The song's accompanying music video, directed by James Lees, features the band performing in the ground floor of a building beneath an ongoing church congregation on the upper floor.[3] As of July 2022, the video has received over 3.6 billion views on YouTube and is one of the most watched videos of all time on the site.
OneRepublic - Counting Stars (Official Music Video)
The music video was filmed on May 10, 2013, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and premiered on May 31, 2013. The video features the band performing the song in a gloomy ground floor of a building surrounded by hanging light bulbs, interspersed with scenes of several people in a religious revival service on the upper floor, dancing along with the song. At the end of the video, the ceiling is demolished, causing one of the people in the service to fall through the floor, coming through the ceiling of the room the band is performing in. The video also shows clips of an alligator crawling through the ground floor.[11]
The video became the first music video by a band in history to reach 1 billion views, doing so on November 2, 2015.[12] It has received over 9.8 billion views and 16 million likes on YouTube, and, as of January 2023[update], is the 16th most viewed video on the site.[13]
Style of the music video:
The style of the video has a mixture of performance and narrative in it because the band is performing (under the basement) playing their instruments and there is another story going on about christian people worshiping as the video cuts a long.
The song's accompanying music video, directed by James Lees, features the band performing in the ground floor of a building beneath an ongoing church congregation on the upper floor. As of July 2016, the video has received over 1.36 billion views on YouTube and is the 17th most watched video of all time on the site.
The melancholy melody of the song's introduction suggests the person's disappointment with the grim direction of their life. "Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars," suggests the yet-to-obtain promise that one day the individual will stop his addictions to regain the trust of his loved one.
It feels like the counting stars is not the struggle. They are secure so they can enjoy life and the bigger purpose they feel their part. Money is not an issue. It is a clear confession that they done something wrong to enjoy this happiness but it felt so right because they don't have to struggle. They can keep their minds on simple things like each other. That the world is their own and material things is not a dream it's an everyday thing that now they take for granted. Because how they achieve the money was sinner the lessons to other not to be greed over money. Take that money watch it burn cause they're spending it fast but they could be losing their soul. The whole world is not sold on tons of money but the world forces us to need money for everything. You don't want a lot to go to hell or lead to sin. They do need enough to live comfortably.
The song is about not putting your faith in the things of the world - money, but putting your faith in the promises of God (the story of Abraham, counting the stars [read the story if you don't know it], and the struggle to keep God's laws, which is our side of partnering with God and his promises....
Ryan tedder the guy that wrote this song with his own words during an interview said that his songs for one republic had Christian faith meaning. He said he copied u2. I guess the author of ut was Christian too. But anyway the alligator represents Satan of the bible. The only thing I got wrong in last paragraph was counting stars which represents wrongs and rights. But this song is a secular song with a hidden allegory meaning about his faith as a Christian and that came out of the songwriters mouth during an interview. This is not my opinion.
Old, but not that old, young but not that bold, yup, middle age- typically mid/late 30's to the 60's (ie 40's and 50's or close to it), thinking about lessons learned "losing sleep dreaming about the things we could be", "no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars"- dreams, dreams not fulfilled younger in life, which is why approaching middle age, realizing how they were in life, feel so wrong doing the right thing, but it's not having fun earlier, and how different life would be had they been that way younger.
Brilliant writing! I am a high school English teacher who uses music videos just about every day of class. My colleague and I have used this song and compared with The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. You gave me more food for thought. Thank you so much!
if you take the song litterally....he does want a better world but not one for us...for the illuminati......there is a depopulation agenda as in illuminati cards..... flashing signs...one eye, fingers and triangles ....no more counting dollars...literal death of the dollar....doing what we're told..we're being the secret illuminati group...church falling through floor alligators --illuminati card game...the card is tape runs out.....sadly it's a catchy song but i have a bad feeling counting stars has something to do with a permanent sleep
Sounds to me like he has sold his soul to the devil and now he's on top , no more counting dollars now they are counting stars. The struggle to to be a star but if you don't sell your soul you are no one in the music industry. He knows is wrong but it feels right. That the price famous people have to paid to be rich and famous. They become puppets.
I I think this song means there's a Man in love with a woman but he's married and when he's with her it feels so right doing the wrong thing. He's a man of God so he can't leave his wife so staying feels so wrong doing the right thing. where he's at he's struggling with money but when he's with his love money doesn't matter. They would be happy just counting stars. He's losing sleep dreaming of the life he could have.
I think the true meaning of counting stars is about this guy who loves a girl but the parents don't approve of them so he's trying to tell her not to care that they can do what the feel is right even if it seems wrong.
in the first line it says lately I've been I've been losing sleep dreaming about the things that we could be, he's trying to say that he can't sleep at night because he's fallen in love with her and wanting them to stay together. then line 2 says but baby I've been I've been praying hard said no more counting dollars well be counting stars, here he's tell her he hopes she'll stay with him and they won't have to worry about money but have fun.
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