Shooting Star (Bad Company song)

The lyrics of "Shooting Star" tell the story of a boy named Johnny who first heard his first Beatles song, "Love Me Do”, and went on to become a rock star, but died after overdosing on whiskey and sleeping pills. The refrain summarizes the theme stating "Don't you know that you are a shooting star, and all the world will love you just as long as you are a shooting star." In a contemporary review, Messenger-Press critic Steve Wosahla suggested that this line is "typical of how we treat our stars today." ==Reception==

Rolling Stone critic Ed Naha called "Shooting Star" the "pièce de résistance" of Straight Shooter and "the highpoint of [Paul Rodgers'] writing career." Naha states that "Rodgers nearly assumes the role of the Harry Chapin of crotch rock as he casually recounts the chilling tale of a young rock star … from beginning to end" and that the "calculated effect of the song is made stronger by its low-keyed approach to melodrama." Stephen Thomas Erlewine described it as one of the two "big hits" from Straight Shooter (along with "Feel Like Makin' Love") and a "classic rock staple". Greenville News critic Donna Isbell Walker agreed that it is a "radio staple". Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw rated it as Bad Company's 3rd best song, saying that it "acts as a cautionary tale about what can happen when a big dreamer gets more success than he can handle." Classic Rock critic Malcolm Dome rated it as Bad Company's 4th best song, calling it "an epic tale of the rise and fall of a rock star." Classic Rock History critic Janey Roberts rated it as Bad Company's 5th best song. ==Legacy==

"Shooting Star" later appeared on several of Bad Company's compilation albums, including 10 from 6 in 1985, The Original Bad Company Anthology in 1999 and ''Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy: The Very Best of Bad Company in 2015. It also appeared on live albums such as What You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad Company in 1993, In Concert: Merchants of Cool in 2002, Live in Albuquerque 1976, released in 2006, Hard Rock Live in 2010, Live at Wembley in 2010 and Live in Concert 1977 & 1979'', released in 2016. Bad Company re-recorded the song for their 1996 album Stories Told & Untold with Robert Hart singing lead vocals in place of Rodgers and Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora playing guitar. The song was also featured in the soundtrack to the 1994 film Clerks. In 2009 Rodgers discussed the song saying: In 1999 Rodgers felt that the theme of "Shooting Star" about being a "rock burnout" remained relevant and also said that "To a large extent, everybody has their moments as a shooting star. Whether you sell a trillion records or not, you have to be true to yourself." ==References==