| Stars | |
| Type: | song |
| Artist: | Janis Ian |
| Released: | February 1974 |
| Recorded: | March 1972 – 1973 |
| Studio: | 914 Sound Studios Sound Recorders, Los Angeles Sound Studios, New York State |
| Genre: | Folk |
| Length: | 7:12 |
| Label: | Columbia |
| Producer: | Brooks Arthur |
"Stars" is the title track on the sixth studio album of American singer-songwriter Janis Ian. The song is a somber guitar ballad about the pitfalls, fleetingness, and consequences of fame.
Jazz and blues singer Nina Simone performed a modified version of "Stars" live at the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival held in Montreux, Switzerland. Simone's version was played on the piano, included new lyrics, and had a more somber tone than that of Ian's, fitting the mental and financial struggles the artist was facing in the decline of her career.[1] A recording of Simone's performance was preserved.
Simone released another rendition of "Stars" in her live compilation album Let it Be Me (1987) and posthumously, the Montreux version, in Nina Simone: The Montreux Years (2021).
Simone's Montreux cover version was played during the final moments of the season 3 finale of the Netflix adult cartoon BoJack Horseman. Jen Chaney wrote in New York magazine that the way the season's finale "unfold[s] the way it does to Nina Simone’s 'Stars,' is utterly crushing. It’s the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen in an animated series."[2] The song was included in the show's soundtrack album.