# Shooting Star (Poison song)

"Shooting Star" is a song by American rock band Poison. It is the third and final single released from Poison's 7th studio album Hollyweird, which debuted at No. 103 on the Billboard 200 and No. 8 on the Top Independent Albums chart after selling 11,574 copies its first week. The song was officially released as a single on November 5, 2002, in the United States, despite heavy promotion by the band and partnering with NASCAR driver Derrike Cope to race the Quest Motor Racing No. 37 Ford car wrapped with the Poison / Hollyweird paint scheme at the The Great American Getaway 400 (formerly the Pocono 500) race on July 28, and the Pepsi 400 presented by Farmer Jack at Michigan International Speedway August 16–18, 2002 and steady airplay on AOR Radio stations, the single failed to achieve significant success.
Physical copies of promotional CD singles for "Shooting Star" contained the song "Wasteland" as a b-side also from their new album, Hollyweird. As of 2025 Shooting Star is the band's most recent new single that was an original song and not a cover song.

## Background and release

Shooting Star was first revealed by the band on April 2, 2002, during the announcement and track list reveal of the band's upcoming seventh studio album Hollyweird which would be released independently on Cyanide Records, Poison's own record label on May 21, 2002.
In a August 2002 interview with Kara Marie of The Pure Rock Shop, when asked if a third single from Hollyweird would be released, drummer Rikki Rockett acknowledged Shooting Star was receiving some radio airplay and was in test phase at the moment but did not confirm at that time that it would be released as the follow-up single to Squeeze Box.
On November 5, 2003 Shooting Star was released as the third and final single from Hollyweird. Despite heavy rotation on AOR stations "Shooting Star" did not chart on major music charts such as the Billboard Hot 100 or the Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and it did not achieve significant commercial success or widespread recognition outside of the positive reactions fans gave to the song when performed live at select shows for their Hollyweird World tour.

## Content

Often regarded as "Fallen Angel Pt. 2", "Shooting Star" continues the narrative of a young woman who left home to chase her dreams of finding success and fame in a big city. While "Fallen Angel" focuses on the disillusionment and downfall that comes with being overwhelmed, misled by the glamour of fame, "Shooting Star" presents a more determined and unwavering perspective. Instead of dwelling on loss and regret, the protagonist remains steadfast, embracing the struggle and doing whatever it takes to achieve success, reflecting a more resilient take on the pursuit of stardom.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Discogs | |
| AllMusic | |
| RYM | |
| PopRockBands | |
| Sputnik Music | |
In a review by Predro B. of Sputnik Music stated that Shooting Star "offers little new for long-time fans", and tracks like "Shooting Star" and others from "Hollyweird" hold their own against the band's classic hits, describing the song being seen as a testament to Poison's ability to produce quality music even in their later years.
Cultural commentary journalist Matty Wishnow from Past Prime criticized the song, saying "Shooting Star and Wishful Thinking are back to back sequels to Fallen Angel that do nothing to update the idea or the song." in a article published online on April 21, 2021. Commenting further on his scathing review, Wishnow continued on by stating the songs "Shooting Star", "Wishful Thinking" and "Devil Woman" from Hollyweird all "try to channel both The Rolling Stones and AC/DC in its dark, bluesy misogyny. Unfortunately, Poison isn't even a fraction of those bands on their best day". Wishnow ended his review by pointing out that the songs lyrics, instrumentals, and overall production is "distasteful and lacks any of the melody or humor required to even marginally redeem it. In the end, all we are left with is harmonica, plodding rhythm guitar and a lot of bile."
Billboard magazine journalist Gary Graff ranked "Shooting Star" as the 6th best Poison song of all time in a article on March 28, 2023. Graff commented on the song describing it as: "A sequel of sorts to 1988's "Fallen Angel," this chugging rocker from Hollyweird has a thicker, heavier tone than much of the band's previous material with an opening riff that straddles '80s glam and '90s alt-rock. This time, Angel is fist-pumping throughout a compact, tightly executed track."

## Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes of Hollyweird.
* Bret Michaels - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
* C.C. DeVille - lead guitar, backing vocals
* Bobby Dall - bass guitar, backing vocals
* Rikki Rockett - drums, backing vocals

## Commercial performance

Despite the song's album debuting with strong sales in its first week with 11,574 sales as an independent release without a major record label promoting the album, peaking at #103 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 8 on the Independent Albums chart, when released as the third and final single from the album on November 5, 2002, Shooting Star did not chart on any major music charts and failed to gain traction on major radio stations with the exception of some airplay on AOR radio stations.
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
| US Billboard Top Rock Songs | -- |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart ||

## Release history

"Shooting Star" is on the following albums:
| Release | Date |
| Hollyweird | May 21, 2002 (2002-5-21) |
| Shooting Star CD single | November 5, 2002 (2002-11-5) |
| The Best Of Poison: 20 Years Of Rock | April 3, 2006 (2006-4-3) |
| Nothin' But a Good Time: The Poison Collection | November 9, 2010 (2010-11-9) |