| When the Stars Go Blue | |
| Artist: | Ryan Adams |
| Album: | Gold |
| Released: | September 25, 2001 |
| Length: | 3:31 |
| Label: | Lost Highway |
| Producer: | Ethan Johns |
"When the Stars Go Blue" is a popular alternative country song composed and originally recorded by solo artist and former Whiskeytown band member Ryan Adams. It was first released on his album Gold on September 25, 2001, and has been described as the "most gorgeous ballad" on that album.[1] "When the Stars Go Blue" has been covered by many artists, including Irish band the Corrs (featuring Bono of U2), country music singer Tim McGraw, and Norwegian artists Venke Knutson and Kurt Nilsen as a duo.
| When the Stars Go Blue | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | the Corrs featuring Bono |
| Length: | 4:19 |
| Producer: | Mitchell Froom |
| Chronology: | The Corrs |
| Prev Title: | Would You Be Happier (Live) |
| Prev Year: | 2002 |
| Next Title: | Summer Sunshine |
| Next Year: | 2004 |
Irish band the Corrs recorded the song on their album , featuring U2's Bono. The cover was released on April 15, 2002, in the United States, reaching number 11 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart and number 18 on the Adult Top 40. The song was remixed for their album in 2006.
| Chart (2002) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[3] | 46 | |
| US Triple-A (Billboard)[4] | 30 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Triple A radio | [5] | ||
| Contemporary hit radio | [6] |
| When the Stars Go Blue | |
| Cover: | When the Stars Go Blue.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Tim McGraw |
| Album: | Reflected: Greatest Hits Vol. 2 |
| Released: | March 6, 2006 |
| Length: |
|
| Label: | Curb |
| Prev Title: | My Old Friend |
| Prev Year: | 2005 |
| Next Title: | My Little Girl |
| Next Year: | 2006 |
In 2006, the song was released by Tim McGraw as the first single from his compilation album . Heribert Severing, creator and writer of severing.nu, included McGraw's version of "When the Stars Go Blue" on his list of the top Country singles of 2006.[7]
"When the Stars Go Blue" debuted at number 35 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of March 18, 2006.
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country (Radio & Records)[8] | 1 |
| US Billboard Pop 100 | 50 |
| Year-end chart (2006) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 20 | |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[10] | 20 |
| When the Stars Go Blue | |
| Cover: | When-the-stars-go-blue-knutsen-nilsen.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Venke Knutson and Kurt Nilsen |
| Album: | Places I Have Been |
| Released: | February 2006 |
| Recorded: | 2005 |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Label: | Universal |
| Chronology: | Venke Knutson |
| Prev Title: | Just a Minute |
| Prev Year: | 2006 |
| Next Title: | Holiday |
| Next Year: | 2006 |
Norwegian singers Venke Knutson and World Idol Kurt Nilsen recorded a duet that appears in Venke Knutson's album 2005 Places I Have Been. The song was released as a single in Norway in February 2006, reaching number 14 on the Norwegian Singles Chart.[11]
Irish/British girlband Wonderland performed the track for their debut performance on television in Ireland. The recorded studio version was included the band's debut album Wonderland.
It was also featured in One Tree Hill as a hit song by fictional characters Haley James Scott and Chris Keller (real life singers Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hilton) and features on the One Tree Hill Soundtrack.[12]
The song was performed by Blake Lewis on American Idol Season 6, originally airing on April 17, 2007.[13] His cover of the song made it to #92 of the pop charts in 2007.[14]
On July 16, 2006, Phil Lesh covered the song in the first set of a show at Charter One Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. The show was made available for purchase via compact disc by Phil Lesh and Friends. On April 5, 2014, Lesh covered the song in the first set of a show at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.
The song inspired a novel of the same name.