Star Star
Encyclopedia
"Star Star" is a song by The Rolling Stones
that appeared on their 1973 album Goats Head Soup
. One of the raunchiest songs in the band's catalogue, the song was originally titled "Starfucker" until Atlantic Records
guru Ahmet Ertegün
(Atlantic was the distributor of Rolling Stones Records
) insisted on the change. The song gained notoriety not only for explicit lyrics alluding to sex acts involving fruit (among other things) but also for controversial mentions of such celebrities as John Wayne
and Steve McQueen
. While discussing the song, the band members have always referred to the song by its original title. A live performance was captured and released on 1977's Love You Live
. (Atlantic also tinkered with the mix, drowning a few key words with studio trickery, on all pressings except the very first promo copies.)
-style rocker that slowly increases in momentum as the song progresses. The opening lick is played by Keith Richards
and the rhythm guitar by Mick Taylor
. Bill Wyman
's bass
line is postponed until the second verse.
's storied documentary Cocksucker Blues
). "Star Star" is the best representation of this image to be found in the band's music, as evidenced by the lyrics, which exasperated Ertegün.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
that appeared on their 1973 album Goats Head Soup
Goats Head Soup
Goats Head Soup is the 11th British and 13th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1973. It featured the song "Angie", which went to #1 as a single in the US and UK.-Recording:...
. One of the raunchiest songs in the band's catalogue, the song was originally titled "Starfucker" until Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
guru Ahmet Ertegün
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
(Atlantic was the distributor of Rolling Stones Records
Rolling Stones Records
Rolling Stones Records is the record label formed by The Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman in 1970, after their recording contract with Decca Records expired. They were first distributed in the United States by Atlantic Records subsidiary...
) insisted on the change. The song gained notoriety not only for explicit lyrics alluding to sex acts involving fruit (among other things) but also for controversial mentions of such celebrities as John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
and Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
. While discussing the song, the band members have always referred to the song by its original title. A live performance was captured and released on 1977's Love You Live
Love You Live
Love You Live is a double live album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1977. It is drawn from Tour of the Americas shows in the US in the summer of 1975, Tour of Europe shows in 1976 and performances from the infamous El Mocambo nightclub concert venue in Toronto in 1977...
. (Atlantic also tinkered with the mix, drowning a few key words with studio trickery, on all pressings except the very first promo copies.)
The song
"Star Star" is a simple, Chuck BerryChuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
-style rocker that slowly increases in momentum as the song progresses. The opening lick is played by Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
and the rhythm guitar by Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
. Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings...
's bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
line is postponed until the second verse.
Controversial lyrics
As the 1970s approached their midpoint, the Stones' image became increasingly decadent, bolstered by tales of backstage debauchery (as evidenced by Robert FrankRobert Frank
Robert Frank , born in Zürich, Switzerland, is an important figure in American photography and film. His most notable work, the 1958 photobook titled The Americans, was influential, and earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and skeptical outsider's view of American...
's storied documentary Cocksucker Blues
Cocksucker Blues
Cocksucker Blues is an unreleased documentary film directed by the noted still photographer Robert Frank chronicling The Rolling Stones' North American tour in 1972 in support of their album Exile on Main St..-Production:...
). "Star Star" is the best representation of this image to be found in the band's music, as evidenced by the lyrics, which exasperated Ertegün.
Cover versions
- In 1978, the Swedish artist Magnus UgglaMagnus UgglaPer Allan Magnus Claësson Uggla is a Swedish artist, composer, actor, and occasional radio host known for his satirical lyrics. He is a member of the Swedish nobility and a descendant of several European rulers, among which John III of Sweden and Gustav Vasa...
did a punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
cover of the song with lyrics in Swedish called "Stjärnluder" ("Star Whore") on his album VittringVittringVittring is a 1978 album from Swedish pop and rock artist Magnus Uggla. The album was recorded with the English punk rock band Stadium Dogs."Stjärn...r" is a Swedish version of "Star Star" by The Rolling Stones....
. - Joan JettJoan JettJoan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
included a completely uncensored version as an unlisted hidden trackHidden trackIn the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
on the cassette version of her 1983 album AlbumAlbum (Joan Jett album)Album is the third studio album by Joan Jett and the second to feature her backing band The Blackhearts. The album was originally released in 1983. The Cassette Tape version had 2 different issues, the first one was issued in a regular black plastic box MCA MCAC-5437] and a second later version...
[MCA, MCAC-5437], which resulted in a ban of this Tape by WalMart and other stores. MCA then issued a second cassette version ["Album Only Version"] in a red plastic box [ MCA, MCAC-5445] that deleted the objectionable song. The song reappeared on her Flashback compilation in 1993.
- The 1978 Cheech & Chong comedy film Up In SmokeUp in SmokeUp in Smoke, directed by Lou Adler, is Cheech and Chong's first feature-length film, released in 1978 by Paramount Pictures. It stars Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Edie Adams, Strother Martin, and Stacy Keach....
features a cover version of the song during the Strawberry scene. However, the record skips and repeats the line "Star Fucker, Star" ad infinitum. - Croatian band Psihomodo PopPsihomodo PopPsihomodo Pop is a Croatian pop punk group. The band was formed in 1983 in Zagreb and has since achieved a somewhat cult following across the area of former Yugoslavia....
released their own version of Starfucker, on their 1993 album Srebrne Svinje.