"Shining Star" is a song by Earth, Wind & Fire from their album That's the Way of the World. "Shining Star" was Earth, Wind & Fire's first major hit, hitting #1 on both the U.S. Hot 100 and R&B charts.[1] The song is considered a prime example of funk music that has attained mainstream success.[1]
| "Shining Star" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Yearnin' Learnin'" |
History
"Shining Star" won Earth, Wind & Fire a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[2] The single was very successful commercially, selling over a million copies. It has been certified gold as up until the RIAA lowered the sales levels for certified singles in 1989, a Gold single equaled 1 million units sold.[3][4]
Earth, Wind & Fire performed Shining Star on the TV series The Midnight Special.[5]
Samples
The song has been sampled by several artists, including MC Lyte on the song "Paper Thin" featured on her album Lyte as a Rock, Public Enemy on the song "Prophets of Rage" on the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Sunz of Man on the song by the same name "Shining Star" on the album The Last Shall Be First and by The Roots on their song "The 'Notic" which also featured D'Angelo.[1]
Uses in other media
"Shining Star" was featured in the soundtrack for Austin Powers in Goldmember, and it was played during the end credits of Semi-Pro, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, and Meet Dave. The song is played in Muppets from Space when Gonzo encounters the cosmic fish and later during the end credits of the film. In the movie Mr. 3000, "Shining Star" is used in the video game Karaoke Revolution Volume 3. The song is also featured in The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
"Shining Star" was the song played when Elaine Benes did the infamous "little kicks" for the first time on the Seinfeld episode "The Little Kicks". The song has also been featured in the first few minutes in the Glee pilot episode, and also in the My Name is Earl episode "Stole a Badge".
This song is available as downloadable content in the Rock Band series.
Enigma Records Glam Metal band Dancer did a cover of "Shining Star". Plus the video of the song was aired on MTV2's Headbangers Ball.
Bad Boy group B5 covered this song on the Hannah Montana CD.
Covers
In 2005, trumpeter Rick Braun covered the song off the album "Yours Truly."[6][7]
Chart positions
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 1 |
Accolades
The information regarding accolades attributed to "Shining Star" is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net and awards on earthwindandfire.com.[8][9]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pause & Play | U.S. | Songs Inducted into a Time Capsule, One Album per Week | 2008 | * |
| The Recording Academy | U.S. | Grammy Hall of Fame Albums and Songs | 2007 | * |
| Dave Marsh | U.S. | The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made | 1989 | 433 |
| Bruce Pollock | U.S. | The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000 | 2005 | * |
(*) designates lists that are unordered.
References
- ^ a b Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 289. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ earthwindandfire.com/bio_awards
- ^ RIAA Certification for After the Love Has Gone
- ^ "Rock Music, etc., Terms". spider.georgetowncollege.edu. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- ^ Earth, Wind & Fire Shining Star LIVE Midnight Special 1975 on youtube.com
- ^ "Yours Truly overview". Allmusic.com.
- ^ "Rick Braun Yours Truly". SmoothViews.com.
- ^ Acclaimed Music - Shining Star
- ^ awards on earthwindandfire.com