"Shooting Star" is a song by American

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

project Owl City from his second extended play ''

Shooting Star Shooting star refers to a meteor. Shooting star may also refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Shooting Star'' (2015 film), a 2015 Bulgarian short film * ''Shooting Star'' (2020 film), a 2020 Canadian short film * ''Shooting Stars'' ( ...

''. The song premiered exclusively via ''Billboard'' on May 10, 2012 before it was released as the lead single from the EP on May 15, 2012. The song peaked at No. 176 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 49 on the

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...

. It was featured twice in the 2013 computer-animated film '' Escape from Planet Earth''.

Background

Adam Young began to write "Shooting Star" in 2008 with

Relient K Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio, by Matt Thiessen, Matt Hoopes, and Brian Pittman Board Message during the band members' third year in high school and their time at Malone University. The band is named after ...

's Matt Thiessen. The song was planned for inclusion on Owl City's '' Ocean Eyes'' album (2009), but it didn't make the cut. As work began on the album, '' The Midsummer Station'' (2012), Young brought a 90-second demo of the "old leftover instrumental idea" to Norwegian record producing and songwriting team

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

, who helped complete the composition. Young recalled, "All the lyrics were basically written on the spot during those two days... and then I went back home to my own studio in Minnesota to cut the final (version). I think I tweaked some lyrics here and there to make everything feel better, and then the song was finished."Owl City Eyes 'Shooting Star' as Next Single
''Billboard''. Retrieved October 25, 2012. The song was originally intended to be the lead single from ''The Midsummer Station'', but the success of

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

's "

Call Me Maybe "Call Me Maybe" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen for her EP ''Curiosity'' (2012) and later appeared on her second studio album and first international album ''Kiss'' (2012). The song was written by Jepsen and T ...

" led to Owl City's management choosing the duet " Good Time" instead. An acoustic version of the song was also released in 2013, on Owl City's '' The Midsummer Station - Acoustic EP''.

Reception

"Shooting Star" peaked at No. 36 on the US Christian Songs chart, No. 49 on the

chart, and No. 176 on the UK Singles Chart. Scott Fryberger of Jesus Freak Hideout wrote that the song is "still poppy and very accessible, and Owl City fans will probably feel mostly at home, but it has a bit more of a dance music vibe than the synthpop we're used to."

Tris McCall Tris McCall is a music journalism, music journalist, novelist, and rock musician from Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, New Jersey, described by ''The New York Times'' as "the plugged-in, Internet-era muse of Jersey City." In 2010, he b ...

of '' The Star-Ledger'' called the song "the least successful thing" on ''The Midsummer Station''. McCall added that "while Young can discharge a self-affirmatory verse with the conviction of a choirboy, the song does skirt a bit too close to Katy Perry territory for comfort."

Music video

On May 14, 2012, Owl City uploaded an official audio stream for "Shooting Star" to his official YouTube channel. The video features some type of fox or dog walking around in a city with orange fur. Young posted screen-shots of the upcoming video on his Twitter account for Shooting Star prior to its release. The MTV website includes an interview with Young about the filming of the video. On October 25, 2012, Owl City uploaded the official music video for "Shooting Star" to his official YouTube channel. The video's setting is nighttime in an urban area. The video features scenes of Young playing an electric piano under the street lights and people (who emit light from their chests) running, slowly gathering to all run together in the same direction.

Use in media

This song is featured in the 2013 3D animated film, '' Escape from Planet Earth'', twice. It is also featured in the third trailer of ''

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

'', and in the 2015 Nickelodeon TV show, '' Bella and the Bulldogs''.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

In popular culture

The song was used in a flash mob that happened during an ice hockey game on February 10, 2013 as part of an annual anti-bullying campaign in British Columbia.

References

{{Authority control 2012 singles Owl City songs Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Songs written by Robopop Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers) 2012 songs Songs written by Adam Young Songs written by Matt Thiessen Universal Republic Records singles