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.
What Is to Be Done?
Stars Lyrics
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Since you're hiding your face
There's nothing I can do about that
Since the child's growing up
Since the time doesn't stop
Since you decided to go
Since the heart beat is slow
There's nothing I can do about that
Since we can't take the cost
Since they forgotten my name
Since we all miss this game
There's nothing I can do about that
Since my child and our child
Since you light a new light
What do we do about that?
What do we do about that?
What do we do about that?
Since that you turn to black
Since that you never come back
There's nothing I can do about that
Since the tide changed its course
Since we all lose our voice
Since the signal will fade
Since we lose what we made
There's nothing I can do about that
Since the water is deep
Since we no longer sleep
Since it all has to end
Since I'm missing my friend
There's nothing I can do about that
Since you're moving away
Since this is the end of the play
What do we do about that?
What do we do about that?
What do we do about that?
What do we do about that?
What do we do about that?
What do we do about that?
The lyrics to Stars' song "What is to Be Done?" highlight the helplessness one feels when faced with events that are outside of their control or when it feels like they have lost agency in their own life. The repetition of "there's nothing I can do about that" emphasizes this frustration and resignation. The lyrics touch on themes of loss, change, and the inevitability of time moving forward, as well as the struggle to come to terms with these things.
The first few lines suggest a sense of abandonment with someone "flying away" and "hiding their face," leaving the singer powerless to change the situation. The passage of time is emphasized by the child growing up and the heart beating slowly, as well as the loss of a love letter and the forgetting of a name. The lyrics then turn more existential, with references to the tide changing course, loss of voice, and fading signals - all emphasizing the idea of inevitability and an inability to stop the passage of time and changes in life.
The chorus poses the question "What do we do about that?" but the repetition of the question suggests that there may not be any answers or solutions to these problems. The final lines highlight a sense of finality, with someone moving away and the end of a play, further emphasizing the idea of things coming to an end and the difficulty of accepting that.
Overall, the lyrics of "What is to Be Done?" convey a sense of powerlessness and the struggle to come to terms with inevitability and change.
Line by Line Meaning
Since you're flying away
I can't control your decision to leave
Since you're hiding your face
I can't force you to reveal what you are feeling
There's nothing I can do about that
I am powerless in the face of these changes
Since the child's growing up
Time is passing and things are changing
Since the time doesn't stop
Life goes on despite our desires for it to slow down or halt
Since you decided to go
Your decision to leave is final
Since the heart beat is slow
The pain and sadness are taking a toll on me
Since the love letter's lost
Our love seems to have disappeared or been forgotten
Since we can't take the cost
The price of our relationship was too high
Since they forgotten my name
I feel like I am being overlooked or ignored
Since we all miss this game
We long for the happiness and excitement of the past
Since my child and our child
Our children are a constant reminder of the life we built together
Since you light a new light
You are moving on to something new and different
What do we do about that?
What actions can we take to cope with these changes?
Since that you turn to black
Your personality and behavior have changed in a negative way
Since that you never come back
I fear that you will never return
Since the tide changed its course
The situation has taken a turn for the worse and is beyond our control
Since we all lose our voice
We are struggling to express ourselves and communicate effectively
Since the signal will fade
Our connection or relationship is deteriorating
Since we lose what we made
Our efforts to create something meaningful or lasting have been in vain
Since the water is deep
The challenges we face are complex and difficult to overcome
Since we no longer sleep
Our worries and concerns keep us up at night
Since it all has to end
Everything comes to a close eventually, whether we are ready or not
Since I'm missing my friend
The loss of our relationship has left a void in my life
Since you're moving away
You are physically and emotionally distancing yourself from me
Since this is the end of the play
The show is over and we must come to terms with the finality of it all
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Amy E Millan, Christopher Alexander McCarron, Christopher Allen Seligman, Evan Whitney Cranley, Patrick McGee, Torquil John Campbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind