1. A popular indie pop ba… Read Full Bio ↴There are several artists which use this name:
1. A popular indie pop band from Canada
2. A rock band from the United Kingdom featuring Syd Barrett
3. A rock band from Australia
4. A country rock band from Australia
For the Japanese psychedelic group, please see The Stars
1. Stars is a Canadian indie pop band signed to the Arts & Crafts label. Originally formed in Toronto in 1998 by vocalist Torquil Campbell and keyboardist Chris Seligman, the band relocated to New York City and then subsequently to Montreal. The band also includes singer-guitarist Amy Millan and bassist Evan Cranley. Drummer Pat McGee has toured with the band for years, despite not appearing on their albums until the release of Set Yourself On Fire.
The band’s breakthrough single was Ageless Beauty, from their 2004 album Set Yourself on Fire. While released to minimal fanfare in Canada in October of 2004, Set Yourself on Fire slowly gained a strong following and critical praise soon after its 8 March 2005 U.S. release.
Millan, Campbell and Cranley are also members of the indie band Broken Social Scene; Seligman, although uncredited, has contributed to past Broken Social Scene albums. Millan has since embarked on a solo career, releasing a record entitled Honey From the Tombs in July 2006. Campbell has a side-project with friend Chris Dumont entitled Memphis; their latest album, A Little Place In the Wilderness, was released in August 2006.
On their website, they have noted that their name was chosen, by coincidence, without prior knowledge of the short-lived project by Syd Barrett. They have cited a wide variety of musical likes and influences ranging from Berlioz to Outkast, citing among others Barrett, Paddy McAloon, New Order, The Smiths, Brian Wilson and Momus. They covered The Smiths’ This Charming Man on 2001’s Nightsongs and The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York in 2005. Other indie artists have been guest collaborators on many of their tracks, especially for an early period including the release of their first LP.
2. The Stars is a Japanese psychedelic rock band. It consists of ex-members of the legendary band White Heaven including Michio Kurihara (Ghost, Boris, Ai Aso) on guitar and You Ishihara on vocals. For more information see The Stars.
3. Stars, a short-lived British band in 1972. Its members were Syd Barrett on guitar, Twink on drums, and Jack Monck (of Delivery) on bass. They played three live concerts in Cambridge before Barrett left the group, thus (essentially) ending it. Shortly thereafter Syd Barrett left music altogether and began a life in seclusion, and this project is sometimes seen as the so called 'straw that broke the camel's back'. Recordings of their performances remain lost, though it has been attested that all three performances contained early Pink Floyd songs and different versions of tracks from Barrett's 1970 solo album The Madcap Laughs. It has also been stated in multiple accounts that in each show Barrett entered one of his somewhat trademark catatonic trances, the worst coming in their second concert, where Barrett became almost completely frozen and had to be carried off stage. This was not unusual, having happened many times while Syd was still a member of Pink Floyd.
According to Twink, the band ended when Barrett approached him in the street, carrying a scathing review of their third concert. He waved the paper in Twink's face and said, essentially, "That's it."
4. Stars, an Australian country rock band from the late 1970s, most noted for the songs 'Mighty Rock' and 'Look After Yourself'. The band's main songwriter, Andy Durant, died tragically from cancer at age 25, marking the demise of the band. Fellow band members and many other luminaries in the Australian music scene at the time including Jimmy Barnes and Renee Geyer played a memorial concert, the Andy Durant Memorial Concert, to raise money for cancer research in mid-1980.
Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
Stars Lyrics
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You have to set yourself on fire"
God that was strange to see you again
Introduced by a friend of a friend
Smiled and said, "Yes, I think we've met before"
In that instant it started to pour
Captured a taxi despite all the rain
We drove in silence across Pont Champlain
And all of the time you thought I was sad
I was trying to remember your name
This scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin
Tried to reach deep but you couldn't get in
Now you're outside me
You see all the beauty
Repent all your sin
It's nothing but time and a face that you lose
I chose to feel it and you couldn't choose
I'll write you a postcard
I'll send you the news
From a house down the road from real love
Live through this, and you won't look back
Live through this, and you won't look back
Live through this, and you won't look back
There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave
You were what I wanted
I gave what I gave
I'm not sorry I met you
I'm not sorry it's over
I'm not sorry there's nothing to say
I'm not sorry there's nothing to save
The lyrics of Stars’s song Your Ex-Lover Is Dead are a reflection on the end of a relationship and the emotions that follow. The opening lines, “When there's nothing left to burn / You have to set yourself on fire”, suggest a sense of desperation and the realization that sometimes you have to let go of the past to move on. The second verse describes the awkwardness of seeing an ex-lover for the first time after a breakup, and the conflicting emotions that arise. The imagery of driving in silence across Pont Champlain in the pouring rain, with the singer trying to remember the ex-lover’s name, creates a sense of emotional distance.
The third verse seems to describe the emotional aftermath of the breakup, with the singer trying to move on and find beauty in life outside of the relationship. The lines “This scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin / Tried to reach deep but you couldn't get in / Now you're outside me / You see all the beauty / Repent all your sin” suggest that the singer has been hurt by the relationship, but has now found a sense of peace and regained control of their life. The final verse is a powerful assertion of self-worth, with the singer stating that they have no regrets and nothing left to say or save.
Overall, the lyrics of Your Ex-Lover Is Dead explore the complex emotions of a failed relationship, with a sense of finality and a moving on towards a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
When there's nothing left to burn
When you have exhausted all options
You have to set yourself on fire
You must take drastic measures to achieve your goal
God that was strange to see you again
It was surreal to encounter you once more
Introduced by a friend of a friend
We were acquainted through mutual connections
Smiled and said, "Yes, I think we've met before"
We acknowledged the fact that we had crossed paths previously
In that instant it started to pour
It began to rain heavily at that exact moment
Captured a taxi despite all the rain
We managed to get a taxi despite the heavy downpour
We drove in silence across Pont Champlain
We traveled across Pont Champlain without speaking
And all of the time you thought I was sad
You assumed I was upset the whole time
I was trying to remember your name
I was struggling to recall your name
This scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin
This scar is a minor blemish on my flawless skin
Tried to reach deep but you couldn't get in
You attempted to connect with me but were unsuccessful
Now you're outside me
You are no longer a part of my life
You see all the beauty
You can now appreciate my true worth
Repent all your sin
Regret your past mistakes
It's nothing but time and a face that you lose
In the end, all you lose is time and your looks
I chose to feel it and you couldn't choose
I decided to confront my emotions while you were unable to do so
I'll write you a postcard
I will update you through a postcard
I'll send you the news
I will let you know what's happening
From a house down the road from real love
I am living in a place far from true affection
Live through this, and you won't look back
Endure this experience, and you will not regret it
There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave
I'm going to be courageous and express one thing
You were what I wanted
You were everything I desired
I gave what I gave
I offered what I could
I'm not sorry I met you
I do not regret meeting you
I'm not sorry it's over
I do not regret that it has ended
I'm not sorry there's nothing to say
I do not regret that there is no need for words
I'm not sorry there's nothing to save
I am not sorry that there is nothing worth salvaging
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Amy E Millan, Christopher Allen Seligman, Evan Whitney Cranley, Patrick McGee, Torquil John Campbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind