Earlier this week, I heard Bad Company’s “Shooting Star” on the radio. It’s such a great song! It has great lyrics, great music, and a powerful message.
When I was a kid and would hear it on the radio, I knew two things: I knew the words to chorus and that it was about someone named Johnny.
When I got older, I actually listened to the lyrics and was saddened to realize that the song was about a boy with a passion for music who believed he would make it big, and he did, but the lifestyle that came with being rich and famous led to his death.
Songwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Bernard Rodgers
Shooting Star lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc
Lyrics:
Johnny was a schoolboy
When he heard his first Beatles song
‘Love Me Do’ I think it was
And from there it didn’t take him longGot himself a guitar
Used to play every night
Now he’s in a rock and roll outfit
And everything’s all rightDon’t ya knowJohnny told his mama
Hey, Mama, I’m going away
I’m gonna hit the big time
Gonna be a big star somedayMomma came to the door
With a teardrop in her eye
Johnny said “Don’t cry Momma,
Smile and wave goodbye.”Don’t you knowDon’t you know
That you are a shooting star, (don’t you know, don’t you know)
Don’t you know that you are
A shooting star
And all the world will love you
Just as long, as long as you are?
Johnny made a record
Went straight up to number one
Suddenly everyone loved to hear him sing his songWatching the world go by
Surprising it goes so fast
Johnny looked around him
And said “Well I made the big time at last.”
Don’t you knowDon’t you know
That you are a shooting star, (don’t you know, don’t you know)
Don’t you know that you are
A shooting star
And all the world will love you
Just as long, as long as you are?A shooting starDon’t you know
That you are a shooting star, (don’t you know, don’t you know)Don’t you know that you are
A shooting star
And all the world will love you
Just as long, as long as you are?Johnny died one night
Died in his bed
Bottle of whiskey, sleeping tablets
By his headJohnny’s life passed him
By like a warm summer day
If you listen to the wind
You can still hear him playDon’t you know
That you are a shooting star, (don’t you know, don’t you know)
Don’t you know that you are
A shooting star
And all the world will love you
Just as long, as long as you are?
Many musicians strive to make it big, but are the sacrifices they make to get there and continue to make once they have gotten there truly worth it?
Allison Merten 