"Kelly Watch the Stars" (also written "Kelly, Watch the Stars!") is a song by French electronic music duo Air from their debut studio album, Moon Safari (1998). It was released on 4 May 1998 as the album's second single.
| "Kelly Watch the Stars" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Air | ||||
| from the album Moon Safari | ||||
| B-side | "Remember" | |||
| Released | 4 May 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:44 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Air singles chronology | ||||
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Background
edit"Kelly Watch the Stars" was inspired by the Charlie's Angels character Kelly Garrett, played by Jaclyn Smith. "It's a silly song. But you need silly songs to make good records," explained Nicolas Godin in 2019. "It's about Jaclyn Smith, Kelly from Charlie's Angels. Me and JB are really in love with her. It was our first sexual shock when we were kids. I remember talking about who we thought was the most beautiful woman in the world. For me, it was Kelly, so we wrote 'Kelly Watch the Stars' about her."[3]
The only lyrics in the song are the title. As Jean-Benoît Dunckel explained: "Unlike American or British bands, we weren't always thinking “verse-chorus”. And singing in English made us sound even more French, because of our thick accents."[4]
Critical reception
editThe song was well-received by music critics. AllMusic called the song "accessible pop."[1] Drum 'n' Bass: The Rough Guide described the song as "retro-electronics".[2] The song was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[5]
Chart performance
editThe song was commercially successful in the United Kingdom, entering the UK Singles Chart at number 18 on the chart dated 16 May 1998 and spending a total of three weeks in the top 50.[6] The song remains Air's second highest-peaking single in the UK.[6]
Music video
editThe music video, directed by Mike Mills,[7] drew attention due to its surreal concept.[5] It depicts a girl named Kelly playing table tennis. She is knocked unconscious and floats into the night sky, but eventually regains consciousness, continues playing, and wins the match.[8] Meanwhile, the members of Air seem to be simulating her game while playing Pong on a TV.
Keeping with the Charlie's Angels theme, the names on the scorecards are 'Kelly' (Kelly Garrett) and 'Smith' (Jaclyn Smith, who played Kelly on the show).
Live performances and media usage
editThe group performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2016, to promote the release of their retrospective collection Twentyears.[9][10]
A remix of the song was featured on the soundtrack for the 1999 film Splendor.[11] The song was also featured on the 2012 electronica retrospective collection "Electrospective".[12] The song was also featured in an episode of TV shows Daria and Back in Time for Dinner.[13]
Track listings
edit
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Charts
edit| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[20] | 77 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[21] | 12 |
| Scotland (OCC)[22] | 18 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 18 |
References
edit- ^ a b Bush, John. "Moon Safari – Air". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ a b Shapiro, Pete (1999). Drum 'n' Bass: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781858284330. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ "Single Stories: Air, KELLY WATCH THE STARS". Rhino.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (May 31, 2016). "How we made Air's Moon Safari". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Dimery, Robert (2016). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (5th ed.). Tristan de Lancey. ISBN 978-1-84403-392-8.
- ^ a b c "Air: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "Kelly Watch the Stars (1998)". IMVDb. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ "Official Music Video". YouTube. Astralwerks. 3 April 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ Pearce, Sheldon; Minsker, Evan (28 September 2016). "Watch Air Perform "Kelly Watch the Stars," Action Bronson Talk Stealing TVs on "Kimmel"". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ Kaye, Ben (28 September 2016). "Air performs "Kelly Watch the Stars", Action Bronson talks food on Kimmel — watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ Birchmeier, Jason. ""Splendor" Overview". AllMusic. RhtyhmOne. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. ""Electrospective" Track Listing and Overview". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ "Air at IMDb". IMDb. amazon.com. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ "Kelly Watch the Stars" (French CD single). Air. Source/Virgin Records. 1998. 7243 8 95071 2 6.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Kelly Watch the Stars" (French CD maxi single). Air. Source. 1998. 7243 8 95072 2 5.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Kelly Watch the Stars" (Australian CD single). Air. Source/Virgin Records. 1998. 7243 8 95072 2 5.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Kelly Watch the Stars" (French 7-inch single). Air. Source. 1998. 7243 8 95071 7 1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Kelly Watch the Stars" (French 12-inch single). Air. Source. 1998. 7243 8 95072 6 3.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Kelly Watch the Stars" (UK cassette single). Air. Source. 1998. VSC1690.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Air – Kelly Watch the Stars" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2019.