| Composer | Victor Young |
| Lyricist | Ned Washington |
| Year Written | 1944 |
About This Song
“Stella By Starlight” was written as an instrumental song for the 1944 film The Uninvited. Ned Washington’s lyrics were added in 1944. The song has become a jazz classic, with significant recordings by Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and Anita O’Day, among others.
View the lyrics
The song a robin sings
Through years of endless springs
The murmur of a brook at even tide
That ripples through a nook where two lovers hide
The great symphonic theme
That’s Stella by starlight
And not a dream
My heart and I agree
She’s everything on this earth to me
Recordings
1961
Tony Bennett recorded “Stella By Starlight” on April 6, 1961. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement.
CO 66569
Release History
| 1961 | Columbia LP 12″: CS 8458 — My Heart Sings |
| 1961 | Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 1658 — My Heart Sings |
| 1961 | Philips LP 12″ (Mono): BBL 7495 — My Heart Sings (UK) |
| 1967 | Hallmark LP 12″: SHM 769 — The Very Thought Of You |
| 1969 | Columbia LP 12″: CS 9891 — Love Story: 20 All-Time Great Recordings |
| 1971 | Harmony LP 12″: KH 30758 — The Very Thought Of You |
| 1987 | CBS LP 12″: 4504651 — Jazz (UK) |
| 1987 | Columbia LP 12″: C2 40424 — Jazz |
| 1987 | Columbia CD: CGK 40424 — Jazz |
| 1990 | CBS/Sony CD: CSCS-5245 — My Heart Sings [Japan] |
| 1991 | Columbia CD: C4K 46843 — Forty Years – The Artistry Of Tony Bennett |
| 1993 | CBS/Sony CD: SRCS-6641 — Forty Years: The Artistry Of Tony Bennett |
| 2004 | Columbia/Legacy CD: C5K 92784 — Fifty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett |
| 2005 | Columbia CD: 94299 — Jazz Moods: Cool (2005) |
| 2011 | Columbia: The Complete Collection — Disc 20 — My Heart Sings |
| 2013 | Columbia — Sixty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett |