The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Best of cruel intentions
Finding what they fail to mention
No truth, all pretension
Raise your hand to get attention
You give it, we take it
You build it, we break it
You sign and we erase it
You feel it, we fake it
It's my red star (don't steal it)
It's my red star (can't let go)
It's my red star (conceal it)
It's my red star, oh no
Wasted education
Celebrating imitation
Misplaced admiration
Speaking for a generation
You give it, we take it
You build it, we break it
You sign and we erase it
You feel it, we fake it
It's my red star (don't steal it)
It's my red star (can't let go)
It's my red star (conceal it)
It's my red star, oh no
Finding what they fail to mention
No truth, all pretension
Raise your hand to get attention
You give it, we take it
You build it, we break it
You sign and we erase it
You feel it, we fake it
It's my red star (don't steal it)
It's my red star (can't let go)
It's my red star (conceal it)
It's my red star, oh no
Wasted education
Celebrating imitation
Misplaced admiration
Speaking for a generation
You give it, we take it
You build it, we break it
You sign and we erase it
You feel it, we fake it
It's my red star (don't steal it)
It's my red star (can't let go)
It's my red star (conceal it)
It's my red star, oh no
Lyrics submitted by Gwirleybee, edited by nikmeh
Red Stars Lyrics as written by Michael Hanmer Matthew O'halloran
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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i LOVE this song.
for me, it's just about this world; how it works and how it's wrong. well, like... give and take, that's all we think. if someone builds it, we'll break it, if someone has a talent or understands something, or is just really passionate, they FEEL it...we'll just fake like we do. we all celebrate imitation--copying each other in the lastest trends, being like everyone else in so many ways...(instead of originality).. misplaced admiration; we admire ALL of the wrong people these days...stupid celebrities, instead of people really CHANGING the world and being GOOD people...
and she's speaking for a generation; because that's ALL there is to ours.
I have to agree but when I listen to it I instantly imagine a war between the Two sides of most modern Cultures.<br /> <br /> On one side, you have the ones who try to be like everybody else, who try to be Models or PornStars or Pop Stars, what ever, the imitators.<br /> <br /> On the other side are those who are being themselves and are refusing to let the imitators take over, be it because they don't want their children to grow up in a society of "One Face" or for another reason.<br /> <br /> Also, on a very strange note..<br /> When I imagine this, I see one Army all with the same faces, the same clothes, the same hair, the Rebellious or "Red Stars" are all different from each other and with so many different styles.<br /> <br /> "You give it, we take it.<br /> You build it, we break it.<br /> You sign and we erase it.<br /> You feel it, we fake it."<br /> <br /> That line could easily be the rebellious side of the Country/Culture.<br /> <br /> The imitators give to try to coax more into their side but all the Rebellious do is take it but never join them.<br /> <br /> The imitators build and the Rebellious tear it down or destroy it.<br /> <br /> The imitators sign papers to make laws and such the way "they" want them to be and the Rebellious erase or dispose of it.<br /> <br /> The Rebellious coax their way in to the imitators group or Army through Love or otherwise but is really there to betray and destroy from within.<br /> <br /> But.. That's just my take on it, also, my response is hella-late but oh well.
@severalways What a lovely and in tune with my thoughts of this song, which I just discovered while on the way to see them recently in Atlanta. Even as a 51 yr old granny,, I was moving to this song. LOVED IT,, felt it captured the true essence of how I feel about the world and its folk at this point in my life.