Synopsis

Primal Scream perform "Star" in a stylized, performance-led video that matches the song's blend of soulful rock, dub and psychedelic atmosphere. Bobby Gillespie delivers the track's message of solidarity while the band plays amid shifting, dreamlike imagery and vivid visual effects. The presentation favors mood and attitude over a conventional storyline, reflecting the song's celebration of equality, resistance and people who stand up for their rights.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Star" was released on June 16, 1997, as the second single from the album *Vanishing Point*. It reached No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart.

• Bobby Gillespie described the song as a socialist "rebel song," drawing on his interest in revolutionary and civil-rights writing. The lyrics specifically refer to Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

• The recording combines Primal Scream's rock and groove-based approach with contributions from the Memphis Horns, reggae melodica player Augustus Pablo and tabla player Pandit Dinesh.

• Gillespie said the song was built around a groove and "starry, astral" sounds before the additional horn and melodica parts were recorded.

• The single's extended formats included "Rebel Dub," reinforcing the connection between the song and the band's continuing interest in dub, reggae and remix culture.

• "Star" was later recognized by *NME* as the 27th-best track of 1997.

• The original promotional video was issued in high-definition in August 2026 to accompany the expanded reissue campaign for *Vanishing Point*.