You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) (Song)
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| “You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)” | |
|---|---|
| French release cover | |
| Single by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. | |
| from the album I Hope We Get to Love in Time | |
| B-side | “We’ve Got to Get it On Again” |
| Released | September 1976 |
| Genre | R&B soul |
| Length | 4:41 (Album version) 3:40 (Single version) |
| Label | ABC Records |
| Songwriters | James Dean, John Glover |
| Producer | Don Davis |
| Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. singles chronology | |
| “I Hope We Get to Love on Time” (1976)”You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)“ (1976)”Your Love“ (1977) | |
| Alternative release | |
| |
| Side A of the US single | |
“You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)” is a song written by former Motown songwriters James Dean and John Glover and popularized by the husband/wife duo of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., former members of the vocal group The 5th Dimension. Released from their album, I Hope We Get to Love in Time, it became a crossover success, spending six months on the charts and soaring to No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts during late 1976 and early 1977. It also reached No. 6 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart and No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart. It would eventually be certified gold, selling over one million copies, and winning the couple a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1977.
Personnel
- Marilyn McCoo – vocals
- Billy Davis Jr. – vocals
- James Jamerson – bass
- Horrace Ott – concertmaster
Chart performance
Weekly charts
| Chart (1976–1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia KMR | 21 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 1 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) | 3 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Soul | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 6 |
| New Zealand | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 7 |
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. You Don’t Have To Be A Star (Live)
- Captain & Tennille Show
- On Huckabee
- MDA Telethon
- The Midnight Special
- Solid Gold
- On Sonny & Cher
Year-end charts
| Chart (1977) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia | 137 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 33 |
| New Zealand | 37 |
| UK | 98 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 27 |
Other versions
- Geri Reischl and Barry Williams performed the song in a 1977 episode of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
- In 1978, Ralph Carter and Janet Jackson performed it in the Season 5 finale of the CBS sitcom Good Times. At the time, Carter and Jackson were 16 and 11 years old, respectively.













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