Shooting Stars (Bag Raiders song)

"Shooting Stars"
Single by Bag Raiders
from the album Turbo Love! and Bag Raiders
Released7 August 2009 (2009-08-07)[1]
Recorded2007–2008
Genre
Length3:47
LabelModular Recordings
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bag Raiders
Bag Raiders singles chronology
"Turbo Love!"
(2008) 		"Shooting Stars"
(2009) 		"Way Back Home"
(2010)
Music video
Shooting Stars on YouTube
Shooting Stars (HD Version) on YouTube

"Shooting Stars" is a song by Australian electronic duo Bag Raiders. The song was originally featured on the band's EP, Turbo Love, which released on October 8, 2008.[3] The band signed with Modular Recordings in June 2009 and "Shooting Stars" was released in August 2009.[1] The song peaked at number 62 on the ARIA charts and was voted number 18 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2009. The song is sung by Rhys Taylor.[4]

In 2013, "Shooting Stars" was used on Australia's Got Talent by contestant Tommy Franklin, which led to the song re-entered the ARIA charts and peaking at number 38.[5]

The song received international attention in February 2017 when the song became a part of a popular Internet meme, thus cementing the track's legacy as a sleeper hit. The song reached number 11 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs chart and number 9 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart that year.

In 2015, the song was listed at number 29 in In the Mix's '100 Greatest Australian Dance Tracks of All Time' with Dave Ruby Howe saying "[it] was a bright, euphoric tonic ... with an instantly-classic chorus".[6]

History

[edit]

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Jack Glass, a member of the band, said that the single inspired him to create their self-titled album, claiming that "people loved Shooting Stars so much and we liked that direction of songwriting and developing a pop sensibility ourselves, too." Glass also said that the band also played half of the song in clubs before the band had realized that "people liked it and wanted to hear the whole thing."[7]

Composition

[edit]

The first part of the song is composed in E Lydian, and the second part is composed in G♯ minor - both of which are modes of the tonic key of B major - and maintains a tempo of 125 BPM for the entire song. The song's chorus is only played at the end of the song.[8] The bass player is switched between the two band members in the verse and chorus.[9]

Reception

[edit]

"Shooting Stars" was well received by music critics. Andrew Murfett of The Sydney Morning Herald described the song as "peppy track" and compared the song to works of Daft Punk.[7]

2016 and 2017 revival

[edit]

After the death of Harambe the gorilla in May 2016, an animated tribute featuring the song, using clips from Ego's music video for "The Crazy Things We Do", spread on the internet.[10]

In 2017, the song received greater international attention when the song became a part of a popular internet meme. The video that boosted the popularity of the meme was an upload on Reddit titled "Fat man does amazing dive".[11] In the meme, the song is usually accompanied with people falling with surreal, spacey backgrounds.[12] Chris Stracey, a member of the band, reacted to the meme, saying "At first we were like, ok this is funny I guess, but I didn't really get it so I thought "alright whatever". Once I started seeing a common theme though, such as the big guy jumping off the bridge into the river, that was the first one of the more recent stuff that really got me. So good! That and the Lady Gaga one is so funny" [referring to a mashup with Gaga’s performance during the Super Bowl LI halftime].[13]

The song and its corresponding meme was later featured in the music video for the Katy Perry song "Swish Swish".[14]

New York Magazine referred to the meme as the "first big post-Vine meme."[11] Meanwhile, Daily Dot compared the meme to Neil Cicierega's 2010 viral video, Brodyquest.[15]

On 6 December 2017, Shooting Stars (along with the popular meme associated within the song) was featured in YouTube Rewind: The Shape of 2017.[16]

The official music video on YouTube has over 155 million views as of October 2024.[17]

Track listing

[edit]

12" maxi[18]

  1. "Shooting Stars" – 3:55
  2. "Shooting Stars" (Siriusmo Remix) – 5:30
  3. "Shooting Stars" (Kris Menace Remix) – 7:29
  4. "Shooting Stars" (In Flagranti Remix) – 6:38

Covers

[edit]

The song was first covered by Hidden Cat in 2009.[19] The song was later covered by American progressive house producer Elephante in 2014.[20] In 2020, Australian producer POOLCLVB and singer MARSHES officially released a cover of the song, although this cover was first uploaded to YouTube in 2015.[21][better source needed]

In November 2022, Australian DJ, Flume and American singer, Toro y Moi covered the song for Triple J.[22]

