Stranger Into Starman

Album: @#%&*! Smilers (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Sun newspaper June 19, 2008 asked Aimee Mann if this song is about the cult of celebrity. She replied: "It's more about the general idea of elevating people in your estimation that don't deserve it, based on how they appear rather than how they are. You could call it narcissism."
  • "Stranger Into Starman" incorporates Mann's signature stripped down style of songwriting, with a recurring piano theme. Her songs are deceptively simple; the melody changes only slightly, yet has a great emotional build.
  • This was the third album in a row in which Mann hired a graphic artist to devise the album's artwork. She explained to the Independent newspaper June 20, 2008: "My father was in advertising and I love great examples of it. I'm fascinated by propaganda, the whole psychological enterprise. He used to have these books, which I've inherited, Graphis annuals, which had all the best design, posters, book sleeves and anything else."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music Scene

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.

Eric Burdon

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.