Waiting for a Star to Fall explained

Waiting for a Star to Fall
Cover:Waiting for a star to fall.jpeg
Type:single
Artist:Boy Meets Girl
Album:Reel Life
B-Side:
  • "No Apologies"
  • "Restless Dreamer"
Genre:Pop
Length:4:32
Label:RCA
Producer:Arif Mardin
Prev Title:Oh Girl
Prev Year:1985
Next Title:Bring Down the Moon
Next Year:1988

"Waiting for a Star to Fall" is a song by American pop music duo Boy Meets Girl in 1988, written by the duo's members, Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill. They wrote the song after witnessing a falling star at a Whitney Houston concert and originally offered the song to Houston, but Arista Records CEO Clive Davis rejected it. American singer Belinda Carlisle then recorded a demo of the song but denied its inclusion on her 1987 album Heaven on Earth, so Rubicam and Merrill decided to record and release the song themselves.

"Waiting for a Star to Fall" was released in June 1988 as the second single from Boy Meets Girl's second studio album, Reel Life (1988). The song became a chart hit in several countries, reaching number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two in Canada, number five in Ireland, and number nine in the United Kingdom. Since its release, it has been remixed and covered by many artists, including Cabin Crew and Sunset Strippers, who experienced concurrent success with their reworkings in 2005.

Background

"Waiting for a Star to Fall" was written by Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill, and was inspired by an actual falling star that Rubicam had seen during a Whitney Houston concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The duo did not initially consider recording the song themselves, instead submitting it to Arista's CEO Clive Davis, in the hope that he would decide to use it on Houston's second studio album, Whitney. Even though Rubicam and Merrill had written Houston's previous hit "How Will I Know", Davis rejected "Waiting for a Star to Fall", suggesting that it did not suit her.[1] This then inspired the creation of Houston's 1987 hit "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)". 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.[2] This version has, however, circulated on an unofficial compilation of that album's outtakes.[3]

The tenor 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.[4]

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, reaching number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Issued in the United Kingdom on November 14, 1988, the song reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart during January 1989, having entered the chart in December 1988.[5] It remains their sole top-40 hit in the UK.[6] The song also reached number 35 on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart in April 1989. After the song was used as the closing theme to the 1990 movie Three Men and a Little Lady, the single was re-released with a new picture sleeve featuring the actors of the film. The re-release peaked at number 76 in the UK.[6]

Johnny Loftus of AllMusic remarked that the song was "just a 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.

Track listings

7-inch, cassette, and mini-CD single[9] [10] [11]

  1. "Waiting for a Star to Fall" – 4:34
  2. "No Apologies" – 4:21

12-inch and CD single[12] [13]

  1. "Waiting for a Star to Fall" – 4:34
  2. "No Apologies" – 4:21
  3. "Restless Dreamer" – 4:33

1991 7-inch single[14]

A. "Waiting for a Star to Fall"

B. "The Three Men Rap" (by Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson)

1991 12-inch and CD single[15] [16]

  1. "Waiting for a Star to Fall"
  2. "The Three Men Rap" (by Selleck, Guttenberg, and Danson)
  3. "Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight aka Goodnight It's Time to Go" (by Selleck, Guttenberg, and Danson)

Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the Reel Life liner notes.[17]

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Waiting for a Star to Fall"!Chart (1988–1989)!Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[18] 2
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[19] 37
Iceland (Dagblaðið Vísir)[20] 2
Sweden (Trackslistan)[21] 17
US CHR/Pop Airplay (Radio & Records)[22] [23] 7
1991 chart performance for "Waiting for a Star to Fall"!Chart (1991)!Peak
position

Year-end charts

1988 year-end chart performance for "Waiting for a Star to Fall"!Chart (1988)!Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[24] 87
1989 year-end chart performance for "Waiting for a Star to Fall"!Chart (1989)!Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[25] 93
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 12

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United StatesJune 10, 1988RCA
United KingdomNovember 14, 1988
January 9, 1989CD[27]
JapanJanuary 21, 1989Mini-CD[28]

Covers and remixes

Star to Fall
Cover:Star2fall.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Cabin Crew
Released:2005
Length:2:47 (radio edit)
Label:
Producer:
  • Ben Garden
  • Rob Kittler
Next Title:Can't Stop It
Next Year:2008
Falling Stars
Cover:SunsetStrippersFallingStarscover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Sunset Strippers
Released:[29]
Length:3:19
Label:
Producer:Sunset Strippers

The song has been covered and remixed several times. The most commercially successful versions came in 2005, when Australian musical group Cabin Crew remixed the song as "Star to Fall" (or "Star2Fall") but were refused the sampling of the original lyrics by Sony BMG. Liking what Cabin Crew had done, however, George Merrill agreed to re-record the vocals.[30] Meanwhile, Sony BMG had British musical group Sunset Strippers remix the original track under the title "Falling Stars". Both versions peaked within the top five of the UK Singles Chart in March 2005.