In September 2023, Australian singer Troye Sivan released his song "Got Me Started", which samples the song's melody.[23]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[38] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[39] Gold 30,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[40] Gold 200,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[42] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Use in other media

[edit]

The song was featured during the end credits of Season 1, Episode 6 of the 2010 HBO series How to Make It in America.[43] In 2011, Madeon featured the song in his mashup, "Pop Culture".[44] The song was also featured on the soundtrack to NBA 2K16, in the playlist "Around the World".[45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Bag Raiders sign to Modular, tour". RA. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  2. ^ Ross, Annabel (6 September 2019). "Music reviews: Iggy Pop, Lana Del Rey, Bon Iver and more". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Bag Raiders Turbo Love EP Release & Tour". Pedestrian.TV. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Bag Raiders". ABC Rage. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  5. ^ "El meme 'Shooting Stars' da un toque musical y psicodélico a las caídas épicas en internet". Verne (in Spanish). 22 February 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  6. ^ "The 100 Greatest Australian Dance Tracks of All Time". 2015. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b Murfett, Andrew (11 November 2010). "Pop can be a DJ's best friend". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders - Theorytab". Hook Theory. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  9. ^ Carr, Michael (5 August 2016). "Cleopold Vs Bag Raiders: Tennis, Tambourines And Petty Theft - Music Feeds". Music Feeds. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  10. ^ Wilson, Zanda (14 February 2017). "Here's Why Bag Raiders' Song 'Shooting Stars' Is A Meme Now - Music Feeds". Music Feeds. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  11. ^ a b Feldman, Brian (21 February 2017). "Shooting Stars Is the First Big Post-Vine Video Meme". Select All. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  12. ^ Earp, Joseph (9 February 2017). "'Shooting Stars' meme blends epic fails with one electro track and it's taking over". Mashable. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  13. ^ "Bag Raiders Are Chuffed 'Shooting Stars' Is A Meme, But Have No Clue Why". Pedestrian.TV. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  14. ^ Jenke, Tyler; Reid, Poppy (25 August 2017). "Finally, a 'Shooting Stars' meme reference that isn't ripping Bag Raiders off". The Industry Observer. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  15. ^ Hathaway, Jay (22 February 2017). "From Trump to this naked old man, everyone's doin' the 'Shooting Stars' meme". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  16. ^ Wu, Chen (6 December 2017). "YouTube's 2017 Rewind Video puts a (Mostly) Positive Spin on 2017 (and Fidget Spinners)". Creativity Online. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  17. ^ "Bag Raiders-Shooting Stars (Official Video)". YouTube. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars". Discogs. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  19. ^ Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (17 December 2009). "Hidden Cat, "Shooting Stars"". The FADER. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  20. ^ "Elephante - Shooting Stars (Bag Raiders Cover)". Your EDM. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  21. ^ "Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars (POOLCLVB Cover)". Dirty Disco. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  22. ^ Brereton, Greta (18 November 2022). "Watch Flume, Toro y Moi and shirtless dancers cover 'Shooting Stars' by Bag Raiders". NME. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  23. ^ "Troye Sivan Shares New Single "Got Me Started": Listen". Stereogum. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  24. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles" (PDF). The ARIA Report (1018): 3–4. 31 August 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  25. ^ "ARIA Dance" (PDF). The ARIA Report (1018): 18. 31 August 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  26. ^ "Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  27. ^ "ARIA Dance" (PDF). The ARIA Report (1226): 17. 26 August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  28. ^ "Bag Riders – Shooting Stars" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  29. ^ "Bag Raiders Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  30. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés - SNEP (Week 9, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  31. ^ "Bag Riders – Shooting Stars" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Bag Raiders Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  34. ^ "Bag Raiders Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  35. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Australian Artists Singles 2009" (PDF). www.aria.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  36. ^ "Triple J's 2009 Hottest 100 dissected". NewsComAu. 27 January 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  37. ^ "2017 Hot Dance/Electronic Songs". Billboard. 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  38. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  39. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  40. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bag Raiders; 'Shooting Stars')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  41. ^ "British single certifications – Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  42. ^ "American single certifications – Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  43. ^ Schiewe, Jessie (30 March 2016). "Bag Raiders @ The Independent". SF Weekly. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  44. ^ Johnson, Bailey (12 July 2011). ""Pop Culture" mega-mash-up: 39 songs in three minutes". Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  45. ^ Makuch, Eddie (25 July 2015). "NBA 2K16's Biggest Soundtrack Ever Revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
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