A Glam-Rock Anthem of Stardom and Skepticism
It’s 1974. The decade of flared trousers, platform shoes, and glittery excess was in full swing, and striding right through the middle of it was the charismatic cockney boy-wonder, David Essex. A truly British blend of teen idol good looks and gritty East End charm, Essex cemented his place in the musical landscape with his very first UK Number 1 single, the instantly memorable “Gonna Make You A Star”. Released on September 27, 1974, the track rapidly ascended the Official UK Singles Chart, hitting the coveted Number 1 spot in November and holding firm there for a brilliant three weeks. It was the triumphant lead single from his second, eponymous album, David Essex, which itself soared to a respectable Number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. The single’s success was part of a larger, fascinating meta-narrative unfolding in Essex’s career.
The story behind the song is inseparable from David Essex’s burgeoning acting and singing career in the early to mid-70s. Having achieved significant acclaim and pin-up status as Jim MacLaine in the 1973 film That’ll Be the Day, and simultaneously scoring a major international hit with the experimental “Rock On”, Essex was already a star in the making. The subsequent film, Stardust (1974), where he reprised the role of MacLaine, chronicled the character’s ascent to fame, a journey mirroring Essex’s own. “Gonna Make You A Star,” which he wrote himself and was produced by the legendary Jeff Wayne (later of War of the Worlds fame), was written specifically to reflect and comment on this whole experience—the whirlwind, the pressures, and the cynical machinery of the music industry that promised to manufacture a phenomenon.
The song’s meaning is layered, a wink-and-a-nudge to the audience and his critics. Essex sings, almost in character, about the industry’s doubts and machinations, addressing the whispers with lines like, “Oh, is he more, too much more than a pretty face? It’s so strange the way you talk, it’s a disgrace.” He’s essentially mocking the scrutiny that attempts to categorize and control him. The titular refrain, “We’re gonna make you a star,” delivered with that unique Essex blend of swagger and vulnerability, sounds like both an industry mantra—a promise from the “suits” and executives—and a determined self-affirmation. It’s a cynical yet strangely upbeat acknowledgment of the ‘stardom’ process, a pop-rock anthem about the very nature of becoming famous in the era of glam and hyper-marketing.
Musically, it was a defining sound for the time, combining the swagger of glam rock with a tight, driving pop sensibility. The song, like his previous hit, showcased the prominent and then-fashionable use of synthesizers, courtesy of Jeff Wayne’s innovative production. It was a distinctive, slightly edgy sound that set him apart from the pure pop of his peers. The combination of his established acting career, his status as a matinee idol, and the authentic, self-aware songwriting of “Gonna Make You A Star” made him a cultural focal point. He wasn’t just a pop star; he was a phenomenon that encapsulated the decade’s obsession with fame and youth culture. For those of us listening on our tinny transistor radios or watching his captivating performances on Top of the Pops, “Gonna Make You A Star” wasn’t just a tune; it was the soundtrack to a time when everything seemed possible, and the road to stardom felt exhilaratingly close, even if we all knew, like David Essex did, that the spotlight was as fleeting as it was bright. The song, with its pulsing rhythm and defiant vocal, still transports us back to that glamorous, slightly rebellious mid-seventies atmosphere.