"I Don't Wanna Be a Star" is a song by Italian band

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

, released in November 1995 as the fourth and final

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from their debut album, ''

The Rhythm of the Night ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1995). It was a

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

hit in many European countries, but unlike the previous Corona singles, it has

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

sonorities. The song peaked at number one in both Italy and Spain, number five in Hungary and number six in Finland. In the UK and on the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, it peaked within the top 30. It was Corona's last major hit.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor Jose F. Promis described the song as "irresistible", naming it one of the standout tracks on ''The Rhythm of the Night'' album.

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...

for ''

Dotmusic ''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...

'' commented, "All hail the return of the synth drum. Ever since Corona first hit the dizzy heights of Number 2 with "

" at the end of 1994 they have proved that they are far from

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

s but instead are one of the finest pop acts around." He added that it is "possibly their best single yet", and "such a perfect pastiche of a 1970s

track that it could almost be a reissue. It isn't, instead being a completely up to date track but sounding every inch a classic already - right down to the cheesy synth drum which has surely not been heard since the days of

Kelly Marie Kelly Marie (born Jacqueline McKinnon; 16 October 1957) is a Scottish singer, best known for the song " Feels Like I'm in Love", a No. 1 hit in the UK in 1980. Early career Born to Alex and Jeanette McKinnon, Kelly Marie began training for a p ...

and "

Feels Like I'm In Love "Feels Like I'm in Love" is a song written and recorded by Ray Dorset with his band Mungo Jerry. It was a number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in September 1980 for Scottish singer Kelly Marie. Original version Written by Ray ...

"." A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' gave it three out of five, writing, "A Seventies version featuring

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology ''Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictiona ...

-like string flourishes, handclaps and syn-drums, which should go down a storm in the gay clubs." In an retrospective review, Pop Rescue deemed it as "catchy", noting the single version as "laden with a disco sound", while the album version is not.

Chart performance

"I Don't Wanna Be a Star" peaked at number one in Spain and Italy and entered the top 10 in Finland and Hungary. Additionally, the single was a top-20 hit in France, Iceland, and Scotland. In the UK, it reached number 22 on 17 December 1995, during its first week 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 ...

. On the '' RM''

On a Pop Tip Club Chart On a Pop Tip Club Chart (also known as ''RM'' on a Pop Tip Club Chart) was a weekly chart compiled by British trade paper ''Music Week''. It was published in their ''RM'' Dance Update, a supplemental insert, from 1995. Number-one singles on the ...

, it reached number one. On the

, it entered the top 30, peaking at number 23 in January 1996, while peaking at number four on the

European Dance Radio Chart The European Dance Radio Chart (also known as European Dance Radio Top 25) was a weekly chart compiled by pan-European magazine ''Music & Media''. After dance music had played a more dominant role on the magazine's Eurochart Hot 100 in the beginnin ...

. Outside Europe, the song reached number six on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Dance chart in Canada, number 23 in Israel and number 109 in Australia.

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" was shot in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy. Many famous places from the city can be seen in the video, like

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world to ...

, Harry's Bar, and

Via Veneto Via Vittorio Veneto (), colloquially called Via Veneto, is one of the most famous, elegant, and expensive streets of Rome, Italy. The street is named after the Battle of Vittorio Veneto (1918), a decisive Italian victory of World War I. Federico F ...

. Many scenes are also showing Corona's frontwoman

Olga de Souza Olga Maria de Souza (born 16 July 1968) is a Brazilian-Italian singer, model and dancer. She is best known as the frontwoman of the Italian group Corona (band), Corona, produced by Francesco "Checco" Bontempi, a.k.a. "Lee Marrow". Early life S ...

singing in front of the

Trevi Fountain The Trevi Fountain ( it, Fontana di Trevi) is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini and several others. Standing high and wide, it is the larg ...

. Other scenes show her in a restaurant where she poses for photographs or sitting in a taxi while

paparazzi Paparazzi (, ; ; singular: masculine paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects ...

are following her. The video is made in a 70s-style, and throughout the video, de Souza wears many different costumes and wigs in different colors.

Track listings

* CD single # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (70's Radio Edit) — 4:33 # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow E.U.R.O. Radio Edit) — 3:58 * CD maxi # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow E.U.R.O. Radio Edit) — 3:58 # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow 70's Radio Edit) — 4:33 # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow Club Mix) — 5:32 # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow Eurobeat Mix) — 6:51 # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow & the Magnificent 70's Mix) — 6:27 # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow Original Long Mix) — 4:57 # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (UK hardcor-ona Dub) — 5:37 # "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (a Cappella) — 3:58 * 12-inch maxi :A1. "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow Eurobeat Mix) — 6:51 :A2. "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow Club Mix) — 5:32 :A3. "I Don't Wanna Be A Star" (Lee Marrow E.U.R.O. Radio Edit) — 3:58 :A4. "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (a Cappella) — 3:58 :B1. "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow & the Magnificent 70's Mix) — 6:27 :B2. "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow Original Long Mix) — 4:57 :B3. "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow 70's Radio Edit) — 4:33 :B4. "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (UK hardcor-ona Dub) — 5:37 * 7-inch maxi :A. "I Don't Wanna Be a Star (Lee Marrow & the Magnificent 70's Mix) — 6:27 :B. "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" (Lee Marrow Eurobeat Mix) — 6:51

Personnel

* Created, arranged and produced by Checco and Soul Train for a Lee Marrow production * Engineered by Francesco Alberti at Casablanca Recordings (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

), Graphic Art Sunrise (Italy) * 'UK Hardcor-Ona Dub' : ** Remix and additional production by Gino Olivieri and Ivan Palvin for Premier Musik Productions Inc. ** Assisted by Marco Vani ** Mix engineered by Bruno Ruffolo at In-Da-Mix Studio,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

) ** Re-organised, replayed and reconstructed by DJ Moisha and Mixmaster Irving

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I Don't Wanna Be A Star 1995 singles 1995 songs Blanco y Negro Records singles Corona (band) songs Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Spain