20 Awesome Songs about Stars
The stars have provided inspiration for people for countless numbers of centuries. It’s easy to understand why subject matter such as this would end up in so many songs.
Below are 20 of the best. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the mood to listen to a song about literally looking up at the night sky or you want to take things to a deeper level, you can find the perfect song about stars to fit your mood.
20. All of the Stars (Ed Sheeran)
Imagine loving someone so much that they are essentially all you can think about, yet they’re not in your league. That’s precisely what the lyrics in the song are about. They discuss loving a person that is so far out of reach that the individual in question probably doesn’t even know that the singer is alive.
It’s that age-old story of unrequited love that has the power to rip your heart out and stomp it into little tiny bits. In the song, the singer talks about choosing this one person as if they were the brightest star in the entire sky, even to the point of giving them all of his love. The problem is, they go on living their life without even the smallest hint that he exists.
19. Starlight (Taylor Swift)
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that at least a couple of the songs on this list would quite literally be about the stars in the sky and nothing else. While people often tend to use the stars as metaphors for something far more in-depth, there is nothing wrong with having the occasional song that simply stops to appreciate the sheer beauty that is the night sky.
That’s exactly what you have here. Apparently, Swift got the inspiration by simply sitting outside and looking up at the sky, thinking about how truly beautiful it is. Apparently, her inspiration worked because she ended up writing a song about that exact subject.
18. City of Stars (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling)
This particular tune won an Academy Award for best original song. Just like the Taylor Swift example, it is a song about simply looking up at the night sky and being completely mesmerized by all its beauty. In this particular case, there is some implied subject matter about using the stars as metaphors for love. In reality, it’s a truly beautiful song about the night sky that is equally as beautiful as the stars it pays homage to.
17. Stars (Simply Red)
This is a song that talks about stars, but not in the traditional sense. Instead of focusing on the stars in the sky, this particular tune focuses on becoming a star, such as in becoming famous. It’s actually a rather sad song that talks about how fame never lasts. More importantly, it discusses how people have a tendency to lose themselves in a carefully curated public persona that is often far different from who they truly are.
16. A Sky Full of Stars (Coldplay)
There’s a better than average chance you’ve heard this song for a number of different reasons. First and foremost, it’s easily one of the most famous songs the band ever created. It even managed to be popular enough to find its way into the 2021 animated musical, “Sing 2.” The song itself refers to looking at the vastness of the universe and feeling almost too small to make a difference, yet also finding hope that with dedication and effort, one can do exactly that.
15. Starlight (Muse)
This one has almost something of a dual meaning. It does talk about being completely mesmerized by simply looking up into the night sky but it also has a bit of a romantic twist to it. Anytime you’re feeling nostalgic or a bit romantic, this is a song that almost fits perfectly for the mood. That’s precisely why it’s become so popular over the years.
14. Shining Star (Earth, Wind & Fire)
Who doesn’t love listening to music from the quintessential 70s group Earth, Wind & Fire? This is one of their most popular songs and it’s easy to understand why. It’s very upbeat, capable of motivating you on even your worst days. It’s all about learning to love who you are and recognizing your worth. Who wouldn’t love a song like that?
13. Blackstar (Radiohead)
This is probably one of the saddest songs on the list. It talks about people that are often considered the brightest shining stars and how even they will eventually fade Into a sea of distant memories when they die. It’s a song that definitely puts things in perspective. It’s also one of those songs that really tells it like it is, even to the point of being somewhat disturbing if you’re already feeling a bit fragile when you hear it.
12. Lucky Star (Madonna)
Almost everyone can identify with that feeling of being young and feeling like you have your entire life in front of you. This is a song that taps into those feelings. The lyrics talk about having all of life’s opportunities in front of you and feeling courageous enough to grasp any of them that interest you. The idea is that you should actively chase after your dreams as opposed to wasting valuable time.
11. Empty Stairs (Saybia)
This is another song that is talking more about becoming a star as in chasing after fame than anything else. As you can probably tell by the title, it’s not the happiest song in the world. In fact, the lyrics talk about practically selling your soul to achieve fame and money, only to wake up one day and realize that you’ve essentially given up everything that mattered in order to get something that isn’t even real to begin with.
