This despised Paris Hilton hit celebrates its 20th anniversary

This June 5 marks the twentieth anniversary of the very first single by the heiress and media personality, the irreplaceable Paris Hilton. image: instagram/@parishilton

Be careful, you’re getting old in sight! Paris Hilton celebrates the 20th anniversary of her most famous hit this Friday, Stars Are Blind. A look back at the genesis of a song that has long been unloved and is now, finally, recognized for its true value.

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It took time to rehabilitate Stars Are Blindthe very first song from America’s most mocked blonde. A piece that remains inseparable from the image of Paris Hilton: the brainless blonde par excellence, rich futile heiress, famous for nothing, essential figure of the tabloids and easy prey in reality TV shows.

The clip, for its part, marked all the people who one day found themselves in front of a TV screen in 2006: filmed in two days on a beach in Malibu, we see young Paris and a handsome lover happily groping each other in the sand, entirely in black and white. “Filming the music video was really great, I had a blast and I was so proud when it came out and everyone loved it,” Paris Hilton recalled a few years later, speaking to the magazine Billboard.

Paris Hilton and Lucas Babbin during the filming of the music video in May 2006 on a beach in Malibu.image: instagram/@parishilton

The fact remains that the clip found itself ranked in a very poor position among the 50 worst productions of all time by NME magazine, in a painful 49th place. “Here’s what you can do when you have a father with plenty of money: pay someone to film you rolling around on the floor in a bikini with a guy, just to make us forget that you’ve been retouched with Auto-Tune (very badly) excessively,” the publication mocked at the time.

Which did not prevent the title, the first version of the clip of which was broadcast on MTV on June 6, 2006, from carving out a place in the Top 20 of the American Billboard Hot 100, in the Top 10 in Australia and in the Top 5 in the United Kingdom.

Nor to remain omnipresent throughout the summer… before sinking momentarily into oblivion.

The song, upon its release, received surprising positive reviews.image: instagram/@parishilton

This made it even less private Stars Are Blind to collect reviews… surprisingly laudatory. Hailed at the time as a “catchy” piece and recognized for its “summer and island groove”, the title received generally positive reviews in the press. Even if some magazines, like Complexthen clearly assumed their discomfort at the idea of ​​appreciating any product whatsoever from the brain of Paris Hilton.

Today, however, many musical experts really recognize the title at its true value. A critic of The AU Review goes so far as to describe it this week as “a perfect pop song”, with its light reggae-pop rhythm and its sunny guitar line “of disarming simplicity”.

“Its longevity proves what the charts didn’t fully grasp in 2006: the song operated on a much deeper level than mere fashion. It did not shine brightly before disappearing; she persisted,” greets critic Peter Gray.

One thing is certain: 20 years after its release, Paris Hilton’s hit is enjoying a second lease of life, whether in nostalgic playlists, films or on TikTok. “What was initially just a song has become an emblematic soundtrack of so many beautiful memories, moments, friendships, road trips, dance evenings, vacations and memories all over the world,” greeted its author this Friday on her Instagram account.

“Thank you to everyone who listened to it, who danced, sang and supported me. You made it a timeless classic,” concludes Paris Hilton by publishing images from the time, in homage to her very first song.

It seems that once again, the most underestimated blonde in pop culture has been proven right.

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