Starlight (Ashton Stone Single)

***Starlight*** is the debut single from American singer Ashton Stone. It was released on May 5, 2008, through A1 Records, as his lead single for his debut studio album of the same name, *Starlight* (2008). He co-wrote the song with his producer Cirkut, it was recorded in London, England, at Abbey Road Studios in early 2008. The song was written in an hour as a "upbeat fun dance song". Lyrically the song expresses the joys of youth.

Starlight was generally well received by critics, complimenting its catchy chorus and lyricism, and its dance influences. The single was a sleeper hit up its release in the US, before eventually climbing the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the number one position by late July. Outside the US the single charted in the top ten in Canada, peaking at number nine.

The music video was directed by Anthony Mandler, The video shows Stone dancing and singing the song in a desert during a rave. Critics gave positive reviews on the video, complimenting the video's production quality and Stone's presence.

Stone performed the song on the Starlight Tour, Potential World Tour, Everyday Life Tour's as well as numerous television and media appearances.

## Background and Composition

Starlight was written by Ashton Stone and Cirkut. They began writing the song in early 2008, after Stone had become inspired by a weekend trip to the Brighton with people he befriended while in London, recording his album. The lyrics revolve around enjoying youth, and has references to the city and the Brighton Palace Pier. Stone stating: "It was probably the most fun song I recorded up to that point, It is still one of my favorite songs I've ever written." Musically Starlight is an up-tempo dance-pop track, with elements of power-pop and electropop. Driven by synthesizers and punchy percussion, accompanied by guitar.

## Release and Promotion

The single was released as a digital download in various countries on May 5, 2008, by A1 Records. initially the single failed to debut on the US Hot 100, but fared better in Canada, where it reached the top 10, peaking at number nine on the Canadian Hot 100. Internationally the single received some airplay in Europe, charting in various countries.

Stone utilized the internet to promote Starlight, interacting with fans on social media websites such as Myspace and Facebook. A week before the singles official release he created a web-series called "Ashton Adventures" which he he posted weekly videos to Youtube to help promote the single, and keep fans updated. He also began a extensive radio promotional tour, visiting radio stations across the US, and would perform acoustic renditions of Starlight. Stone made his US television debut, by appearing on *The Colbert Report* on July 24, 2008, and go on to appear on numerous talk shows, and interviews with publications.

## Critical Reception

Evan Rogers of *AllMusic* described the song as "a charming and uplifting song that reminisces on the wonderment of youth, that can be enjoyed at any age." Sam Black of *Vulture* called the song "a very great introduction to a young new artist, the song could get lost among all rest new releases if not for its perceptive lyrics, that vividly depict detailed yet relatable storytelling." Retrospectively, critics have remained favorable towards the imagery and passion of the lyrics. Claire Byrne of *Clash Magazin*e ranked the song as her 25th best song (out of 173 ranked in total). Julia Barker of *Rolling Stone* Named the song as one the best summer hit singles of 2008.

## Commercial Performance

In the United States, the single entered the US Hot 100 chart on June 10, 2008 at number 60, five weeks after its initial release in early May. The single quickly rose up the chart, as airplay for the single began to gain traction. On July 10, 2008, Starlight reached the top spot of the US Hot 100, spending seven weeks in the top ten, and a total of 41 weeks on the chart. In Canada the Single saw more instant success, debuting at number 45 on the Canadian Hot 100, before reaching a peak of number nine, before falling as Canadian mainstream top 40 airplay didn't take to the single. In Europe the single received decent airplay in a few countries, managing to enter the top 40 in Austria, Italy and Sweden.

## Music Video

The Music Video for Starlight was directed by Anthony Mandler, shot in the Mojave desert, and is based on the thematic content of the song being about joy of youth, and it's dance-pop production. The video begins with Ashton walking in a desert holding a guitar case, which he puts down and takes out a his guitar, which he begins to play. Then more and more people slowly begin to arrive and form a rave in the desert. And scenes of the party are intercut with scenes of choreographed dances, with the ending scene as a close up shot to Stone, then panning back out, revealing stone standing alone in the desert as he picks up his guitar case and continues walking. During an interview with Z100 FM, Stone explained "I really wanted my first music video to be something memorable, but most of all just really wanted it to be fun to watch, and show off what I can do."

## Track listings

**US/Canadian CD single**

1. "Starlight" - 3:39
2. "Starlight (Instrumental Version)" - 3:39
3. "Starlight (Diplo Remix)" - 6:12
4. "Starlight" (Trevor Simpson Remix) – 7:20

**European CD single**

1. "Starlight" - 3:39
2. "Starlight (Diplo Remix)" - 6:12
3. "Starlight (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)" - 4:03

**Remixes EP**

1. "Starlight" - 3:39
2. "Starlight (Diplo Remix)" - 6:12
3. "Starlight" (Trevor Simpson Remix) – 7:20
4. "Starlight (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)" - 4:03
5. "Starlight (Richard Vission Remix) - 5:01

## Credits and Personnel

* Ashton Stone - Lead vocals, songwriting, background vocals, guitar, production
* Cirkut - songwriting, production, instrumentation, music programming, engineering
* Noah Fulton - mixing, mastering
* Arthur Collins - mastering, engineering