10. Video Killed the Radio Star (The Buggles)
This song was released in 1979 and it remains immensely popular to this very day. It’s an impactful song that deals with the way technology was changing at the time.
As such, it’s about how people used to get all of their entertainment from the radio and then video came along and suddenly, no one wanted anything to do with the old, outdated form of entertainment.
Perhaps the reason it’s so popular today is because technology is always changing, often so fast that one can scarcely even keep up. This drives the point home that whatever today’s craze is, it will likely be obsolete in the relatively near future.
9. My Love Is Like a Star (Demo Lovato)
This is a ballad that is both very sweet and rather melancholy. It talks about loving someone so much that the love shared between these two individuals will never burn out, in much the same way a star continues to provide light for thousands of years after it has technically died. The reason the song is so sad is because it talks about loving someone without end, even when that person is no longer physically there.
8. Starman (David Bowie)
Almost every person has heard this song and nearly everyone that’s ever heard it has fallen in love with it. It definitely says something about the staying power of a tune that was released in 1972, especially since it remains one of the most revered songs of today.
The lyrics themselves tell the story of an alien that comes to Earth in search of a new soul, someone that he can take back to his planet with him. It quickly became one of the most powerful rock songs of his generation and it has caused countless generations of individuals to fall in love with it since its initial release.
7. Star Generation (James Brown)
In a way, this song is very much about simply being inspired by looking up at the night sky. However, it takes things a step further and talks about how people use that inspiration to do various things in their own daily lives. At its core, it’s about looking at something as simple and majestic as the stars in the sky and then gaining the motivation to go out and follow one’s own dreams.
6. The Stars (Are Out Tonight) (David Bowie)
Here you have another song by popular artist David Bowie. This one was released in 2013, serving as a testament to the prominence of his career (remember, his other song on this list was released in 1972). This particular song talks about two celebrities who don’t know each other, yet they constantly keep seeing pictures of one another in the media. Eventually, they discover that they’re actually falling for one another despite having never met in person.
5. Stars Fell on Alabama (Louis Armstrong)
This may be one of the oldest songs on the list, released in 1936. Regardless of its release date, it still remains just as relevant today as it was then. It tells the story of two young people who ended up spending time together under the night sky and fell in love.
4. Falling Like the Stars (James Arthur)
This might sound like a sad song but in reality, it’s actually quite the opposite. The lyrics are encouraging, often motivating people to actually go after their dreams as opposed to merely thinking about them. If you’ve ever had something that you really wanted to achieve, yet you found yourself struggling to find the motivation to take the necessary steps to make it a reality, this is a song that you should definitely be listening to.
3. Northern Star (Hole)
Again, the title of the song is somewhat misleading. You might think that it’s about someone providing guidance to other people since that’s what the Northern Star is often doing. However, it’s actually a song about feeling like you’re completely alone, with nowhere to turn. The lyrics go on to talk about that lonely feeling that exists when people feel like they truly don’t have a single ally left on Earth and the other heartbreak that comes with feeling that way.
2. A New Star (Roy Orbison)
This is a great song to listen to if you’re feeling down because it talks about the possibility that things could always get better. The lyrics help remind you that just like the stars in the sky, there are always new opportunities right in front of you. More importantly, it serves as a poignant reminder that many of those opportunities have been right in front of you all along. You only have to take notice of them.
1. Starships (Nicki Minaj)
Who doesn’t dream about the chance to simply escape all of life’s daily problems and live a life that you would choose if you could do anything you wanted without consequence? That’s exactly what the lyrics in the song talk about. As such, it’s easy to see why it’s so popular. It speaks to that part of all of us that wish we could just leave our problems in the dust and get away from all of it indefinitely.
You can also read:
- 10 Awesome Songs about Giving Up
- 20 Awesome Songs about Time
- 10 Awesome Songs About Missing Someone
- 20 Awesome Songs about Family
- 20 Awesome Songs about Freedom
