"The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" is a song by English musician

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

; it serves as the second single from his twenty-fourth studio album '' The Next Day''. The song's official music video was released on 25 February 2013 and the song itself was released for digital download the following day. In the UK it joined BBC Radio 2's Playlist in the B list in March 2013, "The Next Day" was also the album of the week beginning 11 March, the week in which it was released. The song was released with "

Where Are We Now? "Where Are We Now?" is a song by English musician David Bowie. Recorded in secret between September and October 2011 at the Magic Shop in New York City, it was released by ISO and Columbia Records as the lead single of his 25th studio album ''T ...

" – the album's first single – on a limited edition 7" 45

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

on 20 April 2013 in celebration of

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

. In December 2013 the song was nominated for a 2014

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in the category 'Best Rock Performance'. The single's artwork is an image of painter

Egon Schiele Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele (; 12 June 1890 – 31 October 1918) was an Austrian Expressionist painter. His work is noted for its intensity and its raw sexuality, and for the many self-portraits the artist produced, including nude self-portr ...

, created by Al Farrow in 1990.

Composition and reception

According to ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

''s Eric B. Danton, "the song starts with a slow, heavy backbeat and guttural guitar that dissolve into a propulsive

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...

topped with shards of guitar and atmospheric synthesizers, for an effect reminiscent of vintage Bowie." Andrew Trendell of

Gigwise ''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England. History Gigwise was launched in 2001 ...

described the song as a "fierce but vibrant classic Bowie rocker in the vein of material from the brilliant ‘'' Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)''’," while ''

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 ...

'' critic Eric B. Danton interpreted it as "a return to

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

for Bowie."

Music video

The official music video for the song premiered on 25 February 2013, and was made by Italian-Canadian director

Floria Sigismondi Floria Sigismondi (, born 1965) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer. She is best known for writing and directing '' The Runaways'', for directing music videos for performers includi ...

. It stars Bowie and English actress

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...

as his wife.

Andreja Pejić Andreja Pejić (; formerly Andrej Pejić, born 28 August 1991) is an Australian model and actress. Since coming out as a trans woman in 2013, she has become one of the most recognisable transgender models in the world. Early life Pejić was bo ...

and

Saskia de Brauw Saskia de Brauw (born 19 April 1981) is a Dutch artist and model. She began modeling at sixteen but quit after one year to attend art school in Amsterdam. Returning to modeling at the age of 29, she quickly became a successful fashion model. Not ...

appear as two celebrities who disrupt the couple's lives. The Norwegian model

Iselin Steiro Iselin Vollen Steiro (born 15 September 1985) is a Norwegian model. Career She grew up in Harstad in the northern part of Norway, and began her fashion career in 2003 by working for Prada and Calvin Klein in her first season. In 2004, she mo ...

plays the young Bowie.

Charts

Personnel

According to Chris O'Leary: *David Bowie – lead and backing vocal,

12-string acoustic guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

* Gail Ann Dorsey – bass, backing vocal * Gerry Leonard – lead guitar *

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

– guitar *

Zachary Alford Zachary "Zack" Alford is a professional drummer, known for his work with the B-52's, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and Tomoyasu Hotei. Alford was brought in by Danny Kortchmar to drum on Billy Joel's ''River of Dreams'' album. Alford contribut ...

– drums * Steve Elson – baritone saxophone, contrabass clarinet *

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

– recorder *Antoine Silverman – violin *Maxim Boston – violin *Hiroko Taguchi – viola *Anja Wood – cello *

Janice Pendarvis Janice Gadsden Pendarvis is an American singer, songwriter, and voiceover artist. She has worked with artists such as Sting, David Bowie, Steely Dan, Peter Tosh, Brandy, the O'Jays, Philip Glass, Jimmy Cliff, Laurie Anderson, the Naked Brothe ...

– backing vocal Technical *David Bowie – producer *Tony Visconti – producer, engineer * Mario J. McNulty – engineer

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stars (Are Out Tonight), The 2013 singles David Bowie songs Music videos directed by Floria Sigismondi 2013 songs Songs written by David Bowie Columbia Records singles Song recordings produced by Tony Visconti British alternative rock songs