Star Collector

The Monkees

About Star Collector

"Star Collector" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King in 1967 and recorded by The Monkees (with lead vocals by Davy Jones). The song is included on their fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. It was also featured in five second-season episodes of their television series: "The Wild Monkees", "Hitting the High Seas", "Monkees Watch Their Feet", "Monkees in Paris" and "Monkees Mind Their Manor". "The Wild Monkees" uses an early mix of the song (without Moog synthesizer) while the other episodes use the released mix. The song is about the phenomenon of groupies, and takes a dismissive attitude toward them ("Think I'll let her keep on going, wherever it is she's going to / Give her an autograph and tell her 'It's been nice knowing you' ... It won't take much time / Before I get her off my mind"). The Monkees's version of the song was one of the first pop records to include a Moog synthesizer, played and programmed by synthesist Paul Beaver. Peter Tork didn't think much of Beaver's performance, and told Rhino Records later "He played it like it was a flute or something," preferring Micky Dolenz's more random use of the Moog on "Daily Nightly" (which also appeared on Pisces) to produce spacey sounds. 


Year:
1991
43 
#1

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Take a letter, keep on going
Where ever it is, she's goin', too.
Give her my autograph and tell her
It's been nice knowin' you.

[Chorus]
She's a star collector (collector of stars)
She only seems to please young celebrities.
She's a star collector (collector of stars)
How can I love her, when I just don't respect her?

When everything is goin' my way,
She wants to be close at hand.
She moves to some other doorway
When things don't go the way she planned.

[Chorus]

It won't take much time before I get her off my mind

[Chorus: x2]

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The Monkees

The Monkees are an American pop band that released music under their original incarnation between 1966 and 1970, with subsequent reunion albums and tours in the decades that followed. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1965 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966–1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, and Englishman Davy Jones. The band's music was initially supervised by producer Don Kirshner. more »

5 fans

Written by: CAROLE KING, GERRY GOFFIN

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


12 facts about this song

Release
"Star Collector" was released in November 1967 as part of the Monkees' fourth studio album titled "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd."
Songwriters
The song was written by the famous songwriting duo of Gerry Goffin and Carole King who had numerous hits in the 1960s.
Theme
The song is about a girl/woman who was taken in by fame and would do anything to be close to celebrities, hence the term "star collector", although some consider it as one of the first pop songs to potentially reference groupies.
Technique
"Star Collector" uses a Moog synthesizer for its psychedelic sound, being one of the early adopters of the device in popular music.
Length
This song is one of the longest tracks recorded by The Monkees, running at four minutes and twenty-five seconds.
Music Video
The song's music video is significant because it was one of the few to feature the Monkees playing instruments and not simply miming to the track.
Commercial performance
Despite being a fan favourite, "Star Collector" was never released as a single and hence, didn't chart. However, the album it was featured on, did reach No.1 on the Billboard 200.
Cover Versions
Australian rock band, The Church, covered "Star Collector" as part of their A Box of Birds album in 1999.
Alternate Versions
There are alternate versions of "Star Collector" available, including a shorter mono mix version that is over a minute shorter than the official stereo version.
Critics
Many critics have pointed out that “Star Collector” moves the Monkees closer to the Rolling Stones or the Beatles with its mature and darker tones, which signify their move away from the more fresh-faced pop of their earlier work.
Indirect message
The lyrics to "Star Collector" reflected growing disenchantment with the commercial side of the music industry, indirectly pointing out the pitfalls of fame and celebrity culture.
Vocals
Lead vocals on "Star Collector" was done by Davy Jones, showing his ability to handle more rock-oriented material.

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