Stardust

By Hoagy Carmichael & Mitchell Parish
1927

In honor of my grandfather, who passed away on December 4, I give you the single most popular standard of all time, and one of his very favorite songs. Composed on an old upright piano at the Keuka Hotel on Keuka Lake in New York, this unusual melody was based by Carmichael on the idiosyncratic stylings of trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke. Carmichael himself was the first to record it, together with the Dorsey brothers. Parish joined Carmichael to come up with the lyrics two years later, making it "a love song about a love song," as Hoagy would characterize it. It was Isham Jones who turned it into a ballad in 1930, and from there it became one of the most recorded songs of all time. In fact, during the big band era, it was the most recorded pop songs, period--more than 1,500 versions are believed to exist.

With its gorgeous verse and a complex refrain, Stardust is the ultimate American standard, and I happily dedicate it to the memory of Anthony Salica.

Lyrics:

And now the purple dusk of twilight time steals across the meadows of my heart.
High up in the sky, the little stars climb, always reminding me that we're apart.
You wander down the lane and far away, leaving a smile that will not die.
Love is now the stardust of yesterday; the music of the years gone by...

Sometime I wonder why I spend the lonely night
Dreaming of a song.
The melody haunts my reverie,
And I am once again with you,
When our love was new, and each kiss an inspiration.
But that was long ago, and now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song.

Beside a garden wall where stars are bright,
You are in my arms.
The nightingale tells his fairytale,
Of paradise where roses bloom.
Though I dream in vain,
In my heart you will remain,
My stardust memory...the melody of love's refrain.

Recorded By:

Louis Armstrong
Nat King Cole
Artie Shaw
John Coltrane
Ella Fitzgerald

Georgia on My Mind

By Hoagy Carmichael & Stuart Gorrell
1930

One of the pillars of the Great American Songbook, penned by one of its most underrated tunesmiths. Writing primarily for Tin Pan Alley and not the stage, Carmichael was often looked down upon in comparison to other songwriters, but this and "Stardust" are not only his unquestioned masterpieces, they are two of the finest pieces of popular music ever created. Hoagy himself introduced the song on record, accompanied by legendary cornet player Bix Beiderbecke in what would be Bix's final recording session. Today, it is most associated with the Ray Charles rendition, recorded some 30 years later.

* This post is dedicated to Standard of the Day supporter Judy Segor.

Lyrics:

Georgia, Georgia,
The whole day through.
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind.

Georgia, Georgia,
The song of you
Come as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines.

Other arms reach out to me,
Others eyes smile tenderly.
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you.

Georgia, Georgia,
No peace I find.
Just an old sweet song,
Keeps Georgia on my mind.

Recorded By:

Ray Charles
Willie Nelson
Lou Rawls
Anita O'Day
Jerry Lee Lewis

In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening

By Hoagy Carmichael & Johnny Mercer
1951

The formidable duo of Carmichael and Mercer teamed up to create this irresisibly jaunty tune--which won the Academy Award--for the film Here Comes the Groom. It was introduced in the movie by the two stars, the incomparable Bing Crosby and then-Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman. A fine merger of a Carmichael melody and Mercer lyric.

Lyrics:

In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Tell 'em I'll be there
In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Save your pappy a chair
When the party's getting a glow on
And singin' fills the air
In the shank of the night
When the doin's are right
Well you can tell em I'll be there

I like a barbecue
I like to boil a ham
And I vote for bola baste stew
What's that?
I like a weenie bake, steak and a layer cake
And you'll get a tummy ache too
We'll rent a tent or a teepee
Let the town crier cry
"All's well!"
And if it's RSVP
This is what I'll reply

In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Tell 'em we'll be there
If you need a pair of freeloaders
To fracture your affair
I may even give them Pagliacci
Now stand back and give him air
If one can relax and we'll have a few yaks
And you can tell them we'll be there

"Oui," said the bumblebee
"Let's have jubilee."
"When?" said the prairie hen, "Soon?"
"Sure," said the dinosaur
"Where?" said the grisly bear
"Under the light of the moon."
"How about your brother, jackass?"
Everyone gaily cried
"Are you coming to the fracas?"
Ain't gonna blow it
"And all the respects," he sighed

In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Tell 'em I'll be there
In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Stick 'em on my hair
If perchance we look a bit peeked
Remember se la guerre
If we're still on our feet
And there's something to eat
Well you can tell them we'll be there

In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Tell 'em I'll be there
In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Better save a chair
When the party's getting a glow on
And singin' fills the air
If there's gas in my hack
and my laundry is back
If there's room for one more
And you need me
Why sure
If you need a new face or a tenor or base
If I can climb out of bed and put a head on my head
Well you can tell 'em we'll be there.

