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.
Sleep Tight
Stars Lyrics
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Sleeps so tight
she has a marksman's eye.
Maker's mark
tattoo firewater spine.
Leather shoes
but nowhere to go.
Dice and coins
scattered in the snow.
Dice and coins
scattered in the snow.
Won't be long,
until I see her face.
She's waiting
in an undisclosed place.
I've been conspired
banned from my muse.
This won't stick
poor boy's all confused.
This won't stick
poor boy's all confused.
In Salem town
she keeps her chin so high.
Darkened breeze
she smiles as I roll by.
Step inside
she looks for tables left.
Wink at time
nothing lasts except yourself.
Wink at time
nothing lasts except yourself.
Like a Steamboat
she plans to roll on down.
To the Gulf
out of this dirty town.
Copper mesh
kept stuffed in a jar.
Sharp cold hit
turning wine to water.
Sharp cold hit
turning wine to water.
We know him
eye deed by his ship.
In a trap
a kind of goosechase trip.
Whiskey fumes
and stale gunsmoke.
Sunk and drowned
with all her knives and jokes.
Sunk and drowned
with all her knives and jokes.
Sleeps so tight
she has a marksman's eye.
Maker's mark
tattoo firewater spine.
Leather shoes
but nowhere to go.
-Will Dockery (words)
Brian Mallard (music)
The lyrics to Stars' song "Sleep Tight" tell the story of a mysterious woman who sleeps soundly with a "marksman's eye", suggesting that she is both vulnerable and dangerous. She has a tattoo of Maker's Mark, a popular bourbon whiskey, on her spine, hinting at a possible addiction or affinity for the drink. The woman wears leather shoes, but has nowhere to go, highlighting her sense of restlessness and lack of direction.
The second verse depicts a scene in Salem town where the woman keeps her chin high, even in the midst of a "darkened breeze". She looks for "tables left" and winks at time, signifying the fleeting nature of life and the necessity of making the most of it. The third verse references a steamer boat that the woman plans to take down to the Gulf to escape the "dirty town" she is currently in. The verse also mentions "copper mesh kept stuffed in a jar" and a "sharp cold hit turning wine to water", which could be interpreted as a reference to the distillation process of moonshine, a type of homemade, illicit alcohol that was commonly made and smuggled during the Prohibition era in the United States.
The final verse speaks of the woman's demise, saying that she was "sunk and drowned with all her knives and jokes". The lyric is a metaphor for the woman's downfall, which may have been her own doing or the result of circumstances outside of her control. Throughout the song, the imagery is vivid and poetic, leaving much to interpretation and imagination.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleeps so tight
The person is sleeping deeply
she has a marksman's eye.
Her sleep is so peaceful and undisturbed that she could shoot a gun with precision
Maker's mark tattoo firewater spine.
The person has a tattoo that symbolizes her strong and independent spirit
Leather shoes but nowhere to go.
The person has everything she needs but still feels directionless in life
Dice and coins scattered in the snow.
The person is carefree and enjoys gambling without worrying about the outcome
Won't be long, until I see her face.
The singer is longing to see the person soon
She's waiting in an undisclosed place.
The person is hiding from something or someone
I've been conspired banned from my muse.
The artist feels like they've been shut out from their source of inspiration
This won't stick poor boy's all confused.
The artist is unsure of what their future holds
In Salem town she keeps her chin so high.
The person is proud and confident
Darkened breeze she smiles as I roll by.
The person is happy and carefree despite the darkness around them
Step inside she looks for tables left.
The person is seeking out company or a place to belong
Wink at time nothing lasts except yourself.
The person cherishes their independence and knows that everything else is temporary
Like a Steamboat she plans to roll on down.
The person is planning to move on and start a new chapter in their life
To the Gulf out of this dirty town.
The person wants to leave behind their old life and start fresh
Copper mesh kept stuffed in a jar.
The person is preserving something important to them
Sharp cold hit turning wine to water.
Something unexpected happened and made the person's joy turn to sorrow
We know him eye deed by his ship.
The singer knows someone by the things that they own or do
In a trap a kind of goosechase trip.
The singer is frustrated by someone or something that they can't catch
Whiskey fumes and stale gunsmoke.
The person is living a rough and rowdy lifestyle
Sunk and drowned with all her knives and jokes.
The person has a colorful personality but might be in over their head in a certain situation
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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