City Of Stars – English Lyrics

• By: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend
• Album: La La Land Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the enchanting world of "City of Stars," where the allure of Hollywood intertwines with the bittersweet reality of chasing dreams. This iconic song from *La La Land* offers a glimpse into the emotional landscape of aspiring artists, blending hopeful melodies with poignant lyrics that resonate with anyone who has dared to dream. Explore the nuances of the English language through its evocative storytelling and learn about the cultural context of Los Angeles, the city of stars itself.

[English]

City of stars

Are you shining just for me?

City of stars

There's so much that I can't see

Who knows?

I felt it from the first embrace I shared with you

That now our dreams

They've finally come true

...

City of stars

Just one thing everybody wants

There in the bars

And through the smokescreen of the crowded restaurants

It's love

Yes, all we're looking for is love from someone else

A rush

A glance

A touch

A dance

A look in somebody's eyes

To light up the skies

To open the world and send it reeling

A voice that says, I'll be here

And you'll be alright

...

I don't care if I know

Just where I will go

'Cause all that I need is this crazy feeling

A rat-tat-tat on my heart

...

City of stars

...

Just one thing everybody wants

There in the bars

And through the smokescreen of the crowded restaurants

It's love

Yes, all we're looking for is love from someone else

A glance

A dance

A look in somebody's eyes

To light up the skies

To open the world and send it reeling

A voice that says, I'll be here

And you'll be alright

I don't care if I know

Just where I will go

'Cause all that I need is this crazy feeling

A rat-tat-tat on my heart

City of stars

Are you shining just for me?

City of stars

You've never shined so brightly

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
stars /stɑːrz/ A1	noun - celestial bodies that produce light
shining /ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/ A2	verb - emitting light; being bright
dreams /driːmz/ A2	noun - aspirations or goals
true /truː/ A1	adjective - in accordance with fact or reality
wants /wɒnts/ A2	verb - desires or wishes for something
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
rush /rʌʃ/ B1	noun - a sudden strong feeling
glance /ɡlɑːns/ B2	noun - a quick look verb - to take a quick look
dance /dæns/ A1	noun - a series of movements performed to music verb - to move rhythmically to music
light /laɪt/ A1	verb - to illuminate
skies /skaɪz/ A1	noun - the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, people, and natural features.
reeling /ˈriːlɪŋ/ B2	verb - feeling dizzy or unsteady
voice /vɔɪs/ A2	noun - the sound produced by the vocal organs of vertebrates
crazy /ˈkreɪzi/ B1	adjective - mentally deranged; eccentric
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
brightly /ˈbraɪtli/ B2	adverb - with a lot of light

Key Grammar Structures

• Are you shining just for me?

  ➔ Present Continuous (Interrogative)

  ➔ Uses the auxiliary verb "are" followed by the subject "you" and the main verb "shining" in its -ing form to ask if the city is currently shining for the speaker.

• There's so much that I can't see

  ➔ Relative Clause with "that", Modal Verb "can't"

  ➔ "that I can't see" is a relative clause modifying "so much". "can't" is a modal verb expressing inability to see something.

• I felt it from the first embrace I shared with you

  ➔ Past Simple, Relative Clause (implied "that" or "which")

  ➔ "I felt it" is in the past simple tense. "embrace I shared with you" acts as a relative clause modifying "the first embrace", with the relative pronoun omitted (i.e., "the first embrace *that/which* I shared with you").

• They've finally come true

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ "They've" is a contraction of "They have". The present perfect "have come" indicates that the dreams have reached completion at the present time.

• Just one thing everybody wants

  ➔ Simple Present Tense

  ➔ "wants" is the third-person singular form of the verb "want" in the simple present tense. It expresses a general truth or a fact.

• If I know just where I will go

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Type 1 - possible situation)

  ➔ This is the 'if' clause of a conditional sentence. Although the sentence continues afterwards, it can be interpreted as a type 1 conditional since it is a condition that might happen and it is set into the future. The verb "know" is in the simple present, and "will go" is in the simple future (although in this line the clause continues, the sentence structure is what matters for this context)

• 'Cause all that I need is this crazy feeling

  ➔ Noun Clause as Subject Complement

  ➔ "all that I need" is a noun clause acting as the subject of the sentence. "this crazy feeling" is the subject complement, describing what the subject is.