Hear n' Aid was formed in 1985 by Ronnie James Dio, a long time contributor to many charity projects over the years. Hear n' Aid didn't get much media coverage and didn't achieve the blockbuster sales like Band Aid or USA for Africa, but did generate a respectable amount of revenue.
When attending a 48 hours charity "Radiothon" at the radio station KLOS, Jimmy Bain (of Rainbow and Dio) and Vivian Campbell (at that time still in Dio, later to play in Whitesnake and Def Leppard) noticed that the representation of heavy metal stars was scarce. In the light of the success of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and USA for Africa's "We Are The World" they forwarded the idea to Ronnie James Dio, also attending the Radiothon, and they decided to make a similar project exclusively built on artists from the heavy metal scene. Together the three cowrote the song Stars.
On May 20 & 21, 1985, 40 artists gathered at the A&M Records Studio in Hollywood, California to record the Stars album. The project included members of such bands as Dio, Quiet Riot, Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Queensrÿche, Blue Öyster Cult, Dokken, Night Ranger, Judas Priest, W.A.S.P., Journey, Y&T, Vanilla Fudge, and the parody band Spinal Tap.
Vocals
* Eric Bloom (Blue Öyster Cult)
* Ronnie James Dio (Dio)
* Don Dokken (Dokken)
* Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot)
* Rob Halford (Judas Priest)
* Dave Meniketti (Y&T)
* Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt)
* Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche)
Backing Vocals
* Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne)
* Dave Alford (Rough Cutt)
* Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge/King Kobra)
* Vinny Appice (Dio)
* Jimmy Bain (Dio)
* Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot)
* Mick Brown (Dokken)
* Vivian Campbell (Dio)
* Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot)
* Amir Derakh (Rough Cutt)
* Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult)
* Brad Gillis (Night Ranger)
* Craig Goldy (Giuffria)
* Chris Hager (Rough Cutt)
* Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.)
* Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P.)
* George Lynch (Dokken)
* Yngwie Malmsteen
* Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe)
* Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap)
* Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)
* Vince Neil (Mötley Crüe)
* Ted Nugent
* Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister)
* Jeff Pilson (Dokken)
* Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot)
* Claude Schnell (Dio)
* Neal Schon (Journey)
* Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap)
* Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge)
* Matt Thorr (Rough Cutt)
* Adrian Vandenberg (Whitesnake)
Lead Guitar Solos
* Vivian Campbell (Dio)
* Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot)
* Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult)
* Brad Gillis (Night Ranger)
* Craig Goldy (Giuffria)
* George Lynch (Dokken)
* Yngwie Malmsteen
* Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister)
* Neal Schon (Journey)
Rhythm Guitar Melody Lines
* Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)
* Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden)
Bass
* Jimmy Bain (Dio)
Drums
* Vinny Appice (Dio)
* Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot)
Keyboards
* Claude Schnell (Dio)
Stars
Hear 'n Aid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who cries for the children?
