“Shining Star”
“Shining Star”
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song
Philip Bailey
“Shining Star”
Written by Maurice White, Philip Bailey and Larry Dunn
Recorded by Earth Wind & Fire
We actually wrote “Shining Star” up at Caribou Ranch in Colorado when we were doing the “Way of the World” album. There was a lot of paranormal stuff going on there — like ghosts! We were told before we got there that they’d been there for a very long time, since the cabins were over 100 years old. I was not one to actually believe in those kinds of things but I remember seeing something in the middle of the night, being startled by it, and the image wouldn’t leave. Finally I shooed it away and it went through the wall. I know it sounds crazy, but it happened.
In concert with that, we were writing “Shining Star” in Maurice White’s cabin. Maurice was upstairs and I was downstairs. I was singing, ooh, aah, shouting, “I have the second verse!” He was simultaneously walking downstairs saying that he had it. As he got down the stairs, without having discussed the song at all, simultaneously we sang the exact same lyric. And neither of us had even written them down yet! We always remind each other of that. We wrote the lyrics in one session that morning.
We wrote this song to inspire ourselves and, therefore, everybody else as well. We were early in our success but we were very encouraged by the whole idea that our frame of mind had everything to do with how we felt about ourselves. Value is a perceived thing — it doesn’t matter what your financial worth is. Everyone is a shining star no matter who they are.
It was a very spiritual recording session up there. Unusual things like that happened a lot that inspired us. It happened when Maurice and I wrote “Devotion” as well.
Through devotion, blessed are the children
Praise the teacher, that brings true love to many.
Your devotion, opens all life’s treasures
And deliverance, from the fruits of evil.
So our mission, to bring a melody
Ringin’ voices sing sweet harmony.
“Shining Star”
Yeah, hey
When you wish upon a star
Dreams will take you very far, yeah,
When you wish upon a dream
Life ain’t always what it seems, oh yeah,
Once you see your light so clear
In the sky so very dear.
You’re a shining star, no matter who you are
Shining bright to see what you can truly be,
That you can truly be
Shine its watchful light on you, yeah
Gives you strength to carry on
Make your body big and strong
Future roads for you to pass
Love to watch your mug past.
The shining star, lucky you
The sinful redeeming shall be true
On an adventure of the sun, yeah
Yeah it’s all awake and just begun
Yeah, thought I had to stir the mood
That’s it now I got my own, oh yeah.
So if you find yourself in need,
Why don’t you listen to his words of heat?
Be a child free of sin
Be some place, yes I can
Words of wisdom: yes I can
You’re a shining star, no matter who you are
Shining bright to see what you can truly be.
You’re a shining star, no matter who you are
Shining bright to see what you can truly be.
Shining star for you to see, what your life can truly be
Shining star for you to see, what your life can truly be
Shining star for you to see, what your life can truly be
Words and Music by Maurice White, Philip Bailey and Larry Dunn. © 1975 (Renewed 2003) EMI APRIL MUSIC INC. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. Used by Permission.
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Title: Reprinted by permission of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC © 2009. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved.