Northern Star (song)


"Northern Star" is a song by British singer-songwriter, Melanie C. It is the title track from her debut solo album of the same name and it was released as the second single in the winter of 1999. It was written by Melanie C and Rick Nowels. The song was produced by Marius De Vries and received positive reception from music critics. The single charted at number four on the UK Singles Chart, becoming her third top-five single. It reached the top 20 in Finland, Italy and Sweden. In the United Kingdom, the single sold over 200,000 copies.

Composition

"Northern Star" is a mid-tempo pop song with elements of electronica and ambient music. 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 101 beats per minute, with Chisholm's voice spanning from B5 to E3. The song has a basic sequence of Dm–Am–B–C as its chord progression.

Music video

The music video for "Northern Star" was shot in Brighton, England on 8–9 September 1999. It 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, 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 into 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

  1. "Northern Star" — 4:10
  2. "Follow Me" — 4:45
  1. "Northern Star" — 4:11
  2. "Follow Me" — 4:48
  3. "Northern Star" — 5:35
  4. "Northern Star" — 3:57
  1. "Northern Star" — 4:10
  2. "Something's Gonna Happen" — 3:59
  3. "Northern Star" — 2:51
  1. "Northern Star" — 4:10
  2. "Follow Me" — 4:47
  3. "Northern Star" — 5:34

    Live performances

Melanie C performed the song on the following concert tours:

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications