Superstar (Delaney and Bonnie song)
Encyclopedia
"Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett
and Leon Russell
(with a songwriting credit also given to Delaney Bramlett
) that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best known version is by the Carpenters
in 1971.
and American
musicians known as Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, that involved Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton
, and various others. The song's working title during portions of its development was "Groupie Song".
In its first recorded incarnation, the song was called "Groupie (Superstar)", and was recorded and released as a B-side to the Delaney & Bonnie single "Comin' Home" in December 1969. Released by Atlantic Records
, the full credit on the single was to Delaney & Bonnie and Friends Featuring Eric Clapton.
Sung by Bonnie, the arrangement featured slow guitar
and bass
parts building up to an almost gospelish
chorus using horns.
The song was about, as the title suggests, a groupie
who holds a strong love for a rock
star after a short sexual involvement. He has moved on to the next town, and despite his promises to see her again she can now only hear him on the radio. She is just left with the pure hopeless yearning of the chorus:
Delaney & Bonnie were not yet well known at the time, and "Comin' Home" only reached number 84 on the U.S. pop singles chart
, although it achieved a peak of sixteen on the UK Singles Chart
.
's legendary Mad Dogs and Englishmen Revue toured in the United States. Ex-Delaney and Bonnie vocalist Rita Coolidge
was a backup singer on this tour, and song co-writer Leon Russell
was the bandleader. Some accounts have Coolidge suggesting or inspiring the song's creation in the first place, and working with Bonnie Bramlett on her portion of the writing. In any case, Coolidge was given a featured vocal on the song during the tour; she took the verses with an air of resignation but the choruses with more anguish. The arrangement was fueled by Russell's evocative piano
line laced with dynamic fills, with understated horns, guitar
, and choir
behind it.
In August 1970, the live album Mad Dogs and Englishmen
was released, using performances recorded in March and June of that year. The song, now under the name "Superstar" (which had been adopted by the end of the tour), appeared on it. The album became a huge hit, reaching number 2 on the Billboard pop albums chart
and number 23 on the Billboard Black Albums chart
. So it was on this album that people started becoming aware of the song. The performance helped vault Coolidge to greater visibility, especially when it was also included in the 1971 Mad Dogs and Englishmen film of the revue.
began making regular appearances on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson
in August 1970. During one such appearance, she sang "Superstar" in an understated arrangement that featured only a piano for accompaniment.
Later, once the Carpenters' version had become a hit, she sang it again on The Tonight Show in October 1971. Her recording of it then appeared on her 1972 debut album The Divine Miss M
. Midler used the contrast between her personality and that of Karen Carpenter's, and a supposed but non-existent personal rivalry between them, as comic material for the next couple of years.
recorded "Superstar" as her last single for Atco Records
. Released in October or November 1970, and in the gap between Sonny and Cher's heyday and the start of Cher's solo successes, it did not chart. After the song became better known, a concert performance of it was included in the 1973 Sonny & Cher In Las Vegas, Volume 2. Cher's version did apparently feature a lyric change that would become more famous in the Carpenters version.
Vikki Carr
used the song as the title track of a 1971 album. The following year, Peggy Lee
included the tune on her album Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota
, her final disc for Capitol Records
. In Australia, Colleen Hewett
's recording of "Superstar", which was released by May 1971 and became a moderate hit in Australia
.
. Richard Carpenter
was unaware of the Bramlett or Mad Dogs originals, but as he later wrote in a compilation album's liner notes: "I came home from the studio one night and heard a then relatively unknown Bette Midler performing this song on the Tonight Show. I could barely wait to arrange and record it. (It remains one of my favorites)." Somewhat ironically, Karen Carpenter
had heard the Coolidge rendition on a promotional copy of the Mad Dogs album, but did not think that much of it.
Richard's arrangement featured an oboe
line at the start, followed by Karen's clear contralto
voice set against a quiet bass line in the verses, which then built up to up-tempo choruses with a quasi-orchestral use of horns and strings
. Produced by Richard with Jack Daugherty, it was recorded with members of the famed Los Angeles
session musician
s The Wrecking Crew
. Karen Carpenter recorded her vocal in just one take (which in fact was the "work lead" normally used to guide the other musicians), using lyrics scribbled by Richard on a paper napkin. Since the song's subject was more risqué than usual for the clean-cut image of the Carpenters, Richard changed a lyric in the second verse from:
To the somewhat less suggestive:
Whether he knew of the similar previous lyric change or did it independently is unclear. The song's publisher was delighted with Richard's lyric change, saying the previous wording had kept many other artists from recording it. (The timing of the Carpenters' first recording of the song is unclear; it is possible that Richard submitted the change to the publisher well in advance of their ultimate release of the recording, and that this influenced the other early versions.) In any case, upon hearing the final recording, Karen Carpenter finally recognized the power of the song.
The duo's rendition was included on the May 1971 album Carpenters
, and then released as a single in September 1971. It rose to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100
pop singles chart (held out of the top spot by Rod Stewart
's "Maggie May
") and spent two weeks at number one on the Easy Listening chart that autumn and earned gold record status. It also reached number 18 on the UK pop singles chart
and did well in Australia and New Zealand
as well.
Richard would be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist
for his efforts. "Superstar" would go on to appear on two mid-1970s Carpenters live albums as well as innumerable compilation albums. For instance, it appeared on the Carpenters' 2004 SACD compilation, The Singles: 1969-1981 (not to be confused with the regular CD, The Singles: 1969-1981
), as a remix of the original 1973 mix on the similarly titled compilation The Singles: 1969-1973
.
Opinion is divided as to whether the Carpenters' treatment of the song lost the meaning of the original, or subversively kept that meaning under the cover of their image, or found a more broader meaning that established the song as a standard for years to come, or some combination of all of these. At the time, Karen's vocal did receive some praise for its intensity and emotional nature. When asked how she could sing the song lacking any personal experience in the subject matter, Karen said in a 1972 interview, "I've seen enough groupies hanging around to sense their loneliness, even though they usually don't show it. I can't really understand them, but I just tried to feel empathy and I guess that's what came across in the song."
In the 1995 comedy film Tommy Boy
, David Spade
's character and Chris Farley
's character argue over what music to listen to on the radio (Farley prefers heavy metal; Spade prefers more modern rock) when they stumble upon this song. Both insist that the other should turn to another station if the song offends them; in the next scene, both of them are loudly (and emotionally) singing the song's chorus. The song was also used in the 2007 movie, Ghost Rider
, with Nicolas Cage
as the Ghost Rider. In the movie, Donal Logue
tries to turn off "Superstar", when Cage defends the song and states that nobody messes with Karen Carpenter. On the Ghost Rider official soundtrack, a song is entitled "A Thing for Karen Carpenter".
was released, shortly before their marriage and collaboration ended. This version was also included as a bonus track on a 2006 reissue of the 1970 album Eric Clapton
.
Bonnie Bramlett would later re-record the song on her 2002 solo album I'm Still the Same. Now using just the "Superstar" title, she did it as a very slow, piano
-based torch song
.
had "Superstar" in his stage act, sometimes in a rendition that stretched out at nearly six minutes, with vocal interpolations, an interpretive dancer, and plenty of swaying and swooning females in the audience.
Vandross then recorded "Superstar" in 1983 in a slower, more soulful fashion, as part of a medley with "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
" on his album Busy Body
. Released as a single the following year, it became an R&B hit, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Top R&B Singles
chart. It did not have much pop crossover effect, however, only reaching number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This was the first prominent version by a male singer, and by now the original "groupie" association was far gone. Instead, the song was presented as a tale of universal longing.
American Idol
contestant Ruben Studdard
found his melisma
tic, R&B groove early in the Final 12 rounds when he performed a Vandross-influenced "Superstar". It got rave reviews from the judges and established Studdard as one of the early leaders in the competition, a position he held until winning the title in May 2003 in a close battle against Clay Aiken
.
By now his signature song
, Studdard recorded "Superstar" as the B-side of his June 2003 first single and number two hit, "Flying Without Wings
". Studdard would earn a 2004 Grammy Award
nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
for "Superstar", but lose out to his idol Vandross (who won for "Dance with My Father
"). Studdard's treatment was also included on his December 2003 debut album Soulful
.
's "Long Ago and Far Away" (from his 1971 album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon
) and Carole King
's "So Far Away
" (from her 1971 album Tapestry). In the opposite direction, the title is sometimes confused with "Superstar", an unrelated song from the late 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar
. Sometimes people refer to the song as "Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby?", the first line of the song's chorus.
Bonnie Bramlett
Bonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
and Leon Russell
Leon Russell
Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
(with a songwriting credit also given to Delaney Bramlett
Delaney Bramlett
Delaney Bramlett was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Bramlett's five decade career reached peaks in creativity, performance, and notoriety in partnership with his then wife Bonnie Bramlett, in a revolving troupe of professional musicians and Rock superstars dubbed Delaney...
) that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best known version is by the Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
in 1971.
Original Delaney and Bonnie version
Accounts of the song's origin vary somewhat, but it grew out of the late 1969/early 1970 nexus of EnglishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musicians known as Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, that involved Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, and various others. The song's working title during portions of its development was "Groupie Song".
In its first recorded incarnation, the song was called "Groupie (Superstar)", and was recorded and released as a B-side to the Delaney & Bonnie single "Comin' Home" in December 1969. Released by 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...
, the full credit on the single was to Delaney & Bonnie and Friends Featuring Eric Clapton.
Sung by Bonnie, the arrangement featured slow guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
parts building up to an almost gospelish
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
chorus using horns.
The song was about, as the title suggests, a groupie
Groupie
A groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but the word is also used in a more general sense, especially in casual conversation....
who holds a strong love for a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
star after a short sexual involvement. He has moved on to the next town, and despite his promises to see her again she can now only hear him on the radio. She is just left with the pure hopeless yearning of the chorus:
- Don't you remember! You told me you loved me, baby
- You said you'd be coming back this way again, baby
- Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, baby, I love you! I really do ...
Delaney & Bonnie were not yet well known at the time, and "Comin' Home" only reached number 84 on the U.S. pop singles chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, although it achieved a peak of sixteen on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen version
During the first half of 1970, Joe CockerJoe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
's legendary Mad Dogs and Englishmen Revue toured in the United States. Ex-Delaney and Bonnie vocalist Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
was a backup singer on this tour, and song co-writer Leon Russell
Leon Russell
Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
was the bandleader. Some accounts have Coolidge suggesting or inspiring the song's creation in the first place, and working with Bonnie Bramlett on her portion of the writing. In any case, Coolidge was given a featured vocal on the song during the tour; she took the verses with an air of resignation but the choruses with more anguish. The arrangement was fueled by Russell's evocative piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
line laced with dynamic fills, with understated horns, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
behind it.
In August 1970, the live album Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (album)
Mad Dogs and Englishmen is Joe Cocker's 1970 live album, featuring a fusion of rock and soul. The album title is drawn from the 1931 Noël Coward song of the same name. Mostly Cocker's album is made up of covers, drawing equally from rock and soul...
was released, using performances recorded in March and June of that year. The song, now under the name "Superstar" (which had been adopted by the end of the tour), appeared on it. The album became a huge hit, reaching number 2 on the Billboard pop albums chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and number 23 on the Billboard Black Albums chart
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
. So it was on this album that people started becoming aware of the song. The performance helped vault Coolidge to greater visibility, especially when it was also included in the 1971 Mad Dogs and Englishmen film of the revue.
Bette Midler version
The unknown but very lively singer Bette MidlerBette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
began making regular appearances on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
in August 1970. During one such appearance, she sang "Superstar" in an understated arrangement that featured only a piano for accompaniment.
Later, once the Carpenters' version had become a hit, she sang it again on The Tonight Show in October 1971. Her recording of it then appeared on her 1972 debut album The Divine Miss M
The Divine Miss M (album)
The Divine Miss M is the debut album by American female vocalist Bette Midler, released in 1972 on the Atlantic Records label. The title of the album refers to Midler's famous stage persona...
. Midler used the contrast between her personality and that of Karen Carpenter's, and a supposed but non-existent personal rivalry between them, as comic material for the next couple of years.
Other early versions
Around September 1970, CherCher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
recorded "Superstar" as her last single for Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
. Released in October or November 1970, and in the gap between Sonny and Cher's heyday and the start of Cher's solo successes, it did not chart. After the song became better known, a concert performance of it was included in the 1973 Sonny & Cher In Las Vegas, Volume 2. Cher's version did apparently feature a lyric change that would become more famous in the Carpenters version.
Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr is an American singer and humanitarian from El Paso, Texas. She has performed in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country, but has enjoyed her greatest success singing in Spanish.-Career:After taking the stage name 'Vikki Carr', she signed with Liberty Records in 1962...
used the song as the title track of a 1971 album. The following year, Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
included the tune on her album Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota
Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota
Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota is a 1972 album by Peggy Lee. It was her final album for Capitol Records, her label since 1957 and, prior to that, from 1944 to 1952.-Track listing:...
, her final disc for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. In Australia, Colleen Hewett
Colleen Hewett
Colleen Hewett is an Australian actress and popular singer. She is perhaps best known to international audiences for her 1984 guest role in the television series Prisoner as Sheila Brady.-Pop singer:...
's recording of "Superstar", which was released by May 1971 and became a moderate hit in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Carpenters version
"Superstar" became its biggest hit version for the CarpentersThe Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
. Richard Carpenter
Richard Carpenter (musician)
Richard Lynn Carpenter is an American pop musician, best known as one half of the brother/sister duo The Carpenters, along with his sister Karen Carpenter. He was a producer, arranger, pianist and keyboardist, and occasional lyricist, as well as joining with Karen on harmony...
was unaware of the Bramlett or Mad Dogs originals, but as he later wrote in a compilation album's liner notes: "I came home from the studio one night and heard a then relatively unknown Bette Midler performing this song on the Tonight Show. I could barely wait to arrange and record it. (It remains one of my favorites)." Somewhat ironically, Karen Carpenter
Karen Carpenter
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
had heard the Coolidge rendition on a promotional copy of the Mad Dogs album, but did not think that much of it.
Richard's arrangement featured an oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
line at the start, followed by Karen's clear contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
voice set against a quiet bass line in the verses, which then built up to up-tempo choruses with a quasi-orchestral use of horns and strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
. Produced by Richard with Jack Daugherty, it was recorded with members of the famed Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s The Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew (music)
The Wrecking Crew was a nickname coined by the drummer Hal Blaine after the fact for a group of session musicians in Los Angeles, California, who earned wide acclaim in the 1960s. They backed dozens of popular singers, and were one of the most successful "groups" of studio musicians in music history...
. Karen Carpenter recorded her vocal in just one take (which in fact was the "work lead" normally used to guide the other musicians), using lyrics scribbled by Richard on a paper napkin. Since the song's subject was more risqué than usual for the clean-cut image of the Carpenters, Richard changed a lyric in the second verse from:
- And I can hardly wait
- To sleep with you again
To the somewhat less suggestive:
- And I can hardly wait
- To be with you again.
Whether he knew of the similar previous lyric change or did it independently is unclear. The song's publisher was delighted with Richard's lyric change, saying the previous wording had kept many other artists from recording it. (The timing of the Carpenters' first recording of the song is unclear; it is possible that Richard submitted the change to the publisher well in advance of their ultimate release of the recording, and that this influenced the other early versions.) In any case, upon hearing the final recording, Karen Carpenter finally recognized the power of the song.
The duo's rendition was included on the May 1971 album Carpenters
Carpenters (album)
Carpenters is the third studio album by the Carpenters. Released on May 14, 1971, the album was successful, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 chart and #12 in the UK...
, and then released as a single in September 1971. It rose to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
pop singles chart (held out of the top spot by Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
's "Maggie May
Maggie May
"Maggie May" is a song written by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton and recorded by Stewart in 1971 for his album Every Picture Tells a Story....
") and spent two weeks at number one on the Easy Listening chart that autumn and earned gold record status. It also reached number 18 on the UK pop singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and did well in Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as well.
Richard would be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist has been awarded since 1963. The award is presented to the arranger of the music.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
for his efforts. "Superstar" would go on to appear on two mid-1970s Carpenters live albums as well as innumerable compilation albums. For instance, it appeared on the Carpenters' 2004 SACD compilation, The Singles: 1969-1981 (not to be confused with the regular CD, The Singles: 1969-1981
The Singles: 1969-1981
In 2000, Richard Carpenter wanted to release another Carpenters compilation, called The Singles: 1969–1981. In this compilation, there is a never before released track, called "For All We Know "...
), as a remix of the original 1973 mix on the similarly titled compilation The Singles: 1969-1973
The Singles: 1969-1973
The Singles 1969-1973 is an album by the brother/sister pop duo The Carpenters. A greatest hits collection, it topped the charts in the U.S. and the United Kingdom and became one of the best-selling albums of the 1970s. Features of this compilation include a newly recorded version of "Top Of The...
.
Opinion is divided as to whether the Carpenters' treatment of the song lost the meaning of the original, or subversively kept that meaning under the cover of their image, or found a more broader meaning that established the song as a standard for years to come, or some combination of all of these. At the time, Karen's vocal did receive some praise for its intensity and emotional nature. When asked how she could sing the song lacking any personal experience in the subject matter, Karen said in a 1972 interview, "I've seen enough groupies hanging around to sense their loneliness, even though they usually don't show it. I can't really understand them, but I just tried to feel empathy and I guess that's what came across in the song."
In the 1995 comedy film Tommy Boy
Tommy Boy
Tommy Boy is a 1995 road comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, and Fred Wolf. It stars former Saturday Night Live colleagues Chris Farley and David Spade. The film tells the story of a socially and emotionally immature man who learns lessons about friendship and...
, David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
's character and Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
's character argue over what music to listen to on the radio (Farley prefers heavy metal; Spade prefers more modern rock) when they stumble upon this song. Both insist that the other should turn to another station if the song offends them; in the next scene, both of them are loudly (and emotionally) singing the song's chorus. The song was also used in the 2007 movie, Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (film)
Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
, with Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
as the Ghost Rider. In the movie, Donal Logue
Donal Logue
Donal Francis Logue is an Canadian actor perhaps most famous for his role as Sean Finnerty in Grounded for Life.-Personal life:...
tries to turn off "Superstar", when Cage defends the song and states that nobody messes with Karen Carpenter. On the Ghost Rider official soundtrack, a song is entitled "A Thing for Karen Carpenter".
Charts
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
3 |
| Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
7 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
1 |
Back to Bonnie
The original Delaney and Bonnie version would finally surface on an album in 1972 when D&B TogetherD&B Together
D&B Together is a 1972 album by Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. It was their last album of new material, as Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett would divorce soon after its release....
was released, shortly before their marriage and collaboration ended. This version was also included as a bonus track on a 2006 reissue of the 1970 album Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton (album)
Eric Clapton is the eponymous debut solo album from Eric Clapton, released in August of 1970.-Track listing - original 1970 release:All selections written by Delaney Bramlett, Bonnie Bramlett and Eric Clapton, except as indicated.-Side one:...
.
Bonnie Bramlett would later re-record the song on her 2002 solo album I'm Still the Same. Now using just the "Superstar" title, she did it as a very slow, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
-based torch song
Torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship...
.
Luther Vandross version
In the early 1980s American R&B singer Luther VandrossLuther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
had "Superstar" in his stage act, sometimes in a rendition that stretched out at nearly six minutes, with vocal interpolations, an interpretive dancer, and plenty of swaying and swooning females in the audience.
Vandross then recorded "Superstar" in 1983 in a slower, more soulful fashion, as part of a medley with "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
"Until You Come Back to Me " is the name of a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version did not appear on an album until 1977's Anthology...
" on his album Busy Body
Busy Body
-Charts:...
. Released as a single the following year, it became an R&B hit, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Top R&B Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. It did not have much pop crossover effect, however, only reaching number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This was the first prominent version by a male singer, and by now the original "groupie" association was far gone. Instead, the song was presented as a tale of universal longing.
Ruben Studdard version
Second-seasonAmerican Idol (Season 2)
The second season of American Idol premiered on January 21, 2003 and continued until May 21, 2003. The title of show was shortened from American Idol: The Search for a Superstar of Season 1 to just American Idol. Brian Dunkleman quit after the first season, and Seacrest therefore became the lone...
American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contestant Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard
Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard , best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol...
found his melisma
Melisma
Melisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.-History:Music of ancient cultures used...
tic, R&B groove early in the Final 12 rounds when he performed a Vandross-influenced "Superstar". It got rave reviews from the judges and established Studdard as one of the early leaders in the competition, a position he held until winning the title in May 2003 in a close battle against Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
.
By now his signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
, Studdard recorded "Superstar" as the B-side of his June 2003 first single and number two hit, "Flying Without Wings
Flying Without Wings
"Flying Without Wings" is a song released by Irish boyband Westlife from their self-titled debut album.-Background:The song became an instant hit in the United Kingdom and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts. It is also one of...
