Waiting for a Star to Fall

"Waiting for a Star to Fall"
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
Genre Pop
Length 4:32
Label RCA
Songwriter(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)
Music video
"Waiting for a Star to Fall” on YouTube

"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 hoping he would decide to use it on Houston's next album. He rejected it, suggesting that it did not suit her. The song was then offered to and recorded by Belinda Carlisle for her 1987 release Heaven on Earth, at the insistence of her label, but Carlisle disliked it and refused to include it on the album. This version has, however, circulated on an unofficial compilation of that album's outtakes.[1]

The alto saxophone solo on the Boy Meets Girl version was provided in a session recording early in the career of Andy Snitzer who later found success as a solo artist.[2]

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, it became a hit in the United States, slowly climbing the charts and eventually reaching number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart[3] and number five on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] Released in the United Kingdom on November 30, 1988, the song reached number nine on the UK charts during January 1989, having entered the chart in December 1988.[5] It also reached number 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 number 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.[6]

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."[7]

Music video

The video for the song, directed by Australian director Claudia Castle, features scenes of Merrill and Rubicam singing it on a beach and inside a house.[8] Also featured are scenes of a group of children playing with bubbles, including the couple's young 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)

[9]

Charts and certifications

Covers and remixes

"Star to Fall"
Single by Cabin Crew
Released 2005
Format CD
Genre Dance-pop, house
Songwriter(s) Shannon Rubicam, George Merrill

The song has been remixed several 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. Cabin Crew's version made number four on the UK Singles Chart 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 three on the [UK Singles Chart. 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 British electronic musician Mylo sampled the song and was featured on Mylo's album Destroy Rock & Roll. His version also sampled Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" and made it to number 13 in the United Kingdom in 2005.
  • In 2007, German hardstyle musician Dan Winter recorded a remix titled "Carry Your Heart".[16]
  • In December 2013, a folk cover of the song by Icelandic singer Yohanna surfaced on the Internet.[17]
  • In March 2014, a folk cover of the song by English singer Diana Vickers surfaced on the Internet.[18]
  • In September 2017, Australian singer George Maple interpolated the song as part of her single 'Hero'[19]

Charts

References

  1. ↑ Belinda Carlisle - Waiting for a Star To Fall. 2 March 2010 – via YouTube.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ "Boy Meets Girl Chart History". billboard.com. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  4. ↑ "Boy Meets Girl – Waiting for a Star to Fall – Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Boy Meets Girl UK Chart History". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  6. ↑ VICE CITY FM: Boy Meets Girl - Waiting For A Star To Fall. 16 May 2010 – via YouTube.
  7. ↑ Johnny Loftus. "Reel Life – Boy Meets Girl – Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  8. ↑ Boy Meets Girl - Waiting for a Star to Fall. 21 February 2014 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ Boy Meets Girl- Reel Life LP (lists song-by-song personnel) @Discogs.com Retrieved 7-11-2014.
  10. ↑ "Canadian Singles Chart from Nanda Lwin; Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000)"
  11. 1 2 Waiting for a Star to Fall UK Top 40 database. Accessed: September 27, 2009
  12. ↑ http://wweb.uta.edu/faculty/gghunt/charts/bmg.html
  13. ↑ http://wweb.uta.edu/faculty/gghunt/charts/Songruns/B/boymeetsgirlwaiting_for_a_star_to_fall.htm
  14. ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 8, December 23, 1989". RPM. December 23, 1999. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  15. ↑ "British single certifications – Boy Meets Girl – Waiting for a Star to Fall". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 11, 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Waiting for a Star to Fall in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  16. ↑ "Dan Winter - Carry Your Heart". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  17. ↑ "Song "Waiting For A Star To Fall"". www.yohanna.de. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  18. ↑ Jord C (2014-03-20), Diana Vickers - Waiting For a Star to Fall, retrieved 2017-12-17
  19. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H02qzUofVo
  20. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Cabin Crew – Star to Fall". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Cabin Crew – Star to Fall" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Cabin Crew – Star to Fall" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Cabin Crew: Star to Fall" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Cabin Crew – Star to Fall" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cabin Crew – Star to Fall". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  26. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Star to Fall". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Cabin Crew – Star to Fall". Top Digital Download. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 13, 2005" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cabin Crew – Star to Fall" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Cabin Crew – Star to Fall". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  34. 1 2 "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 - 2005". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Sunset Strippers – Falling Stars (Waiting for a Star to Fall)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Sunset Strippers – Falling Stars (Waiting for a Star to Fall)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Sunset Strippers – Falling Stars (Waiting for a Star to Fall)". Tracklisten. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sunset Strippers – Falling Stars (Waiting for a Star to Fall)". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  39. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Falling Stars". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Sunset Strippers – Falling Stars (Waiting for a Star to Fall)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  • Full lyrics at Boy Meets Girl Music
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