The Manhattans, Shining Star | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 95^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “Shining Star” by The Manhattans.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 95^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2023), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Shining Star”, performed by 🎙 The Manhattans. 

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The biggest hit of 🎙 The Manhattans’ career is undoubtedly 🎵 “Kiss And Say Goodbye”. Furthermore, “Kiss And Say Goodbye” is one of soul music’s very, very best.  However, the stars shined on The Manhattans once again, four years after their ace in the hole with 🎵 “Shining Star”.  “Honey, you are my shining star / Don’t you go away,” the collective sings, adding in the memorable chorus, “Oh baby / Wanna be right here where you are / Until my dying day, yeah baby.” “Shining Star” didn’t reach no. 1 like “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” but it peaked at no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified platinum by the RIAA 💪. Also, the collective won their sole 🏆 Grammy for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. The parent album, 💿 After Midnight (1980), was certified gold, another “W” for The Manhattans.

“Shining Star” was written by 🎼 ✍ Leo Graham and Paul Richmond, which Graham also producing. The theme is relatable – universal: love, love, love. The chorus sums it up brilliantly.  That said, the verses captivate as well.  In the first, lead vocalist 🎙 Gerald Alston sings, “Girl, don’t you realize / How you hypnotize / Make me love you more each time, yeah baby.” Similarly, in the second verse, Alston sings, “Baby when we touch, love you so much / You’re all I ever dream of, yeah baby.” In the pre-chorus, performed by the entire collective,  the chivalrous, dedicated spirit is admirable, reminiscent of a more innocent, simpler time. Also, worth noting, “Shining Star” includes a modulation (key change), something much rarer in today’s music. With a brilliant arrangement by James Mack, marvelous singing by Alston and company, and stellar songwriting by Graham and Richmond, 🎵 “Shining Star” truly shines ✨.

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🎙 The Manhattans • 💿 After Midnight • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 🗓 1980

The Manhattans, “Shining Star”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 95 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment; John Alan Sperry, PIRO via  Pixabay]