Hodges was apparently aware of this effect, leaving the Ellington orchestra in the 1950's, to be replaced by the stellar alto man, Willie Smith, formerly the lead alto star of the Jimmy Lunceford Orchestra. This situation somehow benefitted neither Ellington or Hodges, with the Ellington orchestra losing a certain luster despite Mr. Smith's excellence, and with major stardom just beyond Mr. Hodges' reach.
Luckily for the listener the recordings Mr. Hodges left behind as a leader, while arguably eluding stardom for the artist at the time, are nonpareil examples of relaxed swing, subtle inflection and perfect phrasing, peerless tone and seemingly effortless technique. More luck for the listener, Mr. Hodges later rejoined the Ellington fold, returning a signature sound to the orchestra's unique palette for many years after.
It has been reported that the Ellington orchestra worked nearly 365 days a year. When asked about this grueling schedule Mr. Ellington said something to the effect that he would settle for nothing less than the finest artists for his orchestra. What with the necessarily high salaries accorded an orchestra of virtuosos, the band had to work often in order to survive. Certainly no one in the Ellington orchestra more exemplified Mr. Ellington's highest standards than Johhny Hodges.
Stardust
Johnny Hodges Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by.
Sometimes I wonder, how 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
Besides the garden wall, when stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale
Tells his fairytale
Of paradise, where roses grew
Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love's refrain.
In the song Stardust, the lyrics talk about the author's feelings of sadness as he remembers a past love. He first describes twilight and the stars, using a metaphor that the purple dusk of twilight represents the sadness he feels, and the stars are a reminder of his separation from his love. He then talks about how he spends his lonely nights, dreaming of a song he and his love used to share when their love was new. This melody continues to haunt him even though he knows their love has ended. He describes a memory of holding his love under the stars as the nightingale sings of a paradise beyond the garden wall, where roses grow. He admits that he dreams in vain, but the memory of the stardust melody remains in his heart.
Line by Line Meaning
And now the purple dusk of twilight time
The evening is falling and the sky is turning purple
Steals across the meadows of my heart
The feeling of sadness is covering me slowly
High up in the sky the little stars climb
The stars are visible in the sky, shining above
Always reminding me that we're apart
The stars remind me that my loved one is not with me
You wander down the lane and far away
You have wandered far away from me
Leaving me a song that will not die
You left me with a song that I will never forget
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
Our past love is now just a memory
The music of the years gone by.
The music reminds me of the past years
Sometimes I wonder, how I spend
I often wonder how I spend
The lonely nights
The nights when I am lonely
Dreaming of a song
I dream of a particular melody
The melody
The tune of the song I dream of
Haunts my reverie
It haunts my thoughts and daydreams
And I am once again with you
In my dreams, I am with you once again
When our love was new
When our love was young and fresh
And each kiss an inspiration
Each kiss gave me inspiration
But that was long ago
But that time has passed a long time ago
And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song
Now my comfort is in remembering our love through the song
Besides the garden wall, when stars are bright
When the stars are bright beside the garden wall
You are in my arms
I hold you in my arms
The nightingale
The bird nightingale
Tells his fairytale
It sings its beautiful song
Of paradise, where roses grew
Of a place like paradise where roses bloomed
Though I dream in vain
Although my dreams are futile and hopeless
In my heart it will remain
In my heart, I will always remember it
My stardust melody
The song that reminds me of our love
The memory of love's refrain.
The memory of the music that our love made
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER GENTRY, JOHN HUTCHINSON DEAN, MATTHEW EVERITT, SIMON IAN WHITE, STUART BLACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind