"Another Star"
French single cover
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Songs in the Key of Life[1]
B-side"Creepin'"
Released1977
GenreDisco
Length8:28 (album version), 5:17 (single edit)
LabelTamla
Songwriter(s)Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Sir Duke"
(1977)		 "Another Star"
(1977)		 "As"
(1977)

"Another Star" is a song written and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. It is the final track on side four of the double LP. The flute player Bobbi Humphrey appears in the last section of the song.

Released as a single in 1977, it reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 29 Easy Listening,[2] number 18 on the Black Singles chart, and number 2 on the Dance/Disco chart, also reaching number 51 in Canada and number 29 in the UK.

Background

Cash Box said that "a foot-tapping, Latin-influenced rhythm and an unforgettable 'La la la' chorus are but two of the hooks that will take this record to the upper reaches of the pop and R&B charts."[3] Record World said that "Wonder's venture into salsa also gives him a chance to stretch out vocally more than on past singles."[4]

In Rolling Stone's original review of the album, Vince Aletti wrote that the song "bursts with an aching, tender passion that’s turned loose in the dense, danceable Brazilian-flavored production."[5] Writing in Stylus Magazine, Mallory O'Donnell described it as "a joyous song about heartbreak."[6]

Personnel

Taken from album liner notes[7]

Chart performance

Chart (1977) Peak
position
Canada 51
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[10] 29
US Billboard Easy Listening 29
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 32
US Billboard National Disco Action Top 40[12] 2
US Billboard Hot Black Singles[13] 18

Cover versions

  • The song was covered by Kathy Sledge, who released the song as a single.[14] Sledge's version peaked at number fifty-four on the UK Singles chart in 1995.[15]
  • Brazilian singer Salomé de Bahia released a dance version of the song with Portuguese lyrics in 1999.

References

  1. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 261.
  3. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 27, 1977. p. 30. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  4. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 3, 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  5. ↑ Aletti, Vince (December 16, 1976). "Songs in the Key of Life". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  6. ↑ O'Donnell, Mallory (February 20, 2007). "Stevie Wonder - As / Another Star". Stylus. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  7. ↑ Songs in the Key of Life | Credits. AllMusic. Retrieved on October 27, 2019
  8. ↑ "Another Star by Stevie Wonder - Songfacts".
  9. ↑ "Another Star by Stevie Wonder - Songfacts".
  10. ↑ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  11. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 925.
  12. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 283.
  13. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 636.
  14. ↑ › album › another-star-mw0000892927 Kathy Sledge - Another Star. AllMusic. Retrieved on October 27, 2019
  15. ↑ Kathy Sledge | full Official Chart History. Official Chart Company. Retrieved on October 27, 2019
  16. ↑ "Smashed Hits: Another Star". BBC News. 2014-06-07. Retrieved 2016-10-12.


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