“Stardust” is a jazz song composed by American singer, songwriter and musician Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. In 1927, after leaving a local hangout, Carmichael started to whistle a tune that he later developed into Stardust. Later that year, Carmichael recorded an instrumental version of the song for Gennett Records.

In 1928, Mills Music hired Carmichael as a composer. Mills Music then assigned Mitchell Parish to add words to the song. Don Redman recorded the song the same year, and by 1929, it was performed regularly at the Cotton Club. Duke Ellington performed the song at the club, while the revue Hot Chocolates featured a version by Louis Armstrong. Isham Jones’s 1930 rendition of the song made it popular on radio, and soon multiple acts had recorded “Stardust”. Because of the song’s popularity, by 1936, RCA Victor pressed a double-sided version that featured Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman on respective sides.

By 1940, the song was considered a standard. That same year, RCA Victor released two more recordings of “Stardust”: one by Dorsey featuring Frank Sinatra as the singer and one by Artie Shaw. Shaw’s recording sold one million copies and Glenn Miller’s rendition was published the same year. Artists including Jo Stafford, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Billy Ward and his Dominoes, Ringo Starr, and Willie Nelson have recorded “Stardust”.

Today it is considered not only a standard, but part of the Great American Songbook. The song has been recorded over 1,500 times either as an instrumental or vocal track, featuring different performers. Different versions of the song have appeared in films, including Stardust Memories (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Casino (1995), The Aviator (2004), A Star Is Born (2018), and Captive State (2019).