During the 1940s in particular Ellington wrote pieces that became standards, including "Things Ain't What They Used to Be", "Jumpin' Punkins", "Moon Mist", and "Blue Serge".
In den 1940er Jahren schrieb er einige Stücke die später zu Jazzstandards wurden, darunter Things Ain’t What They Used to Be, Jumpin’ Punkins, Moon Mist und Blue Serge.