ROLLING STONES - STAR STAR 

Estrenada: desembre de 1973

Àlbum: Goats Head Soup

"Star Star," originalment titulada "Starfucker", és una cançó dels Rolling Stones, escrita per Mick Jagger i Keith Richards. Tot i no ser llançada com a single arreu, es va publicar com a senzill en alguns països juntament amb "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" com a cara B, provinent de l'àlbum "Goats Head Soup" (1973). El canvi de títol de "Starfucker" a "Star Star" es va produir després que Ahmet Ertegün d'Atlantic Records insistís en la modificació.

"Star Star" aborda el tema de les groupies, reflectint les experiències personals de Mick Jagger en l'estil de vida del rock and roll. Tot i que alguns compositors s'inspiren en experiències personals, la representació de les dones com a groupies va causar indignació entre grups feministes. Malgrat la controvèrsia, Mick Jagger es va negar a disculpar-se, mantenint que simplement estava reflectint el que observava en la indústria de la música. Aquesta posició subratlla la tensió entre l'expressió artística i la responsabilitat social, un tema recurrent en les discussions sobre lletres de cançons provocatives.

La lletra "She'll get John Wayne before he dies" (es va fer John Wayne abans que morís) va suposar un repte ja que John Wayne va refusar el permís per utilitzar el seu nom. Per evitar aquest problema, l'enginyer Andy Johns va afegir ressò a la lletra i va convèncer la discogràfica que era inidentificable, tot i que no ho era. Quan "Goats Head Soup" es va llançar en CD, la lletra original no va ser distorsionada. En contrast, Steve McQueen va trobar, segons informes, divertida la referència a ell a la cançó. A més, la frase “keeping her pussy clean” (mantenir el seu cony net) van ser distorsionada en el llançament original però posteriorment van ser restaurada en edicions posteriors, només als Estats Units; a Europa no es va modificar mai.

El moment del llançament de "Star Star" és especial, ja que es va produir aproximadament nou mesos després de l'aventura de Carly Simon amb Mick Jagger i el llançament de la seva cançó "You're So Vain", en què Jagger proporcionava veus de fons. Simon, que estava casada amb James Taylor en aquell moment, s'havia traslladat a Hollywood, un detall esmentat a la lletra de la cançó dels Stones. A més, la frase "Yeah, you and me we made a pretty pair" (si, tu i jo fem una bonica parella) de "Star Star" va rebre resposta al vers "well you said that we made such a pretty pair" (vas dir que fèiem una bonica parella) de "You're So Vain." Tot i aquestes connexions, els membres dels Rolling Stones s’han referit a la cançó pel seu títol original, "Starfucker."

Durant una actuació en directe al Twickenham Stadium el 2003, Mick Jagger va modificar la lletra canviant la frase "Ali MacGraw got mad with you for giving head to Steve McQueen" a "Billy Bob Thornton got mad with me for giving head to Angelina."

ROLLING STONES - STAR STAR 

Released: December 1973

Album: Goats Head Soup

"Star Star," originally titled "Starfucker," is a song by The Rolling Stones, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Although not widely released as a single, it was issued as a single in a few select countries alongside "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" as its B-side, from the album "Goats Head Soup" (1973). The title change from "Starfucker" to "Star Star" occurred after Ahmet Ertegün of Atlantic Records insisted on the alteration.

"Star Star," delves into the topic of groupies, reflecting Mick Jagger's firsthand experiences in the rock and roll lifestyle. While some songwriters draw inspiration from personal experiences, the song's portrayal of women as groupies sparked outrage among feminist groups. Despite the controversy, Mick Jagger refused to apologize, maintaining that he was merely depicting what he observed in the music industry. This stance underscores the tension between artistic expression and social responsibility, a recurring theme in discussions surrounding provocative song lyrics.

The lyric "She'll get John Wayne before he dies" posed a challenge as John Wayne refused permission to use his name. To circumvent this issue, engineer Andy Johns added echo to the lyric and convinced the record company that it was unrecognizable, although it wasn't. When "Goats Head Soup" was released on CD, the original lyric was not distorted. In contrast, Steve McQueen reportedly found the reference to him in the song amusing. Additionally, references to 'keeping her pussy clean' were distorted in the original release but subsequently restored in later issues, albeit only in the US; in Europe, they remained unchanged.

The timing of the release of "Star Star" is notable, as it occurred about nine months after Carly Simon's affair with Mick Jagger and the release of her song "You're So Vain," on which Jagger provided background vocals. Simon, who was married to James Taylor at the time, had relocated to Hollywood, a detail mentioned in the Stones song lyrics. Moreover, the lyric "Yeah, you and me we made a pretty pair" from "Star Star" mirrors the verse "well you said that we made such a pretty pair" from "You're So Vain." Despite these connections, the Rolling Stones members have consistently referred to the song by its original title, "Starfucker."

During a 2003 live performance at Twickenham Stadium, Mick Jagger altered the lyrics of "Star Star" from "Ali MacGraw got mad with you for giving head to Steve McQueen" to "Billy Bob Thornton got mad with me for giving head to Angeline."