Stars

“Stars” is the 19th song in Act I of the musical Les Misérables. It takes place after Javert unwittingly saves Valjean and Cosette from Thénardier and his gang’s attempt to rob both of them, and subsequently discovers that Valjean, his old time rival, has surfaced once again, but has slipped through his grasp. He vows to complete his manhunt. The placement of the piece has been changed for various adaptations (musical, motion picture, etc.).  The majority of it is a solo piece, sung in its entirety by Javert, explaining some of his reasonings for pursuing the law the way he does, and reiterating his resolve to capture Valjean once and for all. It is one of the more well-known songs in the musical and is Javert’s most important song. Gavroche has a verse explaining his dislike for Javert. It is also one of two pieces sung solely by Javert (the other being Javert’s Suicide).  The lyrics were written by Herbert Kretzmer