"Shining Star" is a popular song written by the American songwriters and music producers Leo Graham and Paul Richmond. The song was recorded in 1980 by popular American R&B

vocal group A musical ensemble, also known as a music group, musical group, or a band is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrume ...

The Manhattans The Manhattans are an American R&B vocal group. Their songs " Kiss and Say Goodbye", recorded in 1976, and 1980's " Shining Star", both sold millions of copies. The Manhattans have recorded 45 hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B Chart, including tw ...

and released the same year on the album '' After Midnight''. "Shining Star" was released as a single in 1980 and peaked at number 4 on the US ''Billboard'' R&B chart, and number 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was most successful in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, where it reached position number 2; the same position that it also reached in the Black Oriented Singles of the ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' magazine in the USA. Although it did not reach the number-one on any chart, "Shining Star" was

's highest-charting hit since the worldwide hit "

Kiss and Say Goodbye "Kiss and Say Goodbye" is a 1976 song by American R&B vocal group the Manhattans. It was written by group member Winfred Lovett, the bass singer and songwriter of the group, who did the song's spoken introduction. The song was recorded for the ...

" released in 1976.

Grammy Award

"Shining Star" won the

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as th ...

in 1980. It was the only

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

received by

Track listing

*The full length of "Shining Star" on the album '' After Midnight'' is 4:40. The length of 3:45 on the 7" single is an edited version of the song.

B-side

The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the "Shining Star"'s 7" single contains the song "I'll Never Run Away From Love Again", which was also recorded by

in 1980 for the album '' After Midnight''. It was written by lead vocalist Gerald Alston and Barbara Morr. The song is the last track on the album and was produced by Norman Harris and

Charts, certifications, and accolades

Weekly charts

Awards

Year-end charts

End-of-decade charts

Certifications and sales

Personnel

* Written by – Leo Graham and Paul Richmond * Lead Vocal – Gerald Alston * Backing vocals – Winfred "Blue" Lovett, Edward "Sonny" Bivins, Kenneth "Wally" Kelly * Arranged by – James Mack

Credits

* Producer – Leo Graham * Associate Producer – James Mack * Executive Producer – Mickey Eichner * Coordinator (Production) – Hermi Hanlin * Engineer (Mastering) – Stu Romaine

Companies

* Recorded at –

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

, Chicago * Mastered at – CBS Recording Studios, New York, NY * Manufactured By –

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

* Phonographic Copyright ℗ – CBS, Inc. * Copyright – CBS, Inc.

Notes

* ℗ 1980 CBS, Inc. * Taken From The

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

LP '' After Midnight'' JC 36411

In popular culture

"Shining Star" was performed many times by the

Jerry Garcia Band The Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975; it remained the most important of his various side projects until his death in 1995. The band regularly tour ...

during their 1991 through 1994 tours. It frequently appeared to open or near the beginning of the second set. On October 6, 1993, at The Warfield Theater, the band opened the second set with the song. The audience spontaneously began singing the chorus in unison towards the end of the song and the band quieted and riffed off the audience. This became the standard and the song was always performed with audience participation from then on, extending to a length of up to 25 minutes in some performances. The band was so amused that they opened the second set with "Shining Star" again the following night. This was not the first instance of the audience taking part. See the April 24, 1993 show, also at the Warfield. The song was used in the 1983 ''

Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...

'' episode "Die kleine Ahrens" and the 2006 ''

Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

'' episode "Baby Blues". From 1999, "Shining Star" began to be interpreted in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

by the Brazilian singer Maurício Manieri, in his own Portuguese version "Pensando em Você".

Portuguese version

In 1998, "Shining Star" won a Portuguese version in

, performed by Brazilian singer and musician Maurício Manieri. This version received the title "Pensando em Você", with lyrics in Portuguese written by Manieri himself, and was released on his album ''A Noite Inteira'' in 1998. "Pensando em Você" was released as a single in

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in 1999, and became a big hit of Maurício Manieri, reaching position number 5 in the national parade of Brazil and position number 49 in Portugal (according to the discography of Manieri in Wikipedia in Portuguese). The credits for "Pensando em Você" ("Shining Star") are by Leo Graham and Paul Richmond, version Mauricio Manieri.

References

External links

* * "Shining Star" song review Allmusic.com. {{Authority control 1980 songs 1980 singles 1980s ballads The Manhattans songs Rhythm and blues ballads Soul ballads Columbia Records singles Songs written by Leo Graham (songwriter)