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"When the Stars Go Blue" is a popular alternative country song composed and originally recorded by solo artist and former Whiskeytown band member Ryan Adams. It was first released on his album Gold on September 25, 2001, and has been described as the "most gorgeous ballad" on that album.[1] "When the Stars Go Blue" has been covered by many artists, including Irish band the Corrs (featuring Bono of U2), country music singer Tim McGraw, and Norwegian artists Venke Knutson and Kurt Nilsen as a duo.
| "When the Stars Go Blue" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Ryan Adams | |
| from the album Gold | |
| Released | September 25, 2001 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:31 |
| Label | Lost Highway |
| Songwriter(s) | Ryan Adams |
| Producer(s) | Ethan Johns |
Personnel
edit- Ryan Adams - vocals, acoustic guitar
- Richard Causon - piano
- Ethan Johns - 12 string guitar, harmonium, electric piano, mandocello, Chamberlain strings, drums
- Julianna Raye - background vocals
The Corrs version
edit| "When the Stars Go Blue" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Corrs featuring Bono | ||||
| from the album VH1 Presents: The Corrs, Live in Dublin | ||||
| Released | April 15, 2002 | |||
| Length | 4:19 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Ryan Adams | |||
| Producer(s) | Mitchell Froom | |||
| The Corrs singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Irish band the Corrs recorded the song on their album VH1 Presents: The Corrs, Live in Dublin, featuring U2's Bono. The cover was released on April 15, 2002, in the United States, reaching number 11 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart and number 18 on the Adult Top 40. The song was remixed for their album Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection in 2006.
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Spanish Airplay (PROMUSICAE)[2] | 1 |
| US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[3] | 11 |
| US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[4] | 18 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[5] | 46 |
| US Triple-A (Billboard)[6] | 30 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | April 15, 2002 | Triple A radio | [7] | |
| July 29, 2002 | Contemporary hit radio | [8] |
Tim McGraw version
edit| "When the Stars Go Blue" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Tim McGraw | ||||
| from the album Reflected: Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | ||||
| Released | March 6, 2006 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Curb | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ryan Adams | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Tim McGraw singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "When the Stars Go Blue" on YouTube | ||||
In 2006, the song was released by Tim McGraw as the first single from his compilation album Tim McGraw Reflected: Greatest Hits Vol. 2. Heribert Severing, creator and writer of severing.nu, included McGraw's version of "When the Stars Go Blue" on his list of the top Country singles of 2006.[9]
Chart performance
edit"When the Stars Go Blue" debuted at number 35 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of March 18, 2006.
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country (Radio & Records)[10] | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[11] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 37 |
| US Billboard Pop 100 | 50 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[13] | 12 |
| US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[14] | 35 |
| Year-end chart (2006) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[15] | 20 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[16] | 20 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Venke Knutson and Kurt Nilsen version
edit| "When the Stars Go Blue" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Venke Knutson and Kurt Nilsen | ||||
| from the album Places I Have Been | ||||
| Released | February 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Universal | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ryan Adams | |||
| Venke Knutson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Kurt Nilsen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "When the Stars Go Blue" on YouTube | ||||
Norwegian singers Venke Knutson and World Idol Kurt Nilsen recorded a duet that appears in Venke Knutson's album 2005 Places I Have Been. The song was released as a single in Norway in February 2006, reaching number 14 on the Norwegian Singles Chart.[18]
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norway (VG-lista)[19] | 14 |
Other versions
editIrish/British girlband Wonderland performed the track for their debut performance on television in Ireland. The recorded studio version was included the band's debut album Wonderland.[citation needed]
It was also featured in One Tree Hill as a hit song by fictional characters Haley James Scott and Chris Keller (real life singers Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hilton) and features on the One Tree Hill Soundtrack.[20]
The song was performed by Blake Lewis on American Idol Season 6, originally airing on April 17, 2007.[21] His cover of the song made it to #92 of the pop charts in 2007.[22]
On July 16, 2006, Phil Lesh covered the song in the first set of a show at Charter One Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.[citation needed] The show was made available for purchase via compact disc by Phil Lesh and Friends.[citation needed] On April 5, 2014, Lesh covered the song in the first set of a show at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.[citation needed]
In popular culture
editThe song inspired a novel of the same name.
References
edit- ^ Orshoski, Wes (September 2001). Ryan Adams Finds 'Gold' On Lost Highway. Billboard. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "The Corrs Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ "The Corrs Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ "Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 16.
- ^ "The 2002 Allstars: Most-Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 52.
- ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1448. April 12, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1463. July 26, 2002. p. 29. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ Severing, Heribert. "The Greatest Country Single Hits of them all: The Year is 2006". Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Canada Country Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. May 19, 2006. p. 43. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 2006: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ "American single certifications – Tim McGraw – When the Stars Go Blue". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ aCharts.us: Venke Knutson and Kurt Nilsen's "When the Stars Go Blue" page
- ^ "Venke Knutson and Kurt Nilsen – When the Stars Go Blue". VG-lista.
- ^ "One Tree Hill Music". Official Soundtracks.
- ^ Lamb, Bill. "When the Stars Go Blue". American Idol Season 6 - The Songs. About.com - The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ Lamb, Bill. "American Idols on the Charts - A Complete Record". About.com - The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.