Stardust - Hoagy Carmichael

[LeahJane1995]

I'm 17 and think this a lot appropriate to most of today's music really!

[meesbroersen]

is there a recording of him playing "georgia on my mind" too??

[DIEversity203]

I like Bing's version the best

[damfino222]

Guy Lombardo had a 7 of this tune out also. That was the first time I heard it 45 years ago. It was the first song I knew all the words to. It doesn't get any better than thi

[BigIronOnHipMan2]

It's a HOAGY thing!

And this other chap, who had a way with words -- Mitchell Parish.

[clariona]

What about Frankie Carle?  I've listened to his 78's since I was 4 years old in 1948, and I am still enthralled today by his recordings, which I feel are very close to Hoagy Carmichael.

[NZkatiescottmusic]

I love this song so much

[movievaudeville]

Ain't hardly any jobs for that, trust me! I'm just curious about how things change after someone creates them, and which version gets popular. The other thing that's weird is how many singers would cover the same song at almost the same time. Nobody thought anything of it, but it sure doesn't happen much now.

[Philobiblion]

Best version (and maybe the best recording ever of a male vocalist) was Nat King Cole recorded off television. It was on YouTube for a long time but then it got busted. Of course it is not in print-- go figger.

[michaeljpescatore]

i can play this on piano

[Benjaminstar96]

my great uncle found out that we were related with hoagy carmichael,its not that close but surprisingly closer then i thought,its an honour to have some kind of connection with him.(he found a family tree,and the connection came from there.)

[Luke876678]

I was sad when it ended..

[movievaudeville]

Also, I'd love to find the first Gennett recording he did in 1927. Guess is was more mid-tempo, not the ballad it became later.

[movievaudeville]

In Hoagy's early autobio "The Stardust Road" he writes about how the melody came to him, while wandering around Indiana University (I did time there myself), sitting on the stone wall that ran around campus. He claims to have run across the street to the Book Nook and used their piano to work some of it out. I think the old Book Nook building is now a Buffalo Wild Wings food joint. The book is worth reading, gives a sense of the jazz age.

[rope1940]

Can see him jam with the greats of music and people he maid movies .

[legatofancier]

I just love Hoagy Carmichael! He's one of those song writers whose international appeal is based on the fact that he was so very American. You know, he make makes me feel good about being an American, and enjoying the special place that the great American songbook has in world music.

[phaasch]

I'm not entirely sure, but I believe that apart from "Yesterday", this is the most covered song of all time. God, its poignant. This is one of the peaks of human endevour

[Ansem10000]

Always thought that Frank Sinatra was the first person who used the song.

Never knew it was actually from Hoagy Carmichael.

But still. That doesn't make the song less great ;)

Thumbs up for this song!

[mustangred]

@Ansem10000 So you thought Sinatra wrote it? Are you as stupid as you sound or do you just pretend?

[Ansem10000]

@mustangred I said that I thought that he was the first person who USED it, with that I mean that the writer asked Sinatra to sing the song for the first time. Not that Sinatra actually

Oh, and another thing:

I recommend you to learn some manners, before you go talk to strangers who aren't unfriendly to you.

[RAGETREE]

Oh my god, I've reached absolute, pure, bliss, in these 3 minutes. Sipping hot tea, curled up in a blanket and listening to this song has been the highlight of my month, thank you very much, PianoPlaylist.

[luigiweegeeful]

THIS SONG IS THE HEART OF MY WORLD

[Fribarn]

this song reeks

[luigiweegeeful]

@Fribarn THEN FUCK YOU BITCH THIS SONG IS FAMOUS SO SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND TAKE YOUR COMMENT WITH YA ASSHOLE

[jannetie]

LOVE!!!



[Arieliondotcom]

Just reading in "Evenings with Cary Grant" that CG had a real crush on Fay Wray but she was married (shades of Sophia Loren) so she wouldn't have a romance with him. But she said this song, by HC, always made her think of him. It seems sad to me but she thought it was full of life, and that's how she saw grant. Great book by the way. I just wish it were on audio.

[cindyrom4jesus121]

THE BEST version of all time - Nat King Cole. Ear wine!

[selfresonator]

whaaaaaaat? man, hoagie was nuts, no doubt. the man was a real artist! thats his soul your hearing. :)

[PastenFelipe]

Es la Mejor canción del mundo!

