Hey, I see you from afar
You're a living superstar, that's what you are yeah
Hey, I see you from afar
You're a living superstar
You are yeah
Some people living like they won't get very far
Some people living like they're living life on Mars
The naked eye can only see so many stars
Some people living like they're living life on Mars
Hey, I see you from afar
You're a living superstar, that's what you are yeah
Hey, I see you from afar
You're a living superstar
You are yeah
I'd sooner eat the snake than have to eat the sand
The desert wind creates Stone Roses underland
All things shall be revealed, all crazy laws shall be revealed
All things shall be revealed, all crazy laws shall be revealed
All things shall be revealed, all crazy laws shall be revealed
All things shall be revealed, all crazy laws shall be revealed
You're a living superstar (Repeat to fade)
Lyrics by:
Brown / McCracken
Available on:
Whispers (as b side) (4.47)
Bonus track on Japanese edition of Music Of The Spheres
Details:
It is a mystery why Superstar is not on Music Of The Spheres as it is far superior to most on there.
It is influenced by 'Ghetto Supastar' by Pras featuring OBD and Mya, a hit in 1998.
The two songs float along in the same groove and lyrically are close:
Ghetto Superstar itself was influenced by 'Islands in the Stream', a duet of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers.
The line "The desert wind creates Stone Roses underland" concerns the origin of the name 'The Stone Roses'. When asked where the band name originated from in a TOTP Q & A session in 1998, Ian replied:
It is possible that Superstar relates to Ian's meeting with Northern Soul figure Geno Washington, fresh from a gig at Manchester University. Geno released five albums with The Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo albums, beginning in 1976. Ian's meeting with Geno took place at a party for Ian's girlfriend's 21st birthday, in the flat that he had moved in to in Hulme. Dexys Midnight Runners had recently reached the Number One spot with 'Geno', their tribute to the singer. Geno told Ian at the party that he was "a star" ("You're a living superstar...") and that he should "be an actor, be a singer." Ian, buoyed by this encounter, took John Squire up on his offer to sing in The Waterfront (Squire had asked Ian to share vocal duties with Kaiser a few days prior to that meeting with Geno). Speaking later to Record Collector, Ian was impressed by The Waterfront, comparing them to Orange Juice (an influence on John Squire - see Fool's Gold). Thus, this chance-meeting was pivotal in the formation of The Stone Roses ("The desert wind creates Stone Roses underland") as it came at the point when Ian was pondering John's offer. Coincidentally, as well as the band's name originating in sand, so too does the earliest meeting of the band's songwriting duo - Squire recalls meeting Brown as a toddler in a sandpit.
* This is a reference to rosette formations of the minerals gypsum and barite with poikilotopic sand inclusions. The rosette crystal habit tends to occur when the crystals form in arid sandy conditions, such as the evaporation of a shallow salt basin. Gypsum roses usually have better defined, sharper edges than barite roses. The desert rose may also be known by the names: sand rose, rose rock, selenite rose, gypsum rose, gypsum rosette, barite rose.
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