Star Dust Memories

In a corner of the Mariano’s store at which I occasionally shop, there’s a baby grand piano. On Sundays pianists come and play there. As I waited in the checkout line, today’s pianist began playing the song in the video above.

Me (to the cashier): Do you know what song he’s playing?

Cashier (in her late teens or twenties): No.

Me: That’s Star Dust, Hoagy Carmichael.

The original version of Star Dust, composed in 1927 by Hoagy Carmichael was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1995 and into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2004. Considered by many the finest song of the 20th century, it has been beloved by three generations.

But culture is ephemeral now and the young people of today barely know the popular music of last year let alone of the last century. Or if it’s in a Disney cartoon. That suits the corporate owners but not the culture. Poetry and stage plays are practically unknown. The Sound of Music is a movie starring Julia Andrews spinning in a mountain meadow or, worse yet, a television program featuring Carrie Underwood. Camelot is known only from the execrable movie.

Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely nights
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.

7 comments… add one
  • PD Shaw Link

    I enjoyed listening and would have been able to recognize the song from dating/marrying a few piano players, more of the former than the latter as I personally believe it should be, but if asked, I would have guessed Gershwin wrote it.

  • Guarneri Link

    Kids these days.

    So many good covers. This one they used in Goodfellas.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rHRtrpW7FUo

  • Mercer Link

    ” culture is ephemeral now ”

    Not all culture. Sousa is still played every July fourth and White Christmas every December. I heard Blue Skies, a song older then Stardust, in a car commercial today.

    I think we would hear more old songs if copyright terms were shorter.

  • bob sykes Link

    Thank you. I’m old enough to remember TV variety shows. The great standards were often featured, and often we got live renditions on places like the Ed Sullivan Show.

    Modern American culture is truly awful. And the slide into race war is frightening.

  • sam Link

    My favorite version

  • sam Link

    Damn. That’s Willy Nelson’s version from the album Stardust.

  • I took the liberty of putting the Youtube video in. It’s lovely and highlights why Nelson thinks of himself as a jazz musician. Country is just where the money is.

    There are loads of good covers, especially Armstrong’s which Carmichael thought was superior to his own. It helps when you’re one of the most important musicians of the century.

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