[TurnItBlueToYou1]

Beautiful......and that''s all I can say.

[rayandreina]

What cracks me up is Fred Flintstone, singing a horribly-botched plagiarism of it in 1961 ([dis-] courtesy of Scat von Roctoven -- LOL!)! -- and the producer, Mr. Rockwell... (LOL!)! Oh, well. Producers are hard to convince when you think you know everything there is to know about the music business! But somehow, there's really nothing that beats the original! -- a sentimental favorite, the way Hoagy himself wrote it back in 1927.

[SteelthehedgehogDX]

this is from Cold Case in "Torn" the oldest case in the serie

[movievaudeville]

What I'm getting at is the sales and the continual play Artie Shaw gets. No judgment of relative quality or musicality. I play for a living, tend to like earlier jazz also. By 1940 swing was big money. Fun, but less of the wild west. But, I'm playing a swing wedding next week anyway ($s talk)! I find trying to cover Eddie Lang's material tougher than most any other, and he died in '33. Rather than trying to play horn lines, he was inventing - and stretching the limits of - jazz guitar.

[tech0234]

the favorite song of superman in superman number 7

[carlinamarie59]

My dad had a little trad jazz band and he told me about a lot about the old originators like Hoagy and Ledbelly. Both of them have had a host of covers done of their songs over decades. The young ones have no idea....the covers still keep coming and the kids think they are new....even bands like Nirvana and more heavy ones

[ClassyOldMusic]

I love, of course, the Artie Shaw version... but this version is so very beautiful and has, for me, so much heart and emotion in it. I'm sort of new with this old timey music... but I'm believing this is Hoagy actually caressing the ivories, and not just someone else playing the tune... What version is this... and what year was this version recorded? Thank you so much for creating and sharing this production for myself and others to discover and enjoy.

[19GirlBad]

@staplesz Good for you! Im justy fed up with the trash artists we have to listen! VIVA OLD MUSIC FOREVER!

[19GirlBad]

thumbs up of the film Casino brought you here? It happened to me!

[Staplesz]

@19GirlBad me too! good taste in finding your way here so quickly

[Ogumomaru]

GOD THIS MAKES ME CRY. How beatiful can it be

[NYNY1217]

Although Hoagy was a brother in the Kappa Sigma fraternity, I understand that this song has some connection to the Sigma Chi fraternity and a Broadway play. Any comments?

[innocentoperarose]

I am only 19 and LOVE hoagy I sang skylark for my diploma music theatre when I was 17

[belnoah]

my grandfather used to play this all the time. i learned this fact when i played it for my dad on the piano for the first time. now it's one of my favorite songs to play.

[oldstuffhaus]

gmd213 You are most welcome...In that generation gratification was not instantaneous, nor was it expected. They waited for it, it was the wait that generated the thrill and when it finally arrived, it was really a thrill. Today we say its not better or worse, its different. I guess we all get very used to our comfort zone. But, I remember very clearly those days during the war, holding my Mothers hand waiting on long lines to get a small bag of sugar. Sugar in coffee was a thrill for Mom.

[oldstuffhaus]

Watching my father in uniform and my mother in her best dress walk out onto the dance floor , the music started and they flowed like a soft breeze. The next four years Mom danced with my aunts and and other ladys and they all sang and laughed . The men were gone and I never really understood the stresses of the times but I did know things would somehow work out. When it was over and my Dad came home the block parties must have gone on for months and there they were , dancing to every tune. RIP

[gmd213]

@oldstuffhaus

I just want to say that I was very moved when reading your comment. Found myself hoping that your Dad made it back and overjoyed to learn he did and that they were able to dance together again. It's important that you tell these things so we can appreciate the selflessness of that generation.

Thanks

[gmd213]

@oldstuffhaus

@oldstuffhaus

I just want to say that I was very moved when reading your comment. Found myself hoping that your Dad made it back and overjoyed to learn he did and that they were able to dance together again. It's important that you tell these things so we can appreciate the selflessness of that generation.

Thanks

[raynman1949]

Pat Boone did a great version!

[VAR1016]

Without doubt in my mind, the greatest song ever written; tears in my eyes - frequently when I listen.

And what a piano player was Hoagy Carmichael!

