"City of Stars" is a song performed by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in the film La La Land (2016). The music of the song was composed by Justin Hurwitz while the lyrics were provided by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.[2] The song won numerous awards, including the award for Best Original Song at both the 74th Golden Globe Awards and 89th Academy Awards.
| "City of Stars" | |
|---|---|
 Hollywood remix cover | |
| Single by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone | |
| from the album La La Land: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
| Released | March 3, 2017[1] |
| Recorded | 2016 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:25 |
| Label | Interscope |
| Composer(s) | Justin Hurwitz |
| Lyricist(s) | |
Another version of the song was also released as a 'Hollywood remix' but was not used in the original film.[3] "City of Stars" was released as a single in Italy on March 3, 2017.[1]
Context
In the film, the song is first sung by Gosling alone as the character of Sebastian as he sings and dances on the Hermosa Beach Pier. Later in the film, it is reprised by Sebastian and Mia (Stone) during a montage of him getting ready to tour with Keith's (John Legend) band, as well as Mia quitting her job at a coffee shop and renting out a theater for her one-woman play.
Inspiration
Justin Hurwitz, the composer of the song, discussed the writing of the song:[4]
[The song] started at the piano with me just working on demos for Damien, sending him ideas until something really sparked. It's so funny that that and "Audition" are the two songs that people seem to be responding to the most, at least so far, because they had similar processes in the sense that they had probably the least amount of fussing at the piano demo stage. [...] I was just composing it from an emotional place and thinking about the tone. I would say the tone is hopeful, but melancholy at the same time. And it kind of goes back-and-forth between cadencing in major and cadencing in minor, because I think that’s kind of what the song is about. You have these great moments and then you have these less great moments in life and in Los Angeles and we see it happen in the story. I was thinking about that idea a little bit and just trying to compose a melody that I thought was shapely and beautiful. I guess it has some jazz inflections, because it’s something Sebastian plays on the piano.
Music video
The music video was uploaded to YouTube channel on Apr 17, 2017, and has gained more than 31 million views as of April 2024.
Accolades
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 17, 2016 | Best Song – Feature Film | Won | [5][6] |
| Critics' Choice Awards | December 11, 2016 | Best Song | Won | [7] |
| St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association | December 18, 2016 | Best Song | Won | [8] |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 6, 2017 | Best Original Song | Won | [9][10] |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 8, 2017 | Best Original Song | Won | [11] |
| Satellite Awards | February 19, 2017 | Best Original Song | Won | [12] |
| Academy Awards | February 26, 2017 | Best Original Song | Won | [13] |
| Grammy Award | January 28, 2018 | Best Song Written for Visual Media | Nominated | [14] |
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] | 68 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16] | 30 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[17] | 20 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] | 89 |
| France (SNEP)[19] | 44 |
| Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[20] | 3 |
| Hong Kong (Metro Radio)[21] | 1 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40)[22] | 8 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[23] | 57 |
| Italy (FIMI)[24] | 51 |
| Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard)[25] | 2 |
| Japan Radio Songs (Billboard)[26] | 1 |
| Portugal (AFP)[27] | 45 |
| Scotland (OCC)[28] | 29 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[29] | 14 |
| South Korea International Chart (Gaon)[30] | 2 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] | 48 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[32] | 53 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[33] | 8 |
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[34] | 45 |
US Jazz Digital Songs (Billboard)[34]
| 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2017) | Position |
|---|---|
| Hungary (Single Top 40)[35] | 72 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[36] | Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[37] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[38] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[39] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||