"All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

It was released on July 23, 2001 as the second single from the band's twelfth studio album, '' Reveal'' (2001). The single did not chart on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, but it did reach number 24 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, number 31 in Italy, and number 34 in Ireland. The B-side live performances were recorded at the South Africa Freedom Day concert in Trafalgar Square, London, which was held in honour of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n President

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

. The event marked the 7th anniversary of democracy in South Africa.

Background

According to

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his car ...

's sleevenotes to '' In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003'', the R.E.M. compilation on which this song also appears, the song describes someone who believes they can get famous if they go to

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

. The working title of the song was "

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst ...

on Mars," which, according to Buck's notes, was a "sick tribute to a songwriter who we all admire."

Music video

The song's video was shot at

Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Open from 1962 through 2014, it closed following a period of steeply falling enrollment and with an esti ...

in the Prospect Park area of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. It was directed by

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

and filmed by four students from the host school and other local schools: Chris, 17; Steve, 17; Andy, 18; Charlotte, 13; Roger, 18; and Juan, 17. In the video, Buck and

Mike Mills Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., hi ...

can be seen entering the Career Guidance office with their respective instruments in hand, only to leave armed with nothing more than a dustpan and brush.

Bertis Downs Bertis Edwin Downs IV (born July 13, 1956) is an American entertainment lawyer. He originally provided legal counsel (particularly for initial contracts), and then became both counselor and manager, for the rock band R.E.M., taking over from the b ...

makes an appearance as the school's announcer, only to have his microphone commandeered by

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Poss ...

. The video was included with the iTunes Store bonus music videos released along with ''

Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011 ''Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011'' is a 2011 greatest hits album from alternative rock band R.E.M. Intended as a coda on their career, this is the first compilation album that features both their early work on indepen ...

'', the band's swan song and career-spanning compilation. The song was not, however, included on the compilation itself.

Track listings

* All songs written by

, and

, except where indicated. UK CD # "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" – 4:44 # "

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...

" ( Christie) – 2:36 # " Imitation of Life" (Live) – 3:54¹ # "Imitation of Life" (Live) (enhanced video)¹ UK DVD # "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" (video) # "Yellow River" (audio) – 2:36 # "165 Hillcrest" (audio) – 1:34 German CD # "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" – 4:44 # "165 Hillcrest" – 1:34 ¹ Recorded at Trafalgar Square, London, England; April 29, 2001.

Charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:All The Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star) R.E.M. songs 2001 singles 2001 songs Music videos directed by Michael Moore Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe Song recordings produced by Mike Mills Song recordings produced by Pat McCarthy (record producer) Song recordings produced by Peter Buck Songs written by Michael Stipe Songs written by Mike Mills Songs written by Peter Buck Warner Records singles