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Bette Midler
Dean Martin
Frankie Laine & Jo Stafford
Ray Conniff

Heart and Soul

By Hoagy Carmichael & Frank Loesser
1938

One of the most instantly recognizable standards of all time--so much so that it rivals "Chopsticks" as the most common song used by those learning to play piano. Carmichael's melody follows a chord progression that would later become popular with doo-wop songs. The song was introduced by the Larry Clinton orchestra, featuring Bea Wain. It famously figured in the Tom Hanks film Big, in which Hanks and Robert Loggia "danced" out the notes on a giant piano.

Lyrics:

Heart and soul, I fell in love with you,
Heart and soul, the way a fool would do,
Madly...
Because you held me tight,
And stole a kiss in the night...

Heart and soul, I begged to be adored,
Lost control, and tumbled overboard,
Gladly...
That magic night we kissed,
There in the moon mist.

Oh! but your lips were thrilling, much too thrilling,
Never before were mine so strangely willing.

But now I see, what one embrace can do,
Look at me, it's got me loving you,
Madly...
That little kiss you stole,
Held all my heart and soul.

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald
Dave Brubeck
Milt Jackson
Dean Martin
Mel Torme

Two Sleepy People

By Hoagy Carmichael & Frank Loesser
1938

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Frank Loesser on June 29, 1910. To honor this centennial, Standard of the Day will be spotlighting Loesser songs throughout the month of June, in a little tribute I call "Heart and Soul." We kick it off with this charmer, written by Loesser with fellow songwriting giant Hoagy Carmichael. Loesser's delightful lyric concerns a couple so enthralled by each others' company that they refuse to part, despite being exhausted. It was introduced by Bob Hope & Shirley Ross as a companion piece to "Thanks for the Memories" from the previous year.

Lyrics:

Here we are, out of cigarettes,
Holding hands and yawning,
Look how late it gets.
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
And too much in love to say goodnight.

Here we are, in a cozy chair;
Pickin' on a wishbone from the frigidaire.
Two sleepy people with nothing to say,
And too much in love to break away.

Do you remember the nights we used to linger in the hall?
Your father didn't like me at all.
Do you remember the reason why we married in the fall?
To rent this little nest and get a bit of rest.

Well, here we are just about the same,
Foggy little fella, drowsy little dame.
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
And too much in love to say goodnight.

Recorded By:

Fats Waller
Carly Simon
Al Bowlly
Dean Martin
Art Garfunkel

I Get Along Without You Very Well

By Hoagy Carmichael
1939

A sublime tune by Carmichael, who based his lyrics on a poem by Jane Brown Thompson. Ironically, Thompson passed away the night before the song was introduced on the radio by Dick Powell. The big hit would come that year for the Red Norvo orchestra. Hoagy himself would play the song in the 1952 movie The Las Vegas Story.

Lyrics:

I get along without you very well,
Of course I do.
Except when soft rains fall,
And drip from leaves, then I recall
The thrill of being sheltered in your arms.
Of course, I do.
But I get along without you very well.

I've forgotten you just like I should,
Of course I have.
Except to hear your name,
Or someones laugh that is the same.
But I've forgotten you just like I should.

What a guy, what a fool am I
To think my breaking heart could kid the moon.
What's in store? Should I phone once more?
No, it's best that I stick to my tune.

I get along without you very well,
Of course I do.
Except perhaps in spring, but I should never think of spring,
For that would surely break my heart in two.

Recorded By:

Chet Baker
Charlie Barnet
Frank Sinatra
Diana Krall
Peggy Lee

The Nearness of You

By Hoagy Carmichael & Ned Washington
1938

Can it possibly be that this is the first Hoagy Carmichael song covered on Standard of the Day? Apparently so! Carmichael's quiet, sweet ode to love was introduced with a hit record by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, with Ray Eberle on vocals. Several years ago, Norah Jones brought new attention to it by including a recording on her acclaimed debut album Come Away With Me.

Lyrics:

It's not the pale moon that excites me,
That thrills and delights me.
Oh no,
It's just the nearness of you.

It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation.
Oh no,
It's just the nearness of you.

When you're in my arms, and I feel you so close to me,
All my wildest dreams come true.

I need no soft lights to enchant me,
If you would only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight,
And to feel in the night
The nearness of you.

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Frank Sinatra
Diana Krall
Keith Richards
Les Brown