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.
The North
Stars Lyrics
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Every road home is long
He had a map that he bought
For the price of his soul
He had a reason to go there
And a warm place to stay
And when it came time to leave
It was never the right day
Good luck bad luck survivor
Sleep is my friend and my rival
Good luck bad luck survivor
There was a girl who he married
And he left her behind
He couldn't picture her face now
It was like he was blind
Up at five in the morning
Every breath was a stone
It's so cold in this country
You can never get warm
Good luck bad luck survivor
Sleep is my friend and my rival
Good luck bad luck survivor
Good luck bad luck survivor
Sleep is my friend and my rival
Good luck bad luck survivor
It's a strange disappearance
It's a real mystery
Is he asleep in the snow
Does he feel free
There's a person he once was in a place far away
It's so cold in this country
I told her in May
Good luck bad luck survivor
Sleep is my friend and my rival
Good luck bad luck survivor
Good luck bad luck survivor
Sleep is my friend and my rival
Good luck bad luck survivor
Survivor
Good luck bad luck survivor
Good luck bad luck survivor
Good luck bad luck survivor
The lyrics to Stars' song "The North" paint a picture of someone venturing to a cold, harsh country that they cannot seem to escape from. The opening lines convey a sense of isolation and a difficult journey, as "Every road home is long" and "It's so cold in this country." The singer had a reason for going there, and a "warm place to stay," but leaving is always a struggle.
The second verse references someone left behind, likely a lover or spouse, who is now a distant memory. The line "Every breath was a stone" suggests the pain and difficulty he feels every day. He cannot escape the cold, no matter how hard he tries, and his thoughts continue to haunt him.
The song ends with a sense of confusion and uncertainty, as the singer wonders if the person they are speaking of has disappeared entirely or if he "feels free." All in all, "The North" is a powerful and poignant song that captures themes of displacement, loss, and the struggle to survive in harsh conditions.
Line by Line Meaning
It's so cold in this country
The weather in this place is harsh and unforgiving
Every road home is long
The journey back to familiarity feels never-ending
He had a map that he bought
He had a plan for his life
For the price of his soul
It cost him a part of himself to pursue this plan
He had a reason to go there
He had a goal he wanted to achieve
And a warm place to stay
He had comfort and security waiting for him
And when it came time to leave
The time to move on inevitably arrived
It was never the right day
The right time to leave never seemed to come
Good luck bad luck survivor
Life is unpredictable and uncertain, but he keeps going
Sleep is my friend and my rival
Sleep can be both restful and difficult for him
There was a girl who he married
He had a wife whom he left behind
And he left her behind
He had to depart from his loved ones and familiar life
He couldn't picture her face now
He struggles to remember the person he left behind
It was like he was blind
His memories of home are murky and indistinct
Up at five in the morning
His life is full of early mornings and hard work
Every breath was a stone
The heavy weight of his responsibilities weighs on him
You can never get warm
He always feels cold and alone, no matter where he goes
It's a strange disappearance
He has vanished from his previous life without a trace
It's a real mystery
His disappearance is hard to understand or explain
Is he asleep in the snow
Could he have passed away in the harsh climate?
Does he feel free
Is he happier away from his old life?
There's a person he once was in a place far away
He is a different person now, living a different life
I told her in May
This cold weather has persisted for far too long
Survivor
He continues to endure and keep going, no matter the cost
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Amy E Millan, Christopher Alexander McCarron, Christopher Allen Seligman, Evan Whitney Cranley, Patrick McGee, Torquil John Campbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind