Unlike most original songs, the number has two lyrically different versions - a duet version and a solo version. The duet version was first heard in Pilot and begins with Karen's opening verse.
A duet version with an "extended intro" was recorded and released on the Bombshell album, however it was not used in any episode of the series.
The solo version was first featured in The Callbacks, the second episode of Season One. It is a slower reprise of the duet, however it was not released as a single. This version is the one most commonly sung in subsequent episodes.
For their work on the song, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman received a 2012 Primetime Emmy nomination for 'Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics', as well as a 2013 Grammy Nomination for 'Best Song Written for Visual Media'.
Context in Bombshell[]
In the context of Bombshell, the solo version is used as the opening number. It is sung by Norma Jeane Mortenson. At the top of the show, her first marriage has just ended due to her all-consuming drive to be a movie star.
Ivy:
So another man says that he can't compete
That he can't love a moving target
Karen:
So another affair gets an incomplete
Well, it's time to adjust my plan
Ivy:
Cause when I'm up there...
Karen:
...on the silver screen
Karen and Ivy:
I can make the whole world want Norma Jeane
Ivy:
So I can't have the love of a single man
Karen:
But a million or more, well...
Karen and Ivy:
...that I can!
Karen:
Fade in on a girl
With a hunger for fame
And a face and a name to remember
The past fades away
Because as of this day
Norma Jeane's gone
She's moving on
Her smile and your fantasies play a duet
That will make you forget where you are
The music starts playing
It's the beat of her heart saying
Let me be your star
Ivy:
Flashback to a girl
With a song in her heart
As she's waiting to start the adventure
The fire and drive
That make dreams come alive
They fill her soul
She's in control
The drama, the laughter, the tears just like pearls
Well, they're all in this girl's repertoire
It's all for the taking
And it's magic we'll be making
Let me be your star
Karen and Ivy:
I'll just have to forget the hurt that came before
Karen:
Forget what used to be
Ivy:
The past is on the cutting room floor
Karen:
The future is here with me
Karen and Ivy:
Choose me!
Fade up on a star
With it all in her sights
All the love and the lights
That surround her
Someday she'll think twice
Of the dues and the price
Ivy:
She'll have to pay
Karen:
She'll have to pay
Ivy:
But not today
Karen:
But not today
Karen and Ivy:
She'll do all she can
For the love of one man
And for millions who look from afar
I'm what you've been needing
It's all here and my heart's pleading
Let me be your star!
Alternate version[]
Karen:
Fade in on a girl
With a hunger for fame
And a face and a name to remember
The past fades away
Because as of this day
Norma Jeane's gone
She's moving on
Her smile and your fantasies play a duet
That will make you forget where you are
The music starts playing
It's the beat of her heart saying
Let me be your star
Ivy:
Flashback to a girl
With a song in her heart
As she's waiting to start the adventure
The fire and drive
That make dreams come alive
They fill her soul
She's in control
The drama, the laughter, the tears just like pearls
Well, they're all in this girl's repertoire
It's all for the taking
And it's magic we'll be making
Let me be your star
Karen and Ivy:
I'll just have to forget the hurt that came before
Karen:
Forget what used to be
Ivy:
The past is on the cutting room floor
Karen:
The future is here with me
Karen and Ivy:
Choose me!
Fade up on a star
With it all in her sights
All the love and the lights
That surround her
Someday she'll think twice
Of the dues and the price
Ivy:
She'll have to pay
Karen:
She'll have to pay
Ivy:
But not today
Karen:
But not today
Karen and Ivy:
She'll do all she can
For the love of one man
And for millions who look from afar
I'm what you've been needing
It's all here and my heart's pleading
Let me be your star!
Norma Jeane:
Fade in on a girl
With a hunger for fame
And a face and a name to remember
The past fades away
Because as of this day
Norma Jeane's gone
She's moving on
Her smile and your fantasies play a duet
That will make you forget where you are
The music starts playing
It's the beat of her heart saying
Let me be your star
Flashback to a girl
With a song in her heart
As she's waiting to start the adventure
The fire and drive
That make dreams come alive
They fill her soul
She's in control
The drama, the laughter, the tears just like pearls
Well, they're all in this girl's repertoire
It's all for the taking
And it's magic she'll be making
Let me be your star
I'll just have to forget the hurt that came before
Forget what used to be
The past is on the cutting room floor
The future is here with me
Choose me!
Fade up on a star
With it all in her sights
All the love and the lights
That surround her
Someday she'll think twice
Of the dues and the price
She'll have to pay
But not today
She'll do all she can
For the love of one man
And for millions who love from afar
I'm what you've been needing
It's all here and my heart's pleading
Let me be your star!
