‘Stella by Starlight’ is a song from the 1944 Paramount film “The Uninvited,” a ghost story starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, and Gail Russell. It was composed by Victor Young as the film’s recurrent theme, but it becomes a dramatic focal point when Milland’s character Rod serenades his Stella, played by Gail Russell. Looking out the window while Rod is at his grand piano Stella asks what he is playing. Rod replies, “It’s a serenade. ‘To Stella by Starlight.’” The movie gained good reviews, remaining a favorite among lovers of classic cinematography. It showcases an early example of how chilly can a story be when more is left to the imagination than to explicit graphics. It was directed by Lewis Allen, an English film and television director, who worked mainly in the United States.
In May of 1947, “Stella by Starlight,” recorded by Harry James and His Orchestra, rose to number 21 on the pop charts. Two months later, in July, Frank Sinatra’s recording of the song with Axel Stordahl and His Orchestra also reached the 21st place.
The first jazz recording of the song came in January 1952, from the jazz great Charlie Parker. His version was shortly followed by Stan Getz’s in December, that same year, and in 1953, a piano version by Bud Powell, and a rendition by the big band of Stan Kenton were recorded and released.
Originally played in the film as an instrumental theme song without lyrics, it was turned over to Ned Washington, who wrote the lyrics for it in 1946. The addition of words was to everyone’s advantage - it increased the chances of the song becoming a pop hit, and a vocal hit could promote the film and vice-versa. The song had already been titled, and Washington had to incorporate the phrase into his lyrics. The lyricist found he could only fit the title one place in the song, and as a result “Stella by Starlight” is unusual in that its title is not at the beginning or end of the song but about three-quarters of the way through. Notable vocal performances of the song include those of Billy Eckstine, Dick Haymes, Ray Charles, Anita O'Day, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others.
Many recordings of “Stella By Starlight” have been made in a ballad style. The version of the tune recorded by Miles Davis and his Sextet (“The Complete Columbia Recordings: Miles Davis & John Coltrane”) starts gently but evolves into a hard-swinging performance. It is one of the last recordings Miles did with John Coltrane and Paul Chambers, with Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans and Jimmy Cobb rounding out the group. Another notable version by Miles is with his Second Great Quintet. With his classic 1960s group, Miles elegantly takes this tune in so many directions that it hardly seems as though it could be a single performance.
Here are some wonderful versions of the song. Enjoy!
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JAZZ STANDARDS VOL.8 - ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE
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JAZZ STANDARDS VOL.6 - NANCY (WITH A LAUGHING FACE)
JAZZ STANDARDS VOL.5 - MY FUNNY VALENTINE
JAZZ STANDARDS VOL.4 - AUTUMN LEAVES
JAZZ STANDARDS VOL.3 - 'ROUND MIDNIGHT
JAZZ STANDARDS VOL.2 - BODY AND SOUL
JAZZ STANDARDS VOL.1 - YOU GO TO MY HEAD
