To The Stars

Album: Red Light, Green Light (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Although Vonda Shepard wrote and recorded her Red Light, Green Light album - produced by her husband, Mitchell Froom - during the COVID-19 pandemic, she told Songfacts that this track is her only "pandemic song." She explained:

    "When I wrote the first line, 'Breathe the air I forgot was there,' I knew I was on to something. The song is about how we are literally trapped in our houses, but the chorus has these uplifting lyrics:

    To the stars, we will fly
    To heaven and Mars, not so far


    Originally I had the line, 'in our minds,' but I decided that people could figure that out. The end of the song has Mitchell's absolutely enchanting keyboards solo-ed, so you can really hear the magic he's creating. That is one of my favorite parts of the album. It's made for dreamers... and astrophysicists."
  • Shepard explained how the pandemic influenced the making of the album. "It took a massive amount of discipline to go through this process," she said, "but the isolation actually lent itself to going deep into the writing."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Desmond Child

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.