[micmoable]

a classic piece of music

[myselfsil]

It was one of my father's favorites, and he played it on the piano often, some 62 years ago. He sang along to it too. He a musician at heart I guess...but, in real life he was a judge...go figure

[PlayIt4MeAgainSam]

Music is the universal language! Many love music at heart. Hoagy was one of the greatest composers & pianists of all time. Hard to believe that it was 29yrs ago today that we lost Mr. Carmichael. Thankfully, his music remains.

[JerryJeanMusic]

Such a classic songwriter. Thanks for posting this. Inspired me to record one of his songs - hope you'll take a look :)

[channyandseddiefan]

I'm just a teenager, and today, I stumbled upon Two Sleepy People by Hoagy. I think I may have fallen in love with another age of music.

[movievaudeville]

Hoagy wrote this as an up-tempo piano instrumental in 1927. Mitchell Parish added the lyrics and Isham Jones recorded it as a ballad in 1930.

[movievaudeville]

According to the Curious Listener's Guide to Popular Standards, Hoagy wrote this as an up-tempo piano piece and copyrighted it that way in 1928. Mitchell Parish wrote the lyrics in '29, Isham Jones's orchestra slowed it down and did it as a ballad in 1930. Satchmo recorded it in '31 but the landmark recording was Artie Shaw in 1940 which sold over 2 million copies.

[pianoplaylist]

@movievaudeville Thank you for sharing these facts with us. The history of the American songbook always fascinates me.

[johnkenilworth]

@movievaudeville With respect, I disagree. The landmark orchestral was Irving Mills and the Hotsy Totsy Gang. The perfect vocals were Bing Crosby in 1930/31. Bing thought it the hardest song for any singer.

[johnkenilworth]

@movievaudeville I believe that Irving Mills and the Hotsy-Totsies also did it very early on, before Crosby's wonderful 1930/31 vocal version.

[vaughangarrick]

@movievaudeville In a book I have this is voted as the greatest song of all time-little wonder - the rambling idiosyncratic nature is pure bliss. I would give my left arm to have written something like this

[fearlissimo]

@movievaudeville

You can't copyright an arrangement, just lyrics and melody. This song only really works as a ballad. The Artie Shaw version is good but ditches the proper feel of the melody in order to fit Shaw's swing style.

The truncated Sinatra version is best forgotten.

[SSArcher11]

@movievaudeville A commonly held belief, or myth, is that he worked on it at the Indiana University campus in a building across from the Law School. It was a malt shop at the time, supposedly.

[TuberOnTheLoose]

@movievaudeville - And Hoagy himself said this song was based on a cornet solo that Bix Beiderbecke played.

[esteban578]

@movievaudeville wow man i wish there was a history music class id definitly would major in that and possibly go for a Ph d or invent an Mu'd hahaha

[16yearoldwhiteboy]

@movievaudeville Art Tatum also did a version of it I believe i love that one.

[grace230608]

I was born in 46 and my mother used to sit me on her lap and sing all these old songs to me. Today when I hear them the memories still linger on. Great. I love Elvis, he is the greatest of all time. It was a different age and innocence.

[pianoplaylist]

Oh, heavens yes. They were written some years after Hoagy wrote this tune in 1927. Search for Frank Sinatra's version or Johnny Mathis singing it on the Tonight Show in the 70's. Love Willie Nelson's version too!

[Dzing1110]

@pianoplaylist All good but no one sang this like Jo Stafford. Virtually perfect...even Hoagy said so> Try it, it's here on Youtube...you won't be disappointed!

[manmanguy]

@pianoplaylist Yes sir, I love the entire Willie Nelson Stardust album. Had no idea this man wrote this song. I sing it all the time. Kudos friend.

[PeluMaad]

@pianoplaylist ....I'm partial to Aaron Neville's version from "The Big Easy" soundtrack....

[musicD25]

is there lyrics? :o

i only kno michael buble had some to it.

[aggrivation1]

@musicD25

Yes....words were written by Parrish Mitchell. You can hear Hoagy singing Star Dust while playing the piano....YouTube...Decca Label (Canadian)> Enjoy!

[aggrivation1]

@musicD25 Yes...words were written by Mitchell Parish (Parrish?)

