Stardust is a popular song written in 1927 by Hoagy Carmichael, with lyrics added later by Mitchell Parish.
It is a very pretty, romantic ballad, normally in C major, with an introductory verse that lends itself to rubato interpretation, and the chorus opens with the words : "Sometimes I wonder why I spend the lonely night, Dreaming of a song ...". The chorus melody begins with extended phrases in the subdominant key of F, creating a sense of unresolved melodic tension which complements the wistful lyric beautifully.
There are over 1800 recordings made of the tune in the 20th century, both by popular singers and jazz musicians, with whom it became a popular standard.
Amongst the many recordings :
Nat King Cole youtube link
Louis Armstrong, same
Ben Webster and again.
This is an example of how a great tune lends itself to radically different interpretation in the hands of great artists.
sources :
wikipedia
recordings (see above)