BAD COMPANY "Shooting Star"

by Annika

This song tells the story of a boy named Johnny and his rise to fame. In the beginning of the story, Johnny is still a young boy and has nearly his whole life ahead of him. He is eager to start learning the guitar, and dreams of becoming a musician some day. In the second verse, Johnny leaves home to pursue his career as a musician. At this point, he knows that he still has most of his life ahead of him. This is suggested when he says that he will be a big star "someday," which means that he most likely doesn’t expect it to be in the near future. In the third verse, his career as a musician really takes off. However, in this verse, there is a bit of a contradiction, where the aspect of time is concerned. Johnny is surprised that his life is going by "so fast," but then he also says he has made the big time "at last," meaning that it seems to him as though it has taken him quite a while to get there. In the last verse, Johnny passes away, and the songwriter, Paul Rodgers, compares Johnny’s life to a "warm summer day". This probably means that like a summer day, it was nice and enjoyable while it lasted, but it went by too quickly and ended too soon. At the end of the last verse, it is said that if you "listen to the wind, you can still hear him play," meaning that Johnny left a lasting legacy.

Another interesting aspect of this song is the question as to whom the song is about. In an interview, the songwriter, Paul Rodgers, stated that the song is a warning to those in the music industry. He also referenced Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. "At that particular time you had Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin...just a catalog of people who didn't make it, who overdosed in their beds...that was the gem of this song. It's a story and it's almost a warning." – Paul Rodgers, Guitar World, April 1999. Another interesting comparison is the story of Johnny in "Shooting Star" to the story of musician Johnny Cash. Cash’s story is quite similar to that of the boy in the song. Although Cash wasn’t inspired by the Beatles like the boy in the song was, Cash started singing at a young age, and eventually left home to pursue his musical career. Similar to Johnny in the song, Cash’s first songs were quite successful, and Cash soon became a famous musician. At the time the song was written, Cash was very famous, but he was also known for doing a lot of drugs. It is possible that when Paul Rodgers wrote this song, he got inspiration for it from Johnny Cash’s story. He used it as warning to musicians about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. However, whether the song really does have a connection to Johnny Cash is unknown, as Paul Rodgers has never mentioned Cash. It may very well be a coincidence.

BAD COMPANY
"Shooting Star"

Johnny was a schoolboy when he heard his first Beatle song,
'Love me do,' I think it was. From there it didn't take him long.
Got himself a guitar, used to play every night,
Now he's in a rock 'n' roll outfit,

And everything's all right, don't you know?

Johnny told his mama, hey, 'Mama, I'm goin' away. I'm gonna hit the big
time, gonna be a big star someday', Yeah.                                                                                    
Mama came to the door with a teardrop in her eye.
Johnny said, 'Don't cry, mama, smile and wave good-bye'.

Don't you know, yeah yeah, Don'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 the song. Watching 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 know, don't you know, Don't you know that you are
a shooting star,
Don't you know, oh, yeah, Don't you know that you are
a shooting star, yeah,
And all the world will love you just as long,
As long as you are, a shooting star.

Don't you know that you are a shooting star, Don't you know, yeah,
Don't you know that you are a shooting star, now,
And all the world will love you just as long, As long you are.

Johnny died one night, died in his bed, Bottle of whiskey,
sleeping tablets by his head. Johnny's life passed him by like a
warm summer day, If you listen to the wind you can still hear him play

                       

Oh oh oh, Don't you know that you are a shooting star,
Don't you know, yeah, don't you know', Don't you know that
you are a shooting star,
Don't you know, yeah,
Don't you know that you are a shooting star,
Don't you, don't you,
don't you, don't you,
Don't you know, don't you
know, oh, yeah, you are,
Yeah, a shooting star, yeah, oh
oh oh oh oh......
Don't you, don't you know
that you are a shooting star,
Don't you don't you know......