[momster777]

amazing.... is there a slower version? mine says to play in moderato cantabile but im not sure what speed that is.... could someone give me a heads up to roughly what tempo that is?

[Jazsngr]

This is one of the GREATEST songs ever composed ever!!!!

[Beach2Day]

A good piano bar, this music, a good girl, a good dance floor, and a guy gets to walk through Heaven for a while.

[Khrisstian0325]

Ahhh... what an awesome, gifted and talented musician! I look forward to learning a vocal rendition of Star Dust!... romantic tune!

[yeanderwolf]

just work it out by ear

if it's good enough for satchmo and co it's good enough for me!

I'l bet he never layed it note for note twice

way better than modern formulaic bollocks

[paulostroff99]

Memorable! TY.

[ttrains08]

There is a great website devoted to all the versions of this song

stardustsong

[ELVISETA1]

george harrison loved this music

[predlycon]

@ELVISETA1 nice. as in this particular song? or popular standards as a whole?

[ELVISETA1]

@predlycon he was a rocker but he loved Hoagy, Barnacle Bill....who doesn't? The Beatles were influenced by the standards.

[Wyattchicago]

@ELVISETA1 When John Lennon was killed, they found a stack of Bing Crosby records next to his bed.

[ELVISETA1]

@Wyattchicago THE BEATLES WERE FANS OF GREAT MUSIC, THE STANDARDS , ELVIS, COMPILED IT AND MADE THEIR OWN UNIQUE SONGS.....

[postumouse]

I had the sheet music years ago. It had Hoagy Carmichael's name as the writer so it must have been his work.

[missmtcowgirl]

@mindwa Hi there. We like Hoagy Carmichael music, and I wouldn't be surprised if you could find an original of Star Dust on eBay. Just an idea. I know dad knows that song and when he plays piano, he almost always plays at least part of it.

[nightowl4064]

yeah you probably just have to be creative with the phrasing. my teacher is teaching me about that and how most sheet music will be plain and simple, no phrasing added, and the player just has to know how to do it.

[eventide55]

I did see the music to this around 1970. So it does exist somewhere..

[CanadaPisces]

It is great to listen to the great Hoagy Carmichael! Thank you!

[pianoplaylist]

@mindwa I've never seen music to it at all. I'm not sure Hoagy ever played it the same way twice. The add that pops up on this vid says you can buy the mp3. I listened to the sample of what they are selling and it's Hoagy but it's a different rendition altogether.

[bug0292]

@pianoplaylist he never plays it the same way twice because he stole this song from my great grandfather, they were playing at the same club and my great grandpa left the sheet music sitting in the dressing room and Hoagy copied it down my great grandpa still had the original sheet music

(when he was alive)

[xNickyHazex]

this song was written in my great great grandmothers living room on her piano.

idk the whole story about it though

[firestartertwistedfi]

wow! seriously?

[xNickyHazex]

@firestartertwistedfi yes sir. my dad told me so i looked it up.

[BigDuckKetterer]

TenStarsplus !!!!!! A lot of people don't know that Hoagy Carmichael was a jazz musician also!!!!! That is why you hear the improvs on this particular recording!!!! Since it was Hoagy himself playing, he had a right to play his song any way he wanted to, without somebody saying someone tried to ruin this great song!!!!! RIP Hoagy Carmichael your work is still appreciated by us!!!!!!! Thank you for posting this fantabulous song for us to enjoy!!!!!!!

[BigDuckKetterer]

@joanka163 I was born in 1943and like most genres of music!!! Hoagy Carmichael is one of my faves!!! I remember my dad in his army uniform carrying me on his shoulders singing Mairzy Doats to me when I was 1 year old so that proves I'm from the 1940's !!!!! I wish Hoagy were still alive because I don't think he was done, when he passed away!!! Thank you for contacting me!!! Have a nice day my friend!!!!!!

[hypocrite23]

Hoagy used to make fudge with my great grandma during the holidays. Apparently, he loved it, cuz he was already "Hoagy Carmichael" and she couldn't care less. I'm told she handed him a bowl and said "make yourself useful kid". Long line of musicians, and Vaudeville in my family, so g. granny wasn't impressed with fame.

Thanks for posting this

[Hapworth1924]

49,000 view... i've watched this so many times. it's nice to appreciate beauty like this

[pianoplaylist]

@Hapworth1924 Great job on Buckets of Rain--you've got a nice touch on the guitar. What does the 1924 mean in your ID?