". Studdard would earn a 2004 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes:*In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male...
for "Superstar", but lose out to his idol Vandross (who won for "Dance with My Father
Dance with My Father (song)
"Dance with My Father" is the title track to singer-songwriter Luther Vandross' thirteenth studio album. With Richard Marx, Vandross wrote the song based on his personal experience...
"). Studdard's treatment was also included on his December 2003 debut album Soulful
Soulful (Ruben Studdard album)
Soulful is the 2003 debut album from second-season American Idol winner Ruben Studdard.-Track listing:# "Sorry 2004" – 4:22...
.
Other later versions
In addition to those mentioned earlier, "Superstar" has been recorded by:- American SpringAmerican SpringSpring were a 1970s pop music duo , made up of sisters Diane Rovell and Marilyn Wilson, who had earlier been members of girl group The Honeys....
(a group consisting of Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
's wife and sister-in-law) on their Spring album in 1972. - Raquel WelchRaquel WelchJo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
performed the song with John BelushiJohn BelushiJohn Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
(as Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
) on the April 24, 1976 broadcast of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. - David SpinozzaDavid SpinozzaDavid Spinozza is an American musician , who worked with former Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon during the 1970s, and had a long collaboration with singer-songwriter James Taylor, producing Taylor's album Walking Man....
recorded the song for his 1978 album Spinozza. The arrangement featured Spinozza playing the melody on guitar, with background vocals by Luther VandrossLuther VandrossLuther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
, David LasleyDavid LasleyDavid Lasley is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his contributions as a background singer for such artists as Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Luther Vandross....
, and Diva Gray. - English singer Elkie BrooksElkie BrooksElkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
, on her 1981 album Pearls. - On the 1993 soundrackWayne's World 2 (soundtrack)Wayne's World 2 is the soundtrack of the film of the same title. It features two live tracks from Aerosmith, and a version of "Louie, Louie" by Robert Plant.-Track listing:#"Louie, Louie" #"Dude " *...
of the movie Wayne's World 2Wayne's World 2Wayne's World 2 is a 1993 comedy film starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a Public-access television cable TV show from Aurora, Illinois. The film was adapted from a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live and is the sequel to Wayne's World....
, a band called Superfan is performing "Superstar". Superfan is a collective including Chrissie HyndeChrissie HyndeChristine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
(from the PretendersThe PretendersThe Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
) on vocals and the musicians from Urge OverkillUrge OverkillUrge Overkill is an alternative rock band, formed in Chicago, United States, consisting of Nash Kato , and Eddie "King" Roeser . Their cover of Neil Diamond's song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" appeared prominently in the movie Pulp Fiction, and became a hit in 1994...
. - JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist David SanbornDavid SanbornDavid Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
covered the song from his 1995 album "Pearls." - Philippine singer Regine Velasquez in her 1997 album Retro.
- Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, who always found unlikely inspiration from the Carpenters, for the 1994 tribute album If I Were a Carpenter. This version was later on the soundtrackJuno (soundtrack)Music from the Motion Picture Juno, released on January 8, 2008, is the soundtrack that accompanies the Academy Award-winning film Juno.-Background:...
for the 2007 film JunoJuno (film)Juno is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Ellen Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting an unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her. Michael Cera, Olivia Thirlby, J. K....
. It was also featured in the film The FrightenersThe FrightenersThe Frighteners is a 1996 comedy horror film directed by Peter Jackson and co-written with his wife, Fran Walsh. The film's cast includes Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, John Astin, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace, Jake Busey and Chi McBride...
and in the theatrical trailer for High TensionHaute TensionHaute Tension is a 2003 French horror film that was later released in 2004 in the United Kingdom and 2005 in the United States and Canada. The film, directed by Alexandre Aja, stars Cécile de France, Maïwenn and Philippe Nahon....
. It also appeared in professional skateboarder Jerry Hsu's part in "Bag of Suck". Richard Carpenter has expressed his distaste for this version. - English trance singer Jan JohnstonJan JohnstonJan Johnston is an English professional singer, best known for collaborating with some of the world's top trance music DJs.-Career:...
in the early 2000s. - DogstarDogstar (band)Dogstar was an alternative rock group active from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. The band performed at the 1996 Zwemdokrock Festival and at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival , and it released an EP and two albums...
