Northern Star (song)

For other uses, see Northern Star (disambiguation).

"Northern Star"
Single by Melanie C
from the album Northern Star
B-side	"Follow Me"
Released	November 22, 1999 (1999-11-22)
Format	CD single: Worldwide
Recorded	London, England
Genre	Pop, electronica, pop rock
Length	4:08 (Single Version) 4:41 (Album Version) 5:31 (Full Version)
Label	Virgin
Writer(s)	Melanie Chisholm, Rick Nowels
Producer	Marius De Vries
Certification	Silver
Melanie C singles chronology
"Goin' Down" (1999) "Northern Star" (1999) "Never Be the Same Again" (2000)

Northern Star is a song written by British singer Melanie C and Rick Nowels. The song was produced by Marius De Vries. It is the title-track from her debut solo album and it was released as the second single in the winter of 1999. The single charted at number 4 in the United Kingdom, becoming her third top five single. It reached the top ten in Italy and Sweden too. In the UK the single sold 202,636 copies, becoming the 98th best selling single of 1999.

Composition

According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Corporation, "Northern Star" is composed in the key of A major, and is written in the time signature of common time. It is set in a moderate tempo of 104 beats per minute, with Chrisholm's voice spanning from B₅ to E♭₃. The song has a basic sequence of Dm–Am–B♯₇–Cm as its chord progression.^[1]

Music video

The Northern Star music video starts off looking into a starry sky at night gradually moving down, looking out to sea towards a large star, with Melanie walking down a rocky coast surrounded by a desert. She then walks in between two train tracks and as the chorus begins, the two trains drive at high speed in opposite directions, later there is a brief scene in a cave with miners. Then Melanie walks through a somewhat Arctic-like area which blends into an urban setting which instantly changes onto a sandy beach. During the instrumental she is seen walking through a forest and crossing over a river during daytime, later back in an urban building set. The video ends with her back on the coast at night.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Northern Star".

UK CD1 / Australian CD

1. "Northern Star" (Single Version) — 4:08
2. "Follow Me" — 4:47
3. "Northern Star" (Full Version) — 5:31
4. "Northern Star" (Music Video)

UK CD2

1. "Northern Star" (Single Version) — 4:08
2. "Northern Star" (Acoustic Version) — 2:53
3. "Something's Gonna Happen" — 3:59

UK Cassette

1. "Northern Star" (Single Version) — 4:08
2. "Follow Me" — 4:47
3. "Northern Star" (Full Version) — 5:31

Official Edits

• "Northern Star" (Album Version) - 4:41
• "Northern Star" (Single Version) - 4:08
• "Northern Star" (Acoustic Version) - 2:53
• "Northern Star" (Full Version) - 5:31

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak Position
Eurochart Hot 100[2]	31
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[3]	16
Germany (Media Control AG)[4]	50
Italy (FIMI)[5]	17
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[6]	7
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[7]	75
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[8]	4

References

1. ^ Chisholm, Melanie; Nowels, Rick (1999). "Digital Sheet Music – Melanie C – Northern Star". Musicnotes.com. Hal Leonard Corporation. 
2. ^ "Billboard: Eurochart Hot 100". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) 111 (51). 18 December 1999. ISSN 0006-2510. 
3. ^ "Finnishcharts.com – Melanie C – Northern Star". Suomen virallinen lista. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
4. ^ "Chartverfolgung – Single – Melanie C". Musicline.de. Media Control AG. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/MELANIE+C/single. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
5. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Melanie C – Northern Star". Top Digital Download. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
6. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Melanie C – Northern Star". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
7. ^ "Melanie C – Northern Star – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
8. ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 October 2011.