[Hapworth1924]

@pianoplaylist thank you :) I got Hapworth1924 from a short story by JD Salinger... I think the actual name of the story is Hapworth 16, 1924

[pianoplaylist]

@Hapworth1924 ...have you seen Stardust on YT by adrianholovaty? He's simultaneously recorded two video tracks of himself playing lead and background on the guitar. It's a real work of art.

[dixiejazz1]

Hoagy Carmichael left a legacy that few modern songwriters can match. How lovely it is to listen to him playing his own composition of this absolutely beautiful song. It was my mother's favorite and every time I hear it I think of her.

[gordondelma]

Love that G7#11

[stuckvalve11214]

didn't norton play swanee river as his intro to every song ?

[Hapworth1924]

all he needed was a piano... and the best melody of all time

[tompatterson182]

I didnt know you people could use youtube

[pianoplaylist]

@tompatterson182 Your comment is comical for a 26 year old. Which people are you referring to? People older than 26? People that like romantic piano pieces? People that remember when this song was new in 1927?

[BigDuckKetterer]

OMG So sad you NEVER hear this stuff any more!!!! I love rock n roll too but this stuff takes me back60 yrs when I was only 7 yrs old!!! TenStarsplus !!!!!!

[pianoplaylist]

@BigDuckKetterer I would love to sit down with you for just one hour and pick your brain about things from 60 years ago! I guess I'll just have to settle for learning from Turner Classic Movies. My favorite movies to learn from are the ones from the Depression era with the extraordinarily lavish sets. The wartime movies are good too. (...and the 50's movies!)

[jackierave]

@pianoplaylist

Hi, would be glad to supply you with names to tunes of long ago......... My Mama sang around the house and of course knew all the songs her older sister sang + the ones that were on the radio when she was a girl......... you use a good reference with the old movies etc. But let me know if you are interested.

[joanka163]

@BigDuckKetterer

The way you write makes me question if you really are from the 40's.

[conguera]

@BigDuckKetterer There's a program on NPR called American Standards By The Sea, broadcast every week from Dick Robinson's yacht. You can listen online, if you don't get it on your local station. It's at yachtamusic dot youknowwhat. (or Google it)

[gwatson678]

@BigDuckKetterer I agree, my father used to listen to this when I was a child (45 years ago). O'my..how the time flies by.

[maurocerutti]

♥

[Wandalandowskaya47]

Carmen Cavallaro, please.

[draynom]

The only song I've heard where the introduction is a song in its own right,

Hoagy Charmichael was one of the truly great songwriters of the 1930's 40s and 50s Stardust - WONDERFUL

[pianoplaylist]

I agree with you...and there are other examples of intros on standards that are seemingly unrelated to the familiar tunes they preceed, like: from "This day and age" to "...cannot be removed" on AS TIME GOES BY, and from "One day we walked" to "...shadow of the smile" on THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE.

[pianoplaylist]

Of course, I meant melodically unrelated.

[odysseetheater]

this is pure magic! the master himself .. no one could ever come close to this class,not even nat king cole with his version of this wonderful pice....

[R0bbiam]

Thank You for Posting. Incredible!

[ront1971]

This is such a great posting, thanks!

[TATOE5764]

this is a song my dad always played on the piano when I was a kid. He played alot of blues and jazz. How I miss hearing him play.

[akarpowicz]

Many thanks for posting.

[TedRob1958]

Hoagy was without doubt a star, I have the honour of owning a copy of the sheet music for Stardust. I have loved it for most of my life, having heard my dad play it 45 years ago. I'm now 51 and love it just as much. The tune is complex but the laid back style is brilliant.

[atpmusic9]

can i have a copy? if it's okay with you....

[odysseetheater]

you are completey right - this music will live forever, no "valid until" date..... just maagic and very very complex.......

[frankbinggene]

I have been searching for Hoagy Carmichael's Stardust since the 1940's. I haven't been able to play my 78 of him that I bought back in the 20's because it is getting to old and worn and I want to preserve it. Thanks so much for posting it. Hoagy was a true musical artist that no one could compare to.

