djzyonseven
When I hear the name Five Star, the first song that comes to my mind is “Let Me Be The One.”
That is my jam. Period. 🎶
Five Star was one of my favorite family groups of the 1980s.
And when I say family group, I mean the real thing.
Brothers and sisters. Choreography. Matching outfits. Big hair. Sharp moves. Clean vocals. 🗣️
That whole polished 80s package that looked like somebody spent time on it before they stepped in front of a camera.
This was one of those groups where I did not need everybody else to validate them for me.
I already knew.
If I was listening at home, Five Star got played.
If I was DJing, Five Star got played.
If I was in one of my 80s R&B moods, which honestly is not a mood, it is more like a permanent setting, Five Star had a spot in the rotation.
They were slick.
They were stylish.
They were young.
They were talented.
And they were way more important than some people give them credit for.
Five Star, sometimes styled as 5 Star, came out of the UK, from Romford, Essex.
The group was made up of the Pearson siblings, Denise, Stedman, Lorraine, Doris, and Delroy.
Their father, Buster Pearson, managed them and helped shape the whole vision.
He had already been around real music people, including Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, so this was not some random family talent show situation.
There was a plan behind this.
Five Star gave British pop and R&B a very glossy, very American-influenced, very MTV-ready sound.
You could hear some Jackson 5 inspiration.
You could feel some New Edition energy.
But they were not copying.
They had their own lane.
It was clean, futuristic, colorful, and very 1985. That synth bass was talking. Those drums were tight. Those harmonies were sweet. And the dancing had that “we rehearsed until our feet hurt” kind of precision. 💿
“Let Me Be The One” was released in 1985 from their debut album Luxury of Life.
This song has always had that perfect 80s R&B pop blend to me. It is romantic, but it still moves.
It is sweet, but it is not sleepy. It has that youthful crush energy, but it still sits inside a grown groove.
The hook is simple in the best way. “Let me be the one you give your love to.”
That line does not need a whole paragraph to explain it.
We have all been there at some point.
Wanting to be chosen.
Wanting to be seen.
Wanting somebody to stop looking everywhere else and realize the love they need might already be standing right there.
That is the part of the song that sticks with me.
It is not begging. It is not desperate.
It is just open. Direct. Vulnerable.
And in R&B, vulnerability always wins when it is done right. ❤️
The video is pure 80s style.
Coordinated suits. Big movement. Dramatic staging.
Everybody looking like they understood the assignment before the assignment was even a phrase.
Five Star knew how to perform for the camera.
They had that family chemistry you cannot manufacture.
When siblings perform together, there is a different kind of timing.
They know each other’s rhythm. They know each other’s space.
They can move together without looking like they are counting every step in their head.
That is what I loved about them.💜
And let’s talk about Denise Pearson for a second. Her voice had that bright, clear, youthful lead quality that worked perfectly for the group’s sound. 🔊
She could ride those polished tracks without getting swallowed by the production.
That is not always easy with 80s music because those keyboards, drum machines, and background arrangements could be thick. But her voice cut through just right.
Doris handled choreography.
Delroy was involved in songwriting and production.
Lorraine had that spokesperson presence.
Stedman brought vocals and style, including costume design.
It really was a family machine. Everybody had a role, and when it worked, it worked.
By the time Five Star hit their peak, they were not just some cute little group with matching outfits.
They were charting. They were selling. They were doing the work.
Their debut album Luxury of Life eventually went platinum in the UK, and then Silk and Steel took them even higher.
That second album went to number one in the UK and became a huge moment for them.
They had hit after hit over there, including “System Addict,” “Can’t Wait Another Minute,” “Find the Time,” “Rain or Shine,” “Stay Out of My Life,” and “The Slightest Touch.”
And in 1987, they won the BRIT Award for Best British Group.
That part matters.
Because when people try to act like Five Star was just some lightweight 80s pop group, the receipts say otherwise.
They were one of the biggest British groups of that era.
Still, to me, “Let Me Be The One” is the one that hits first.
Were they underrated? Absolutely.
And I do not mean underrated in that lazy way people use the word now for everybody.
I mean, they really do not get discussed enough when people talk about 80s R&B, dance pop, and family groups.
We talk about The Jacksons.
We talk about The Pointer Sisters.
We talk about DeBarge.
We talk about The Jets.
And we should!
But Five Star deserves a seat at that table too.
Five Star brought all of it. 🕺🏾
They had the hits.
They had the look.
They had the choreography.
They had the family story.
And they gave us records that still sound like the 80s in the best possible way.
“Let Me Be The One” is one of those songs that reminds me why I love that era so much.
It feels young, romantic, stylish, and clean, but still soulful.
It makes me want to turn the volume up and let the groove breathe a little.
And yes, if I were spinning somewhere and dropped this in the right part of the night, the real music heads would know exactly what time it was.
Because some songs do not need to be explained to everybody.
Some songs are for the ones who were there, or the ones who know how to listen like they were. 🎧
Five Star gave us a lot of music.
But for me, this is where I wanted to start with them on The Soundtrack of Who I Became.
Because “Let Me Be The One” is not just a Five Star song I like.
It is one of those records that reminds me of who I was becoming as a music lover, as a DJ, and as somebody who always knew when a groove had that special something.
And baby, this one had it. ✨
#FiveStar #5Star #LetMeBeTheOne #LuxuryOfLife #EightiesMusic #80sRnB #BritishRnB #ClassicRnB #DancePop #OldSchoolMusic #TheSoundtrackOfWhoIBecame #SongsFromMyLife #WhatImListeningToRightNow #DJZyonSeven
