as the fourth European (and third American) single from the group's fourth studio album, Wild! (1989). Described as a straightforward dance music track with disco elements, it was written by group members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrical content clearly referencing nuclear war; Erasure's own form of protest song. Gareth Jones and Mark Saunders produced it with the duo. When released, the track was remixed slightly for radio, bringing acoustic guitar elements and various background vocal parts forward in the mix. The accompanying music video was directed by John Maybury. [1]

Contents

Critical reception

Steven McDonald from AllMusic felt the song is "another one of those rip-roaring Clarke/Bell compositions that's as much fun for the ears as it is for the feet". He described it as "stupendous". [2] Bill Coleman from Billboard magazine wrote, "Pop gem that should have kicked off campaign behind sorely overlooked Wild! album is finally issued with club-ready remixes. He added, "Well-edited "Trafalmadore Mix" should satisfy house-conscious jocks." [3] Ian McCann from NME said, "With a bassline that sounds like it has just woken up with a hangover only to find that someone has been pouring Mescal on the cornflakes, the groove of 'Star' is delicious." [4] Jaynie Senior from Number One remarked its "pure pop". [5] Christopher Smith from Talk About Pop Music stated that the song "returns us to more lively, energetic Erasure as the chorus comes in first then the song gathers pace with each successive verse and chorus." [6] Troy J. Augusto from Variety complimented it as "hook-filled". [7]

Chart performance

"Star" became Erasure's 12th consecutive top-20 hit on the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 11. It also peaked at number 33 in West Germany. In the United States, the song did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, although it became a popular club hit, climbing to number four on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

Music video

The music video for "Star" was directed by English filmmaker and artist John Maybury. [1] It was later made available on Erasure's official YouTube channel in 2014 and had generated more than 6.6 million views as of August 2025.

Track listings

Charts

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United Kingdom21 May 1990
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
 Mute [16]
Japan25 May 1990Mini-CD Alfa [17]
Australia11 June 1990
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • cassette
Mute [18]
United Kingdom18 June 1990
  • CD
  • cassette
 [19]

References

  1. 1 2 "Star (single)". erasureinfo.com. 21 May 1990. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  2. ↑ McDonald, Steven. "Erasure – Star". AllMusic . Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  3. ↑ Coleman, Bill (16 June 1990). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . p. 85. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  4. ↑ McCann, Ian (19 May 1990). "Singles". NME . Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  5. ↑ Senior, Jaynie (18 October 1989). "Albums". Number One . p. 43. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  6. ↑ Smith, Christopher (16 October 2019). "Review: 'Wild!' – Erasure". Talk About Pop Music. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  7. ↑ Augusto, Troy J. (23 November 1992). "Erasure". Variety . Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 7, no. 24. 16 June 1990. p. V. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Erasure". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  10. ↑ Radio Luxembourg Singles. 10 June 1990.
  11. ↑ "Erasure: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Erasure Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "Erasure Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Erasure – Star" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  15. ↑ "The Year in Music 1990: Top Dance Club Play Singles". Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 51. 22 December 1990. p. YE-31.
  16. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week . 19 May 1990. p. 37.
  17. ↑ "イレイジャー | スター" [Erasure | Star] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  18. ↑ "New Release Summary: Singles". The ARIA Report . No. 22. 10 June 1990. p. 19.
  19. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week. 16 June 1990. p. 31.
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