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Star to Fall"!Chart (2005)!Peak
position
Australian Club Chart (ARIA)[31] 4
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[32] 16
Ireland Dance (IRMA)[33] 1
Year-end chart performance for "Star to Fall"!Chart (2005)!Position
Australian Club Chart (ARIA)[34] 38
UK Singles (OCC)[35] 80
Weekly chart performance for "Falling Stars"!Chart (2005)!Peak
position
Australian Club Chart (ARIA)[36] 34
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[37] 10
Ireland Dance (IRMA)[38] 1
Year-end chart performance for "Falling Stars"!Chart (2005)!Position
UK Singles (OCC)46

Other covers

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Why didn't anybody want to record 'Waiting For a Star to Fall?'. Spears. Steve. September 15, 2017. Tampa Bay Times. en-US. August 7, 2019.
  2. News: 28 Musicians Who Turned Down Hit Songs. Zimbio. June 14, 2013. Business Insider. August 7, 2019.
  3. Belinda Carlisle - Waiting for a Star To Fall. YouTube. March 2, 2010. live. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/RbIHpzrYTsc. December 13, 2021.
  4. Web site: SmoothViews - Keeping Smooth Jazz in Sight. www.smoothviews.com.
  5. New Singles. Music Week. 31. November 12, 1988.
  6. Web site: Boy Meets Girl. Official Charts Company. December 10, 2021.
  7. Web site: Reel Life  - Boy Meets Girl  - Review. Johnny Loftus. AllMusic. March 5, 2012.
  8. Boy Meets Girl - Waiting for a Star to Fall. February 21, 2014. YouTube.
  9. Waiting for a Star to Fall. Boy Meets Girl. 1988. US 7-inch single sleeve. RCA Records. 8691-7-R.
  10. Waiting for a Star to Fall. Boy Meets Girl. 1988. US cassette single sleeve. RCA Records. 8691-4-RS.
  11. Waiting for a Star to Fall. Boy Meets Girl. 1989. Japanese mini-CD single liner notes. RCA Records. R10D-108.
  12. Waiting for a Star to Fall. Boy Meets Girl. 1988. UK 12-inch single sleeve. RCA Records. PT 49520.
  13. Waiting for a Star to Fall. Boy Meets Girl. 1989. UK CD single liner notes. RCA Records. PD49520.
  14. Waiting for a Star to Fall. Boy Meets Girl. 1991. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Hollywood Records. HWD2, 570 003-7.
  15. Waiting for a Star to Fall. Boy Meets Girl. 1991. US 12-inch single sleeve. Hollywood Records. HWD2T.
  16. Waiting for a Star to Fall. Boy Meets Girl. 1991. UK CD single liner notes. Hollywood Records. HWD2CD, 570 003-2.
  17. Reel Life. Reel Life (Boy Meets Girl album). Boy Meets Girl. 1988. US CD album liner notes. RCA Records. 8414-2-R.
  18. RPM 100 Singles. RPM. 49. 11. 6. January 14, 1989. June 18, 2019.
  19. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. January 28, 1989. 30. May 5, 2022.
  20. 17 February 1989. Ísland Top 10. DV. 40. 1021-8254.
  21. Sweden Charts Archive. 14 January 1989.
  22. Web site: Boy meets girl. wweb.uta.edu.
  23. Web site: Waiting for a star to fall. wweb.uta.edu.
  24. Top 100 Singles of '88. RPM. 49. 10. 9. December 24, 1988. March 24, 2019.
  25. Top 100 Singles of '89. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 29, 2020.
  26. 1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles. Billboard. 101. 51. Y-22. December 23, 1989. August 29, 2020.
  27. New Singles. Music Week. 23. January 7, 1989.
  28. Web site: スター・トゥ・フォール ボーイ・ミーツ・ガール. Star to Fall Boy Meets Girl. Oricon. ja. September 4, 2023.
  29. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 28th February 2005. ARIA. 28. February 28, 2005. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050319130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20050320-0000/issue783.pdf. March 19, 2005. May 20, 2021.
  30. Web site: The ARIA Report – Chartifacts!. ARIA. 2. March 7, 2005. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222428/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20050320-0000/issue784.pdf. February 22, 2008. August 29, 2020.
  31. Web site: The ARIA Report – ARIA Club Tracks – Week Commencing 21st February 2005. ARIA. 17. February 21, 2005. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050319130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20050320-0000/ISSUE782.pdf. March 19, 2005. August 29, 2020.
  32. Hits of the World – Eurocharts. Billboard. 117. 12. 41. March 19, 2005. April 4, 2020.
  33. Web site: Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 3 March 2005. GfK Chart-Track. June 18, 2019.
  34. Web site: ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Club Chart 2005. ARIA. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200415011323/http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-club-chart-2005.htm. April 15, 2020. September 17, 2020.
  35. Web site: End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2005. Official Charts Company. October 11, 2018.
  36. Web site: The ARIA Report – ARIA Club Tracks – Week Commencing 7th February 2005. ARIA. 17. February 7, 2005. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050219130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20050220-0000/issue780.pdf. February 19, 2005. August 29, 2020.
  37. Hits of the World – Eurocharts. Billboard. 117. 13. 37. March 26, 2005. April 4, 2020.
  38. Web site: Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 10 March 2005. GfK Chart-Track. June 18, 2019.
  39. Web site: Mylo. Official Charts Company. August 29, 2020.
  40. Web site: Lionville - Waiting for a Star to Fall. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/DkGsLnTpZlo . December 13, 2021 . live. www.youtube.com.
  41. Web site: Young Kato. www.withguitars.com. July 22, 2020.
  42. Web site: Song "Waiting for a Star to Fall". www.yohanna.de. December 17, 2017.
  43. Web site: Jord C. Diana Vickers - Waiting For a Star to Fall. YouTube. March 20, 2014. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/bYDC-49YRoU . December 13, 2021 . live. December 17, 2017.
  44. Web site: George Maple - Hero (Official Video). https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/-H02qzUofVo . December 13, 2021 . live. www.youtube.com.

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