, a rock band best known for their bass guitarist, actor Keanu ReevesKeanu ReevesKeanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
, covered the song on their 2000 album Happy Ending. - Punk cover specialists Me First and the Gimme GimmesMe First and the Gimme GimmesMe First and the Gimme Gimmes is a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in 1995. The Gimmes work exclusively as a cover band. The band is named after a children's book of the same name by Gerald G. Jampolsky and Diane V. Cirincione...
, on 2004's Ruin Jonny's Bar MitzvahRuin Jonny's Bar MitzvahRuin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah is a live album by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, released on October 19, 2004 on Fat Wreck Chords.It was recorded live at an actual bar mitzvah party, and its runtime lasts their entire performance, including a break in which little can be heard other than the sounds of...
; the original lyrics were set to the main riff from The AdolescentsThe AdolescentsThe Adolescents are an American punk band formed in 1980 in Fullerton, California. It is a punk supergroup, made up of early members of Agent Orange and Social Distortion. They are often credited as one of the leading bands of the 1980s hardcore punk scene....
' "Kids of the Black HoleKids of the Black Hole"Kids of the Black Hole" is a song by The Adolescents. The song was recorded in 1980 and released on their debut album, The Adolescents . It also appears on the follow-up live album, Return to the Black Hole...
". - UsherUsher (entertainer)Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
's homage to the now-late Vandross' version, on the 2005 So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther VandrossSo Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther VandrossSo Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross is a tribute album to the late soul legend Luther Vandross, consisting of cover versions of past songs by Vandross and other artists, recorded by several R&B and/or soul singers, in addition to rapper Wyclef Jean and pop singers Elton John and...
album, for which he received a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. - The MotelsThe MotelsThe Motels are a New Wave music band from the Los Angeles area best known for "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Their song "Total Control" reached #4 on the Australian charts in 1980...
recorded "Superstar" for their 2007 album Clean Modern and Reasonable. - Shock of PleasureShock of PleasureShock of Pleasure is an electro-lounge band based in Dallas, Texas. Formed in 2004 by singer/songwriter Robert Romano , Shock of Pleasure have toured nationally in support of two national releases through the Universal Music/Fontana Label...
did an ultra-chill version of "Superstar" for the 2008 album It's About Time. - In 2009 a recording was made using Megurine Luka, a singer from the synthesizer program VocaloidVocaloidis a singing synthesizer application, with its signal processing part developed through a joint research project between the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain and Japan's Yamaha Corporation, who backed the development financially—and later developed the software into the commercial product...
. - Performed by Chrissie Hynde with James Walbourne of the Pretenders for a UK TV special entitled "Remembering the Carpenters," November 18, 2009. (Information according to a YouTube post of the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-a6323vhuk).
Confused with ...
Because the song's title does not appear in its lyric, people sometimes do not associate the two, and get confused. The song's first line, Long ago and oh so far away, lends itself to a mixup with two other songs of the same era, James TaylorJames Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
's "Long Ago and Far Away" (from his 1971 album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon
Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon
-Track listing:All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.#"Love Has Brought Me Around" – 2:41#"You've Got a Friend" – 4:28#"Places in My Past" – 2:01#"Riding on a Railroad" – 2:41#"Soldiers" – 1:13#"Mud Slide Slim" – 5:20...
) and Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
's "So Far Away
So Far Away (Carole King song)
“So Far Away” is a song written by Carole King and appeared on her 1971 album Tapestry. The recording features James Taylor on acoustic guitar. In the 1995 album Tapestry Revisited, it was covered by Rod Stewart...
" (from her 1971 album Tapestry). In the opposite direction, the title is sometimes confused with "Superstar", an unrelated song from the late 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar (album)
Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1970 rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The album musical is a musical dramatisation of the last week of the life of Jesus Christ, beginning with his entry into Jerusalem and ending with the Crucifixion....
. Sometimes people refer to the song as "Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby?", the first line of the song's chorus.
Sources
- October 2002 Blender magazine article by Johnny Black
- [ Allmusic discussion of song's origins]
- Randy L. Schmidt, Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter, Chicago Review Press, 2010, ISBN 1-55652-976-7, pp. 77–78.
- IMDB listing of Bette Midler television appearances
- Australian PopArchives entry
- Australian Countdown entry