The 1927 Jazz Standard Paul McCartney Wishes He'd Written—and Later Helped ...

The Forgotten Song Paul McCartney Wishes Was His. Unlike many of his peers, McCartney has never been a musician who kept his compliments to himself. He’s always been generous with his words about his fellow musicians and their work.

In one conversation, McCartney nodded to several songs he wished he had a part in.  “There’s always a couple that I hear that I think I’d have liked [to have written,” McCartney pondered. “I liked Sting’s ‘Fields Of Gold,’ and I thought: ‘Y’know what, I should have written that’…How dare he? I told him: ‘You stole my song.’ I thought that was a nice one, y’know?”

While he mentioned several songs, there was one he put an importance on from the ’20s.

“I don’t really want to have written anyone else’s songs, but, as a fantasy question, I love ‘Stardust’ by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish,” McCartney once said. “It’s a beautiful song.”

When thinking of songs McCartney could be envious of, the mind immediately goes to a blues number, given the Beatles’ affinity for that genre. However, McCartney’s sound has always been diverse, so it stands to reason his listening habits would be the same.
“Stardust”

“Stardust” is a jazz standard that has been recorded and performed countless times. But the most enduring rendition comes from Nat King Cole in 1957.  Sometimes I wonder why I spend / The lonely night dreaming of a song / The melody haunts my reverie / And I am once again with you, the lyrics to this timeless love song read.

McCartney did get to arrange a version of this song for Ringo Starr’s debut solo album, Sentimental Journey. McCartney’s love for this standard is plain to see, as evidenced by the stunning version he gave to his former bandmate.

Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com