Starting the Lifelong Process of Learning Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust"
Jazz standards lay the foundation to becoming a great musician. For example, Charlie Parker had the entire American Songbook memorized in all keys. In his autobiography, Miles Davis stated that Parker was one of the only musicians that he knew that always knew exactly what to play. That came from discipline and from years of study. There are no shortcuts: the only way to do it is one day at a time, one song at a time.
Learning a song is a lifelong process. As you grow and change, how you interpret a song changes based on your new experiences. Today, I started a lifelong journey of learning a song that I've never played before: Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust".
Really learning a song takes a long time because there are so many things to consider:
- The lyrics: what do they mean and why were they written?
- The composer: what was his or her struggle? What life challenges did the person overcome to write the song? How was writing the song and the song's success a triumph for them?
- The inspiration: How can the song inspire me? What story or message does the song convey
- The recordings: Who has recorded really great historical versions of the song.
Learning the notes of the song is only a very small part of the overall learning process. Today, I played Stardust in C major (no sharps or flats), but I still have to learn the notes in 14 other keys (0-7 sharps and 0-7 flats). As I'm learning the notes, I'm also going to learn the answers to questions 1-4 above, which I'll post below. Songs are stories and we as musicians are storytellers. The more stories we learn and tell, the more fluent we become at the art of telling stories through the melodies that we play.
The Lyrics
Stardust is a song about remembering someone you loved. The lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish in 1929, two years after Hoagy Carmichael composed the melody. They describe what it feels like to think about a person who is no longer in your life. You hear a melody, and it brings them back, if only for a moment. The words and music work together to create a quiet, emotional space where those memories can live. That’s why the song connects with so many people.
The Composer
Hoagy Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was born in Bloomington, Indiana. He grew up in a working-class family and started out studying law. His life was not easy. He lost his sister at a young age and dealt with financial hardship. Music was something that gave him comfort and direction, but it was not a guaranteed path. He wrote Stardust while he was still trying to figure things out. The melody came to him during a peaceful moment alone at the piano. That simple act of writing it down led to something far bigger than he could have imagined. Stardust became one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century and helped establish his career. For him, it marked a turning point.
The most important thing that I learned from this section is that people who have an easy life rarely succeed. The difficulties strengthen your resolve, and make you resilient to keep on trying, even when you fail.
Bloomington in 1899: A Small Town with Big Hopes
When Hoagy Carmichael was born in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1899, the town was a quiet but growing community nestled in the rolling hills of southern Indiana. With a population of just over 6,000, it was small enough that everyone seemed to know each other, but large enough to offer the stirrings of culture and opportunity. Indiana University sat at the heart of the town, giving Bloomington an academic presence that few rural towns could match. Music was part of daily life, heard in churches, school recitals, and at occasional traveling performances. The local economy revolved around limestone quarries, railroad work, and small businesses. Most residents were white, and the African-American population was very small. At the time, Bloomington had little direct connection to the jazz culture that was beginning to emerge in southern cities like New Orleans.
Carmichael spent most of his childhood and early adulthood in Bloomington. These were his formative years, and the town left a deep impression on him. Although Bloomington did not have a strong African-American or jazz scene, Carmichael encountered Black musicians through the Chitlin' Circuit and his own travels. What Bloomington did provide was a sense of emotional honesty and working-class grit. He saw people survive hardship with quiet determination, and that sensibility stayed with him. The presence of Indiana University exposed him to educated voices and refined traditions, but the music that truly moved him came from more raw and emotional places. He heard early forms of ragtime and blues from outside the classroom, often from transient performers and African-American workers passing through the region. Bloomington gave him his first piano, his first sense of longing, and the quiet space to begin creating something uniquely his own.
How the Song Inspires Me
I don't know the song's lyrics yet, but I love the Stardust melody. I read recently that Branford Marsalis spends much more time focused on the melody of the song than on learning the chord changes. I like that approach because the melody is where most of the story lives. The chords and lyrics are like decorations that make the story more colorful, but the melody is the thing that people will most remember.
Historical Recordings
Many musicians have recorded Stardust over the years, each one bringing a different point of view. Louis Armstrong added his signature warmth and phrasing. Nat King Cole’s version feels gentle and private. Ella Fitzgerald gave it clarity and grace. Willie Nelson stripped it down and delivered it like a quiet memory.
Before I did research for this article, I had already heard many versions of the song. The one I knew best was Willie Nelson’s. But when I found out that Ella Fitzgerald had recorded it, I had to go listen. As with all of her work, it’s amazing. Once I learn the notes in all 15 keys, I’ll start playing along with these historic versions, one by one.