[TATOE5764]

I found a CD a Borders

[AsherSax]

You're not serious when you're talking about buying the record in the 20s and such, are you? I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I don't see too many people over 100 using Youtube. I was just a bit confused by your comment, unless it's true and valid.

Please respond, and thank you for your time.

[PsYcHo14]

I love this song so much I got the first few measures tattooed on my forarm under a jukebox shaped like a sacred heart. next songs are string of pearls and sleepwalker. maybe moonlight sarenade as well. great post by the way

[SarasProductions]

there is a whole carmichael hall at the highschool in Indiana

[jammyjo610]

complex tune

[elurstit]

This was what my parents called 'their song'.

[tastybitepizza]

is there a version with him sing online?

[straightwhiteguy]

.... just beautiful...

[MyRuno]

What a genious melody. Back then they really could make marvellous music. Not like the rubbish they make today. Listen to what that slut Madonna "sings" and you know what I mean. This melody is absolute magic. And of course its written by a man. Very few women have contributed to music history, and no one like Hoagy

[teegees1]

madonna you obviously know nothing she is an entertainer... not a musician thats all these folks are now adays..... she is a great entertainer never really was a musician good singer though...

stop hating.

The musicians now are very few but better because of him and liberace little richard ray charles others and technology

[abet1967]

Madonna vs. Hoagy Carmichael? Ha haaaaaaaa!!! I heard that Hoagy was a slut in HIS day.

[MrPontiusPilate]

You sound like you have a problem with women.

[RudySunseeker]

You are right, many of today´s so called stars haven´t much talent, they are just backed-up exhibitionists playing to the general stupidity and cluelessness of ignorant young people.

[Jakatra]

I have never heard the original 'Stardust' played by Hoagy Carmichael. What he does with the tune! Amazing. As a singer it is very important to me. Thanks for posting this.

[nltemple1]

What a talent from the heartland of America (Terre Haute, IN) one of the best ever.

[yarnwench50]

My grandfather was a frat brother of Hoagy's at Indiana University. Hoagy taught him how to play the piano. They used to load a piano into a pickup truck and a gang of musicians would head out to the woods and jam all night while drinking bootleg whiskey. This is a favorite story I have from my grandfather.

[stlivermore]

Just as long as its not one of those yarns! Smile.

[TheMelomaniac]

Nice. I love this version of Stardust

[vichy766]

I always feel a close bond between the people of the era who lived just prior to WW2. Though time moves on, it's very reassuring to have known these wonderfully talented people. of all walks of life. Such an incredibly lofty imaginative time, music, cars, flight, nice.

[Teddy7214]

brings back a lot of memories

[Ralphjons]

We know how this song has been treated over the years and its interesting how it has developed into the classic standard jazz ballad that it is today. Hoagy Carmichael never weotte a bad one.

[samuelshepard]

so true..

[01CUSTER]

SIMPLEMENTE GENIO DE LOS GENIOS.....

[stlivermore]

From the source, a genuine glimplse into the composer's personality. Thanks for sharing this precious gem.

[Frankhaghi]

The best version of this song, bar none, is by Larry Adler.

[Disco0Penguin]

amazing

[madguitarest33]

I highly doubt you will believe me but hoagy is like my grandma's cousin. I swear I found out during a geneoligie project

[jimmykid9]

did you happen to find that one of his second or third cousin was named earl carmichael?i'm just asking because my great-grandmother margie carmichael said that my great-grandfather was related to him and visited him in illinois or something.

[tuxguys]

In the book, "The House that Geroge Built," by Wilfrid Sheed, read the chapter on Carmichael... You've just heard an incomparable gem here, and you don't even realize it.

[pianoplaylist]

Thanks for your input and the suggestion on where I can read about him. I fully believe you, considering I know of another book about another man, which is also the most beautiful story ever told, and people hear it and don't even realize it.

[tuxguys]

I misspelled "George," sorry... and I believe the book to which you refer had multiple authors over several centuries. The "George" book simply has one author, over a span of about seven years.

[odysseetheater]

interesting that the author himself ist not making the best performace of his song. well but it would be the same if every songwriter sings his own songs.. OMG !!!

[pianoplaylist]

Isn't that the truth! His successors played it much better than he.

[trissethomsen]

It's better played by Glenn Miller (1940 version) or sung by Nat Cole ... but still beautiful ...