Cabin Crew - Star To Fall

 

 

Date: 6th March 2005

Weeks at #1: 1 week

Official Chart Run: 4-6-14-20-26-35-43-52 (8 weeks)

 

 

"Star To Fall" was the only UK chart hit for Australian duo Cabin Crew, on the Ministry of Sound label. Initially, in 2004, the original version of the track sampled Boy Meets Girl's 1988 top 10 hit "Waiting For A Star To Fall" and was titled "Star2Fall" however there were issues with getting clearance from Sony BMG to use the sample. Boy Meets Girl liked the remix, however, and offered to re-record the vocals for the track essentially making it a cover, enabling the track to be released.

 

Sony BMG had tricks up their own sleeve though, hence the birth of Sunset Strippers version "Falling Stars" on their label, released a week later, peaking a place higher in the chart. It was a rare occurrence for two such similar tracks to be in the chart at the same time - although still today we find it happens, i.e. in 2016 John Gibbons version of "Would I Lie To You" vs. the David Guetta one, or Jonas Blue managing to have his version of "Fast Car" take off over its rival. Incidentally both are also "covers". There may be more about the Sunset Strippers version coming up!

 

"Star To Fall" joined dance's 80s revival of the time, and the video featured air hostesses dancing to the track - although if they were caught wearing their uniform in such a manner on duty I'm not so sure they'd still be in a job!

 

Ben Garden and Rob Kittler - aka Cabin Crew - did record other tracks, such as "Shine On 2004" which sampled John Lennon's "Instant Karma", "Finally In Calabria" - of which Alex Gaudino managed a sizeable hit with something similar later in the decade, and they released a further track in Australia in 2008 called "Can't Stop It". Furthermore they remixed a few Australian hits in the mid to late 00s by artists such as Ricki-Lee.

It's not too bad but the Sunset Strippers one is better imo, as it flows better I think.

It's not too bad but the Sunset Strippers one is better imo, as it flows better I think.

I prefer Sunset Strippers too - but odd how it would never have existed had Sony BMG not denied them the sample!

I never understood why you need permission to use a sample but don't need it to do a cover :)

Three other new tunes I didn't post already made the charts during the time of the two 'Waiting For A Star To Fall' remixes being in the top 5.

 

 

#38 - Remember this from the time - actually reminds me a bit of the Tobtok Fast Car cover with the relaxing deep house drop. I liked it at the time, but I did wonder why it was so chilled sounding compared to most of the 80s remixes and covers

 

 

#8 - Remember this too, but counted it more as pop rather than dance at the time, I thought it was quite a weird song, I did like it though.

 

 

#10 - Follow up to Lola's Theme, remember this a lot from the time and I liked it, even if I was confused as the 13 year old me at the time thought The Shapeshifters (because of their name) were created as part of campaign to encourage people to do more exercise and the lyrics unlike Lola's Theme didn't fit with this! Looking at it now it is very similar in style to some of Clean Bandit's songs this decade (especially Stronger and Tears) with the orchestral influence.

Edited March 17, 20178 yr by Вuzzjack

I did think Shapeshifters follow ups underperformed - "Back To Basics" is great and "Incredible" is even better.

 

I do enjoy "Oh My Gosh", and I remember a friend of mine was in with LnM Projekt and was working on a follow up with them that never materialised :lol: I think they were going to go for Eurovision for a random country...

I did like 'Star To Fall' but always found something lacking in it that the Sunset Strippers version had, although they are essentially the same song.

 

Helped of course that the SS version got more exposure and was featured on the NOW compilation at the time whilst Cabin Crew were left off.

 

It is quite ridiculous that Sony essentially made their own version of the remix in order to make more money from it though instead of just allowing the sample. Seems unfair that the opportunistic version got more successful than the 'original' but that's the way it is I guess, but I can't complain too much as like i said the SS version was better. :kink:

I did think Shapeshifters follow ups underperformed - "Back To Basics" is great and "Incredible" is even better.

 

I do enjoy "Oh My Gosh", and I remember a friend of mine was in with LnM Projekt and was working on a follow up with them that never materialised :lol: I think they were going to go for Eurovision for a random country...

 

Back to Basics was everywhere at the time, don't remember 'Incredible' that much though from its time.

 

At least Clean Bandit still make the charts today with a similar style of orchestral influenced dance music, I think violins in dance music are a great effect. :dance:

 

Did LNM Projekt start off as a trance group I wonder, their name sounds more like a trance production group....

Edited March 17, 20178 yr by Вuzzjack

Also the week Back to Basics and Oh My Gosh debuted in the top 10, one of the Waiting For A Star To Fall remixes was at number 5, so 3 dance songs in the top 10 in one week, which wouldn't happen again for a while!

Edited March 17, 20178 yr by Вuzzjack

I remember 'Falling Stars' being huge at the time but I don't actually recall hearing 'Star To Fall' at all when it was in the chart. I never heard it for the first time until years later when reading about how the two versions had come out at a similar time. I can see why 'Falling Stars' was the bigger hit as it's so much better, it had that OOMPH about it that the Cabin Crew version kinda lacked.

