Songfacts®:

• This dreamy evocation of euphoria is the second single from English singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding. Goulding learnt to play the guitar and write her own songs at the age of fifteen. After attending the University of Kent studying drama for a couple of years, she moved to West London for the purpose of developing her songs and music career. Goulding told the NME: "The acceptance of living in London and attaining peace of mind led to tracks like 'Starry Eyed,' because I could finally write something more fun."
• Goulding explained the meaning of the song to Digital Spy: "It's about letting go. As opposed to all the sad and depressing things I write about, I decided to write something about the joining together of people in some kind of euphoric state - be it at a festival, at a show or in a club. I wanted a song that would reach out to people of every background and every enjoyment, whether you enjoy a natural high, taking drugs, drinking or whatever. Because I'm essentially a pop artist I wanted to write a song that everyone can relate to."
• Goulding told Digital Spy about the inspiration for the video: "I wanted it to be quite simple and down-to-earth to keep focus on the song. I guess it's just me kind of feeling the vibes. I wanted to be able to have freedom, which I literally do when I float in the air."
• Goulding told Spinner about the song: "It's a mixture of things, little memories from my childhood, and it's [about] having intimacy with someone or sharing something like an experience and being in a euphoric state. 'Starry Eyed' is just everybody feeling the same thing, nothing else really matters. Everything goes out the window when you're in this state that I'd like to be in all the time. It's a feeling of euphoria, really."
• "Starry Eyed" found an unexpected second wind after TikTok creator @joebro909 floated the idea of January 1, 2026, as a collective "reset day," a chance to rewind the internet to the looser, more playful culture of 2016. The suggestion took off, with users posting compilation videos packed with throwback memes, fashion, and music from the era.
  
  The trend struck a chord with Gen Z users, many of whom were teenagers in 2016 and associate that period with formative moments of self-discovery. Even though "Starry Eyed" was released years earlier, it had remained part of the background soundtrack of those years, frequently resurfacing in playlists, Tumblr posts, and the indie-pop aesthetic that defined the mid-2010s.
  
  As the nostalgia wave gained momentum, "Starry Eyed" became shorthand for the early-2010s electropop sound that users were rediscovering through a 2016 filter. The renewed attention translated into real-world results when the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart dated January 15, 2026 at #51.