"Stars" is the first single released from American rock band

Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...

's fifth album ''

Nothing Is Sound ''Nothing Is Sound'' is the fifth studio album by United States, American alternative rock band Switchfoot. It was released on September 13, 2005 and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200. The first single from the album ...

''. "Stars" was released to radio on June 28, 2005, and again on July 5. It was the most-added song on Modern Rock Radio in its first week of release and peaked at number sixteen on the US Modern Rock chart. The song was certified gold as a digital single on December 13, 2005. It is the band's third most successful song, behind previous hits " Meant to Live" and "

Dare You to Move "Dare You to Move" is a song by American alternative rock band Switchfoot from their fourth studio album, ''The Beautiful Letdown'' (2003). The song was originally called "I Dare You to Move", and was on the 2000 album ''Learning to Breathe (Swit ...

". On iTunes, an acoustic mix of the track is available.

Lyrical themes

In an August 2011 interview with ''Songfacts'', lead singer

Jon Foreman Jonathan Mark Foreman (born October 22, 1976) is an American musician who is the lead singer, guitarist, primary songwriter, and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. As a solo act, Foreman has released 14 extended plays and two st ...

explained the inspiration for "Stars": In another interview, Foreman said that "Stars" is about perspective, a song about stepping back in the midst of chaos and looking at the stars; the idea of anti-

entropy Entropy is a scientific concept, most commonly associated with states of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynamics, where it was first recognized, to the micros ...

, implying there must be something keeping the world together. "The first verse looks at things from Descartes perspective, pinning the center of the universe on the individual. 'Maybe I've been the problem,' maybe I'm overcast, falling apart, etc... The second verse talks about our world from the perspective of the stars looking down on earth from the eternal dance of gravity and motion." The song is a fan favorite for its introspective lyrics and reverberant, aggressive sound.

Music videos

The music video for this song was filmed 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 ...

, mostly underwater. The video features the band playing in an outdoor setting, but as the video progresses, they can be seen "floating" in a watery environment. At the apex of the song, right before the bridge of the song, this environment bursts, and the band plays in the rain until the end of the video. The video was directed by

Scott Speer Scott Speer (born June 5, 1982) is an American director and novelist. Life and career Speer was born in San Diego, California. At age 23, he was signed with ''HSI Productions'', and in 2006 Speer received the MVPA Award for ''Directorial Debut ...

and produced by Coleen Haynes. A music video based on a shortened version of this song was used for ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'', in partnership with

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, in a

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...

commercial.

Track listings

;UK CD single # Stars (Album Version) # Stars (Acoustic Version) # Dare You To Move (Acoustic Version) # Stars (Video)

Charts

Certifications

Awards

In 2006, the song won a

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

for Short Form Music Video of the Year at the

37th GMA Dove Awards The 37th Annual GMA Dove Awards, also called the 37th Annual GMA Music Awards, were held on April 5, 2006 recognizing accomplishments of Christian musicians for the year 2005. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, ...

. It was also nominated for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.37th Annual GMA Dove Awards Nominations & Winners
on About.com; Jones, Kim

References

External links

Official music video
{{Switchfoot 2005 singles Switchfoot songs Music videos directed by Scott Speer Songs written by Jon Foreman Post-grunge songs Song recordings produced by John Fields (record producer) 2005 songs