What a complete mess that whole Star To Fall thing was, and you have to feel sorry for poor Cabin Crew who basically had their idea completely nicked by a big-budget record label. I remember the 'sample battle' going on at the time, but Cabin Crew got next to no airplay as opposed to Sunset Strippers who you heard every ten minutes - I do genuinely think that most of the sales of Cabin Crew's version were just people buying the CD assuming it was the Sunset Strippers track, given it was released a week earlier. Wonder how it would have charted had the two came out the same time?

 

Then Mylo did his own version soon after with In My Arms! Was this a 'Baywatch' style case where the original 80s track got revived in clubs and everyone cashed in on it?

 

I have a vague memory that someone from LnM Projekt was a regular on CoolClarity, giving us updates about 'Everywhere' and expressing some disappointment when it wasn't quite the massive chart smash they hoped it to be. Might have been a bigger hit a few years later when Fleetwood Mac started getting adored by irritating hipsters wearing Rumours t-shirts, around the time the original recharted.

What a complete mess that whole Star To Fall thing was, and you have to feel sorry for poor Cabin Crew who basically had their idea completely nicked by a big-budget record label. I remember the 'sample battle' going on at the time, but Cabin Crew got next to no airplay as opposed to Sunset Strippers who you heard every ten minutes - I do genuinely think that most of the sales of Cabin Crew's version were just people buying the CD assuming it was the Sunset Strippers track, given it was released a week earlier. Wonder how it would have charted had the two came out the same time?

 

Then Mylo did his own version soon after with In My Arms! Was this a 'Baywatch' style case where the original 80s track got revived in clubs and everyone cashed in on it?

 

I have a vague memory that someone from LnM Projekt was a regular on CoolClarity, giving us updates about 'Everywhere' and expressing some disappointment when it wasn't quite the massive chart smash they hoped it to be. Might have been a bigger hit a few years later when Fleetwood Mac started getting adored by irritating hipsters wearing Rumours t-shirts, around the time the original recharted.

 

About the Baywatch remixes, the Naughty Boy mashup of Baywatch with a Leftfield instrumental I never heard at the time unlike the Sunblock one, but listening to them now the Naughty Boy version I actually prefer (the Sunblock version is good but the Naughty Boy version sounds a lot different to any of the other 80s remixes which makes it more interesting imo.

 

The Mylo one I remember more from a 2008 Currys advert than from the time. I actually thought it was a remix of part of Robyn and Kleerup's With Every Heartbeat when I heard it on the advert (must have forgotten about it as I almost certainly did hear it in 2005 as I was watching a lot of music channels back then).

 

Yeah I do feel sorry for Cabin Crew but on the other hand the Sunset Strippers one I prefer as it is flows better and has longer bits of the original chorus being used.

 

I wonder why Tobtok's version of Fast Car (which I much prefer) wasn't anywhere near as popular as the Jonas Blue and Dakota version, was it also to do with Jonas Blue and Dakota's record company having a bigger budget like in the case of Falling Stars?

 

Lnm Projekt should have done better, heard it in the gym in the leisure centre my mother worked in at the time. It's a good cover, definitely up there with the trancepop 80s covers of late 2002-early 2003 by Soda Club, Pascal etc. Dance covers of old songs were definitely much better imo in the 00s than the 10s chilled/tropical house covers like Wicked Games, Fast Car (JB version), Sex or Ain't Nobody. The recent one featuring Dakota, Dreams sounds much better and livelier imo though.

 

Finally I do think Back To Basics and Oh My Gosh's chart positions should have bern reversed. I like both but Back to Basics is a better song I think, at least it made top 10 though.

Edited March 18, 20178 yr by Вuzzjack

That version of 'Everywhere' is awful!

In Australia we had the version by Climax at the same time which was the popular one- waaaaay better ;)

'Everywhere' is another decent looped house tune, but I can see why it wasn't very big as it was more relaxed than other dance hits at the time.

'Everywhere' is another decent looped house tune, but I can see why it wasn't very big as it was more relaxed than other dance hits at the time.

 

Everywhere isn't looped house, it is just a straight dance cover of an older song, but it does have the atmospheric fadeouts of looped house songs at the time.

 

It does remind me in terms of other dance covers a bit of Tobtok and River's Fast Car, it has a similar chilled but still vibrant feel. The relaxing sounding synths in after the chorus also remind me a bit of the synths in the buildup in Fast Car.

I'd say it was looped house, the whole thing basically relied on the chorus and first verse of the original song. It wasn't a straight cover.

With all due respect Snake I'm not sure I trust your genre definitions :P ;)

I wonder why Tobtok's version of Fast Car (which I much prefer) wasn't anywhere near as popular as the Jonas Blue and Dakota version, was it also to do with Jonas Blue and Dakota's record company having a bigger budget like in the case of Falling Stars?

Basically. Jonas Blue is signed to Virgin EMI (Universal), Tobtok's version was released on Good Soldier records (independent).

I think more recently Sigala's songs Easy Love and Sweet Lovin definitely sound very influenced by the various mid 00s 80s remixes (although I hated Easy Love because I never liked early Michael Jackson's high pitched voice anyway). Sweet Lovin may not be a remix of an old song but it has looped elements in the build-up and chorus and the production and the whole uplifting but a bit cheesy feel reminds me a bit of the likes of Falling Stars.

Edited March 19, 20178 yr by Вuzzjack

That version of Everywhere

Is the worst dance cover

I've heard in a while