Some American songwriters had an uncanny ability to write nearly timeless songs. Among them, Hoagy Carmichael was one of the greatest. Hoagy wrote many classics, including "The Nearness of You," "Georgia on My Mind," and "Washboard Blues," but his most famous song was "Stardust."

With lyrics by Mitchell Parish, "Stardust" became an American standard. Artists who hit the charts with it include Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Tommy Dorsey, Bing Crosby, and Louis Armstrong. It's probably only a matter of time before someone else makes a splash with it again. So here are the lyrics:

And now the purple dusk of twilight time
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that were 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 why I spend
The lonely night 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
Now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song

Beside a garden wall
When stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale tells his fairy tale
A paradise where roses bloom
Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of loves refrain

Fun Wiki facts: Hoagy Carmichael also had a career as an actor, and Ian Fleming sometimes described James Bond as looking like Hoagy with a scar across his face.