Songfacts®:

• "Starpower" drifts through Sonic Youth's third album, Evol, like a half-remembered dream wrapped in feedback, shimmer, and the sort of hypnotic repetition that makes three minutes feel like an afternoon. Written by all four members of Sonic Youth, the song is generally interpreted about being utterly captivated by another person. Guitarist Thurston Moore's lyrics scatter images of angel wings, ripped blue jeans, and blazing nights, portraying a lover whose power over the singer is likened to the inexplicable pull of celebrity or stardom.
• Bassist Kim Gordon is the lead singer on the studio version, lending the song an air of cool detachment that contrasts with its underlying obsession. When Sonic Youth perform "Starpower" live, the vocal duties almost always fell to Moore instead.
• "Starpower" appears as the third track on Side 1 of Evol, the band's first album with drummer Steve Shelley. His more melodic, song-oriented approach helped steer Sonic Youth away from the abrasive no wave sound of their early recordings toward something that occasionally resembled pop music.
• The album's title originated with artist Tony Oursler, a longtime friend and collaborator of the band. Oursler had already used Evol as the title of one of his multimedia projects when Sonic Youth adopted it for the album. "I talked to Kim quite a bit about audio possibilities... and the next thing I knew, the album came out and they used the title," Oursler told Uncut magazine. "Everybody understands 'Love' backwards, but I also like the evolutionary aspect of it. It's a great honor to share that with Sonic Youth."
  
  Oursler maintained close creative ties with the group for decades, directing the video for "Tunic (Song For Karen)" and collaborating extensively with Kim Gordon.
• In 2009, Sonic Youth made a memorable appearance on the teen drama Gossip Girl, performing "Starpower" live in Season 3, Episode 5, "Rufus Getting Married." Gordon sang on the live version and also appeared in a small speaking role in the episode. Before the performance, Moore and guitarist Lee Ranaldo were shown tuning their guitars on camera.
  
  To coincide with the broadcast, the band released a new acoustic version of "Starpower."