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Starlight (Muse song)

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"Starlight"
Single by Muse
from the album Black Holes and Revelations
B-side
ReleasedSeptember 2006
Recorded2005
Genre
Length
  • 4:00 (album version)
  • 3:35 (radio version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Matt Bellamy
Producer(s)
Muse singles chronology
"Supermassive Black Hole"
(2006) 		"Starlight"
(2006) 		"Knights of Cydonia"
(2006)

"Starlight" is a song by the English rock band Muse. It was released in 2006 as the second single from their fourth studio album, Black Holes and Revelations (2006).

The single reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart[1] and number two on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.[2] The song was first played live during the Radio 1's Big Weekend festival in summer 2006.[3]

Composition

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"Starlight" was written by Muse's vocalist, Matt Bellamy, and produced by Rich Costey. Bellamy said he wrote the song on a boat in bad weather. The bassist, Chris Wolstenholme, said it was about missing loved ones.[4] He described it as the hardest song on the album to record, and that it "was one of the songs we went around in circles with, and we recorded maybe six or seven different versions of it".[5]

According to the music sheet published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Starlight" is an alternative rock song. It is set in the time signature of common time and composed in a moderate tempo of 121.5 beats per minute with the bridge sped up to 122.5 beats per minute.[6][7] It is set in the key of B major with Bellamy's vocals ranging from G♯3 to B4.[7]

Music video

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Muse worked with Paul Minor on the music video, which was filmed in Los Angeles.[8] In the video, the band perform on the deck of the MS Ocean Chie, a handysize bulk carrier. Band members are also carrying flares, in an attempt to be rescued, but this fails and they are abandoned.[4]

Bellamy stated in an interview with The Sunday Mail that the band wanted to "create the idea of a band lost at sea because we see ourselves as being outside what's happening in the music scene" He also told the interviewer, Billy Sloan, that "it was an epic feeling playing on a huge platform with the sea all around us."[8]

Critical reception

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MusicOMH stated that the song was "a track perfectly at home on drivetime radio" while saying it "showcases another side to the band's music and their staggering breadth of appeal."[9] Leeds Music Scene reviewer Maria Pinto-Fernandes gave "Starlight" a glowing review, with a score of four and a half stars out of five. In her review, she commented that "the band's musical arrangements on the track do not come into being just by accident." She also stated that the song was just as passionate when performed live as when heard on CD.[10]

A harsh review came from NME with the reviewer stating that the song "is a tune so chart-hungry it's virtually dry-humping JK and Joel's legs."[11] However, "Starlight" would become one of Muse's most well-known songs, gaining significant international radio airplay, and being performed live in practically all of Muse's live shows after its release.

Chart performance

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"Starlight" entered the UK Singles Chart the week of 3 September at number 38 via digital downloads. The following week, and with the physical release in the United Kingdom, the single peaked at number 13. Since then, the single's chart position steadily declined, and it remained in the Top 75 after fifteen weeks, during the week of 11 December 2006. The next week, "Starlight" had fallen out of the Top 75.[12]

It was certified Platinum by RIAA for 1,000,000 paid downloads, but reached only #101 on the US Hot 100 as a result of minimal mainstream radio airplay (as noted below, it was a substantial hit on specialized modern rock radio stations).

"Starlight" has also peaked at number two on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, Muse's fourth highest-charting single to date on any major chart in the US. It also charted in at number nine on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2006.[13] It was also ranked at number four on Colombian radio station Radiónica's 2006 top 100.[14]

Track listings

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7" picture disc

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  1. "Starlight" – 3:59[15]
  2. "Supermassive Black Hole" (Phones Control Voltage Mix) – 4:19

CD

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  1. "Starlight" – 3:59[15]
  2. "Easily" – 3:40

DVD

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  1. "Starlight" (video) – 4:07[15]
  2. "Starlight" (audio) – 3:59
  3. "Starlight" (making of the video)
  4. "Hidden Track"*

*The 'hidden track' on the DVD release is a short song. It is sung in a distorted falsetto voice with profane lyrics (largely variations of the word 'fuck' with some instruments in the background). Between fans it is often referred as "You Fucking Motherfucker", but in August 2018, Bellamy stated on his Twitter account that the actual lyrics of the song are "You Funky Motherfucker".[16][17] The cowbell click-track was left in the song.[citation needed]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Gold 40,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[37] Gold 45,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[38] Platinum 50,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[39] Gold 30,000*
Portugal (AFP)[40] Platinum 20,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[41] Gold 30,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[42] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[44] Platinum 1,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Muse announce new single". NME. 20 July 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2006.
  2. ^ "Artist Chart History – Muse". Billboard. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  3. ^ "Muse make comeback at Radio 1 Big Weekend". NME. 13 May 2006. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
  4. ^ a b "Muse Get Stuck at Sea – Without Unicorns – In 'Starlight' Clip". VH1. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2007.
  5. ^ Tom Wilson; Lara Mathews. "Interview with Chris Wolstenholme". MuseLive. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2007.
  6. ^ "Muse – Starlight – Daniel With Music". danielcompton.net.
  7. ^ a b Starlight – Muse Digital Sheet Music (Digital Download), MusicNotes.com. Alfred Publishing Co. Inc
  8. ^ a b Billy Sloan (27 August 2006). "Shock Muse from the US". The Sunday Mail. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  9. ^ Michael Hubbard. "Muse – Starlight: Track review". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
  10. ^ Maria Pinto-Fernandes. "Muse – Starlight – CD review". Leeds Music Scene. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  11. ^ "Reviews: Muse: Starlight". NME. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
  12. ^ "Music Charts – The Official UK Top 75 Singles: Week of Mon 11 December". UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 December 2006.
  13. ^ "Hottest 100, 2006". Triple J. Retrieved 23 August 2007.
  14. ^ "Top 100 of 2006". Radiónica. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2007.
  15. ^ a b c "HMV.co.uk: singles: Starlight (2006)". Retrieved 6 September 2006.
  16. ^ Matt Bellamy [@MattBellamy] (26 August 2018). "Thought it was time to clear that one up" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Matt Bellamy [@MattBellamy] (26 August 2018). "Easy. "You Funky Mother-f****r"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Muse – Starlight". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  19. ^ "Muse – Starlight" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  20. ^ "Muse – Starlight" (in French). Ultratip.
  21. ^ "Muse Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  22. ^ "Muse Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard.
  23. ^ "Muse – Starlight" (in French). Les classement single.
  24. ^ "Muse – Starlight" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  25. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Starlight". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  26. ^ "Muse – Starlight". Top Digital Download.
  27. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Muse" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  28. ^ "Muse – Starlight". VG-lista.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  30. ^ "Muse – Starlight". Swiss Singles Chart.
  31. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  32. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  33. ^ "Muse Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  34. ^ "Muse Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  35. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2006" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  36. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Muse – Starlight". Music Canada. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  37. ^ "Danish single certifications – Muse – Starlight". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  38. ^ "Italian single certifications – Muse – Starlight" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 January 2022. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Starlight" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  39. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 27 June 2016. Type Muse in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Starlight in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  40. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Muse – Starlight" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  41. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Muse – Starlight". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  42. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Starlight')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  43. ^ "British single certifications – Muse – Starlight". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  44. ^ "American single certifications – Muse – Starlight". Recording Industry Association of America.
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