Cafe Songbook The Great American Songbook

"Star Dust": Song History, Commentary, Discography, Performances on Video

"Star Dust"

In 1929, Parish was asked to finish a lyric that had been partially completed. Two years earlier, a young Hoagy Carmichael had written an instrumental that he called "Star Dust." The song was just another dance band number played at a medium tempo, with a melody inspired by the phrasing of legendary cornetist Bix Beiderbecke. A snippet of a lyric had been written by a saxophonist named Wally Wilson that began: "I sometimes wonder why I spend my time dreaming of a song; A melody that haunts my reverie," but that was as far as he got. Parish added to this idea and created one of the classics in all of popular music. It was a song about a song that didn't exist; a completely new idea that would make Mitchell Parish a wealthy man. In Parish's hands, Star Dust had now become a ballad, perfect for everyone from crooners like Bing Crosby to crusty jazz singers like Louis Armstrong. The song was soon being sung by nearly every singer who graced a stage in vaudeville, on record, and radio.

Notes

Questions

What is Star Dust?

In 1929, Parish was asked to finish a lyric that had been partially completed. Two years earlier, a young Hoagy Carmichael had written an instrumental that he called "Star Dust." The song was just another dance band number played at a medium tempo, with a melody inspired by the p

How should Star Dust be cited?

Cite this page as ""Star Dust": Song History, Commentary, Discography, Performances on Video," Cafe Songbook, https://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songs/s/star_dust.html

Which Cafe Songbook pages are related?

Also read "Stars Fell on Alabama" (https://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songs/s/stars_fell_on_alabama.html); "Stairway to the Stars" (https://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songs/s/stairway_to_the_stars.html); "Stay as Sweet as You Are" (https://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songs/s/stay_as_sweet_as_you_are.html); "Stairway to Paradise" (https://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songs/s/stairway_to_paradise.html).

Cite this page: "Star Dust": Song History, Commentary, Discography, Performances on Video, Cafe Songbook, https://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songs/s/star_dust.html