Waiting for a Star to Fall

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"Waiting for a Star to Fall"
File:Waiting for a star to fall.jpeg
Single by Boy Meets Girl
from the album Reel Life
A-side "Waiting for a Star to Fall"
B-side "No Apologies"
Released June 10, 1988 (U.S.)
November 30, 1988 (UK)
Format 7" single, 12" single, CD single
Recorded 1988[dubious – discuss]
Genre Pop
Length 4:32
Label RCA
Writer(s) Shannon Rubicam, George Merrill
Producer(s) George Merrill, Arif Mardin & Thomas Hart
Boy Meets Girl singles chronology
"Oh Girl"
(1985)		 "Waiting for a Star to Fall"
(1988)		 "Bring Down the Moon"
(1988)

Waiting for a Star to Fall is a song released by the pop duo Boy Meets Girl in 1988. It was a worldwide hit and became their signature song.

Background

The song was inspired by an actual falling star that Shannon Rubicam had seen at one of Whitney Houston's concerts at the Greek Theatre. Initially, the duo did not consider recording it, and instead submitted the song to Clive Davis to consider including it on Houston's next album, but he rejected it, alleging that it did not suit her. The song was then offered and recorded by Belinda Carlisle for her 1987 release, Heaven on Earth, at the insistence of her label. But Carlisle disliked the song and refused to include it on the album. It has however circulated on an unofficial compilation of that album's outtakes.[1]

Release and reception

Merrill and Rubicam decided to record the song themselves for their second album Reel Life. Released as a single on June 10, 1988, the song became a hit in the United States, slowly climbing the charts and eventually reaching #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart.[2] Released in the UK on November 30, 1988, the song reached number 9 in the UK charts during January 1989, having entered the chart in December 1988.[3] It also reached #35 on Australia's ARIA Charts in April 1989.

The song was used as the closing track to the 1990 movie Three Men and a Little Lady, and the single was re-released as a movie tie-in, with a new picture sleeve featuring the actors of the film. It peaked at #76 in the UK.

The video game Grand Theft Auto IV included the song in the playlist for the in-game radio station Vice City FM.[4]

Johnny Loftus of AllMusic remarked that the song was "just classic", and that "the urgency as it drives toward its chorus is a clinic for durable songwriting."[5]

Music video

The video for the song, directed by Australian director Claudia Castle, features scenes of the Merrill and Rubicam singing the song on a beach and inside a house.[6] Also featured are scenes of a group of children playing with bubbles, one of whom is Merrill and Rubicam's daughter Hilary.

Personnel

  • George Merrill: Lead vocals, Piano, Synthesizer, Bass guitar, Drum programming
  • John Goux: Guitar
  • Denny Fongheiser: Drums
  • Michael Jochum: Additional Drums
  • Andy Snitzer: Saxophone
  • Shannon Rubicam, Susan Boyd: Vocals
  • Joe Mardin: "Crowning Touch" (Synthesizer)

[7]

"Star to Fall"
File:Star2fall.jpg
Single by Cabin Crew
Released 2005
Format CD
Genre Dance-pop, house

Covers and remixes

The song has been remixed three times, resulting each time in new interest in both the original and the Boy Meets Girl duo. The dance outfit Cabin Crew originally remixed the song as "Star to Fall" (a.k.a "Star2Fall"), but were refused use of sample of the original lyrics by SonyBMG. Liking what Cabin Crew had done, however, George Merrill agreed to re-record the vocals for their version, so it may actually be counted as more of a cover than a remix. Cabin Crew's version made number 4 in the UK charts in March 2005. Meanwhile, SonyBMG had Sunset Strippers remix the original track under the title "Falling Stars," which was released a week after the Cabin Crew version, and made number 3 in the UK charts. This caused some confusion at the time, with two songs being released into the charts around the same time that sounded essentially the same.

The track "In My Arms" by electronic musician Mylo sampled the song and was featured on Mylo's album Destroy Rock & Roll. His version also sampled Kim Carnes's "Bette Davis Eyes," and it made #13 in the UK in 2005.[8]

Dan Winter recorded another remix in 2007; his version is titled "Carry Your Heart."

Charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Canadian The Record Singles Chart[9] 1
UK Singles Chart[10] 9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 5
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 1
New Zealand Singles Chart 25
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 35
Irish Singles Chart 5
German Singles Chart 22
Dutch Singles Chart 62
Chart (1991) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[10] 76

References

  1. ↑ Belinda Carlisle - Waiting for a Star to Fall
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Et-_bkxl8
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhxF9Qg5mOU
  7. ↑ Boy Meets Girl- Reel Life LP (lists song-by-song personnel) @Discogs.com Retrieved 7-11-2014.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ "Canadian Singles Chart from Nanda Lwin; Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000)"
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Waiting for a Star to Fall UK Top 40 database. Accessed: September 27, 2009

External links

  • Full lyrics at Boy Meets Girl Music [1]
Preceded by Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single
December 17, 1988		 Succeeded by
"Two Hearts" by Phil Collins
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