La La Land Cast - City Of Stars Lyrics

La La Land Cast Lyrics

"City Of Stars"
(performed by Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone)
(from "La La Land" soundtrack)

[Sebastian:]
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

[Mia:]
That now our dreams may 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

[Sebastian:]
A rush
[Mia:]
A glance
[Sebastian:]
A touch
[Mia:]
A dance

[Both:]
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's this crazy feeling
A rat-tat-tat on my heart

[Sebastian:]
Think I want it to stay

City of stars
Are you shining just for me?
City of stars

[Mia:]
You never shined so brightly

Submit Corrections

Thanks to Dylon for correcting these lyrics.

Marius de Vries, the film's music director and soundtrack producer, told The Independent, "This was the first lyric that Pasek and Paul gave us, and one of the earliest songs to start to feel fully formed. Because we had it up and running for a while, we took it through many permutations - duet, female lead, male lead…."

Justin Hurwitz, the composer of this song, explained, "...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."

This song appears three times in the film: first, it is sung solo by Ryan Gosling's character; second, it is a duet with him and Emma Stone's character; third, the tune is hummed by her at the end.

"City Of Stars" was performed by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling live on set, without lip-syncing to pre-recorded vocals. Since Gosling can't whistle, Justin Hurwitz whistled during this song.