I do
Dave Meniketti (Y&T):
Some time in the night
When you're feeling the cold
Ronnie James Dio:
Take a look at the sky above you
Rob Halford (Judas Priest):
Those are faces in the light
If the story were told
Ronnie James Dio:
They are calling you, calling you
Yeah
We are magic in the night
Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot):
We are shadow, we are light
Dave Meniketti:
We are forever you and I
Chorus (vocal lead: Rob Halford):
We're stars
We're stars
Eric Bloom (Blue Oyster Cult):
We can be strong
We are fire and stone
Paul Shortino (Quiet Riot, Rough Cutt):
And we all want to touch a rainbow
Geoff Tate (Queensryche):
But singers and songs
Will never change it alone
We are calling you, calling you
Don Dokken (Dokken):
We're the beating of a heart
The beginning we're the start
Paul Shortino:
Forever we will shine
Yeah
Chorus (vocal leads: Paul Shortino, Don Dokken, Ronnie James Dio, Geoff Tate):
We're stars
We're stars
We're stars
We're stars
Guitar solos:
1st solo: Craig Goldie/Eddie Ojeda
2nd solo: Vivian Campbell/Brad Gillis
3rd solo: Neal Schon/George Lynch
4th solo: Yngwie Malmsteen/Vivian Campbell
5th solo: George Lynch/Carlos Cavazo
6th solo: Brad Gillis/Craig Goldie/Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser
Kevin DuBrow:
We are magic in the night
Rob Halford:
We are shadow, we are light
Geoff Tate:
We are forever you and I
Chorus (vocal leads: Dave Meniketti, Eric Bloom, Rob Halford)
We're stars
We're stars
We're stars
We're stars
We're stars, yeah
We're stars
We are shadow, we are light
We're stars
We are magic in the night
We're stars, oh yeah
We're stars
We're stars
We are magic in the night
We're stars
We are shadow, we are light
We're stars
We're stars
We're stars
We're the magic
We're stars
We're stars
We're the beating of a heart
We're stars
Forever we will shine
We're stars
We're stars
We're stars
We're stars
The lyrics of Hear 'N Aid's song "Stars" are an anthem for hope, unity, and strength. The song starts with Ronnie James Dio asking who cries for the children, and then Dave Meniketti sings about feeling cold in the night. Dio then urges the listener to look at the sky and see the faces in the light, who are calling for them. This leads to the chorus, where they all declare themselves as stars, representing both the magic and the beating of a heart, urging everyone to rise up and shine forever.
The lyrics of "Stars" come from a place of deep compassion and concern for society. The songwriters are aware of the darkness in the world and the pain that people endure but want to remind them that they have the power to shine through it. They urge the listener to have hope and unity since they can achieve anything by supporting each other. The song lyrics and approach are aimed at empowering the listener, making them aware of their strength as a collective.
The song's message of hope and togetherness helped to raise funds for famine relief in Africa. The track brought together well-known heavy metal vocalists, including Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche, Paul Shortino of Rough Cutt, and Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot. The song is a collaborative effort and features an impressive guitar solos section, with six of the greatest guitarists of 1980s rock performing up to 30 seconds of lead guitar each.
Line by Line Meaning
Who cries for the children?
Who speaks up for and supports the children in need?
I do
I am someone who speaks up for and supports the children in need.
Some time in the night
At some point during the night.
When you're feeling the cold
When you feel alone or in a difficult place.
Take a look at the sky above you
Look upwards and see the potential and beauty in the world.
Those are faces in the light
The stars you see in the sky are a representation of people.
If the story were told
If we could see the full picture.
They are calling you, calling you
The stars are reaching out to us and inspiring us.
We are magic in the night
We are capable of amazing things even in dark times.
We are shadow, we are light
We represent both the darkness and the light in the world.
We are forever you and I
We will always be connected to each other.
We're stars
We are important and bright individuals.
We can be strong
We have the ability to be powerful and make a difference.
We are fire and stone
We embody both passion and resilience.
And we all want to touch a rainbow
We all long for something beautiful and unique.
But singers and songs
Although we can express ourselves through art and music...
Will never change it alone
...they alone cannot bring about true change.
We are calling you, calling you
We are still inspiring and reaching out to people.
We're the beating of a heart
We represent the core of what makes us human.
The beginning we're the start
We are the beginnings of something great and important.
Forever we will shine
We will continue to be bright and powerful throughout time.
We're stars, yeah
We are amazing individuals who can shine brightly.
We are magic in the night
Even in dark times, we can still create amazing things.
We're stars, oh yeah
We are vibrant and make a true impact.
We're the magic
We are unique and special.
We're the beating of a heart
We remind others of what makes us human and connect us to each other.
Forever we will shine
We will always be bright and powerful.
We're stars
We are important and bright individuals.
Contributed by Aubrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.