Day's film career began during the latter part of the Classical Hollywood Film era with the 1948 film Romance on the High Seas, and its success sparked her twenty-year career as a motion picture actress. She starred in a series of successful films, including musicals, comedies, and dramas. She played the title role in Calamity Jane (1953), and starred in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) with James Stewart. Her most successful films were the bedroom comedies she made co-starring Rock Hudson and James Garner, such as Pillow Talk (1959) and Move Over, Darling (1963), respectively. She also co-starred in films with such leading men as Clark Gable, Cary Grant, David Niven, and Rod Taylor. After her final film in 1968, she went on to star in the CBS sitcom The Doris Day Show (1968–1973).
Day was usually one of the top ten singers between 1951 and 1966. As an actress, she became the biggest female film star in the early 1960s, and ranked sixth among the box office performers by 2012. In 2011, she released her 29th studio album, My Heart, which became a UK Top 10 album featuring new material. Among her awards, Day has received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Legend Award from the Society of Singers. In 1960, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and in 1989 was given the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion pictures. In 2004, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush followed in 2011 by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association's Career Achievement Award. She was one of the last surviving stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Her death was announced by her charity, the Doris Day Animal Foundation, on Monday 13th May 2019.
Discography
chart hits
Year Title Chart Positions
US CB UK
1945 "Sentimental Journey" (w/ Les Brown) 1 — —
"My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" (w/ Les Brown) 1 — —
"'Tain't Me" (w/ Les Brown) 10 — —
"Till the End of Time" (w/ Les Brown) 3 — —
"Aren't You Glad You're You?" (w/ Les Brown) 11 — —
"Come to Baby Do" (w/ Les Brown) / 13 — —
1946 "You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)" (w/ Les Brown) 4 — —
"Day by Day" (w/ Les Brown) 15 — —
"I Got the Sun in the Mornin' (and the Moon at Night)" (w/ Les Brown) 10 — —
"The Whole World Is Singing My Song" (w/ Les Brown) 6 — —
1947 "The Christmas Song" (w/ Les Brown) 12 — —
"Sooner or Later" (w/ Les Brown) 13 — —
"Papa, Won't You Dance With Me" 21 — —
1948 "Thoughtless" (w/ Modernaires) 24 — —
"Love Somebody" (w/ Buddy Clark) / 1 — —
"Confess" (w/ Buddy Clark) 16 — —
"Put 'em in a Box, Tie 'em with a Ribbon, and Throw 'em in the Deep Blue Sea" / 27 — —
"It's Magic" 2 — —
"My Darling, My Darling" (w/ Buddy Clark) 7 — —
1949 "Powder Your Face with Sunshine" (w/ Buddy Clark) 16 — —
"Again" 2 — —
"Everywhere You Go" 22 — —
"Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk" (w/ Frank Sinatra) 17 — —
"Now That I Need You" 20 — —
"Canadian Capers" 15 — —
"Bluebird on Your Windowsill" 19 — —
1950 "Quicksilver" 20 — —
"I Said My Pajamas (and Put on My Prayers)" 21 — —
"Enjoy Yourself (It's Later than You Think)" 24 — —
"Hoop-Dee-Doo" 17 — —
"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" 9 — —
"I Didn't Slip, I Wasn't Pushed, I Fell" 19 — —
"A Bushel and a Peck" 16 — —
1951 "It's a Lovely Day Today" 30 — —
"Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)" 10 — —
"Shanghai" 7 — —
"Domino" 21 — —
1952 "A Guy Is a Guy" 1 — —
"Sugarbush" (w/ Frankie Laine) 7 12 8
"When I Fall in Love" 20 — —
"No Two People" (w/ Donald O'Connor) 25 — —
"My Love and Devotion" — 31 10
"The Cherries" — 39 —
"A Full Time Job" (w/ Johnnie Ray) / 20 21 11
"Ma Says, Pa Says" (w/ Johnnie Ray) 23 28 12
1953 "Mister Tap Toe" 10 11 —
"When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)" 29 — —
"Candy Lips" (w/ Johnnie Ray) / 17 18 —
"Let's Walk That-a-Way" (w/ Johnnie Ray) — 31 4
"Kiss Me Again, Stranger" / 30 — —
"A Purple Cow" 25 — —
"Choo Choo Train (Ch-Ch-Foo) 20 — —
1954 "Secret Love" 1 1 1
"The Black Hills of Dakota" — — 7
"Lost in Loveliness" — 25 —
"I Speak to the Stars" 16 17 —
"Someone Else's Roses" — 32 —
"If I Give My Heart to You" / 3 2 4
"Anyone Can Fall in Love" 27 41 —
"Ready, Willing, and Able" / — 31 7
"Hold Me in Your Arms" — 39 —
1955 "Foolishly Yours" — 25 —
"Love Me Or Leave Me" — — 20
"I'll Never Stop Loving You" 13 14 17
"Ooh Bang Jiggily Jang" 83 — —
1956 "Let It Ring" 51 — —
"Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" 2 3 1
"Julie" / 64 40 —
"Love in a Home" 79 — —
"The Party's Over" 63 47 —
1957 "Twelve O'Clock Tonight" 68 — —
1958 "Teacher's Pet" 56 36 —
"A Very Precious Love" — — 16
"Everybody Loves a Lover" 6 6 25
"Tunnel of Love" 43 53 —
1959 "Love Me in the Daytime" 100 51 —
1960 "Any Way the Wind Blows" 50 109 —
"Please Don't Eat the Daisies" 102 102 —
"A Perfect Understanding" 111 — —
1962 "Lover Come Back" 98 — —
1964 "Move Over Darling" — — 8
"Send Me No Flowers" 135 — —
1967 "Sorry" * — — —
* "Sorry" made the US AC charts at #19.
Albums
10" LP
You're My Thrill (1949)
Young Man with a Horn (1950, soundtrack with Harry James)
Tea for Two (1950, soundtrack)
Lullaby of Broadway (1951, soundtrack)
On Moonlight Bay (1951, soundtrack)
I'll See You in My Dreams (1951, soundtrack)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953, soundtrack)
Calamity Jane (1953, soundtrack)
Young at Heart (1954, soundtrack with Frank Sinatra)
12" LPs
Love Me or Leave Me (1955, soundtrack)
Day Dreams (1955, expanded re-issue of You're My Thrill)
Day By Day (1956)
The Pajama Game (1957, soundtrack)
Day by Night (1957)
Hooray for Hollywood (2 volumes, 1958)
Cuttin' Capers (1959)
What Every Girl Should Know (1960)
Show Time (1960)
Listen to Day (1960)
Bright and Shiny (1961)
I Have Dreamed (1961)
Duet (with André Previn, 1962)
You'll Never Walk Alone (1962)
Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962, soundtrack with film cast)
Annie Get Your Gun (1963, with Robert Goulet)
Love Him (1963)
The Doris Day Christmas Album (1964)
With a Smile and a Song (1964)
Latin for Lovers (1965)
Doris Day's Sentimental Journey (1965)
The Love Album (recorded in 1967, released in 1994)
My Heart (2011)
Singles
Hit records:
(with Les Brown's Band of Renown)
"Sentimental Journey"
5,000,000+ sales
"My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time"
1,000,000+ sales
(As a solo performer)
"It's Magic"
1,000,000+ sales
"Again"
"Love Somebody" (duet with Buddy Clark)
1,000,000+ sales
"Confess" (duet with Buddy Clark) (also done by Patti Page)
"Bewitched"
1,000,000+ sales
"Shanghai"
"Sugarbush" (duet with Frankie Laine)
1,000,000+ sales
"Mister Tap Toe"
"Secret Love"
1,000,000+ sales
"If I Give My Heart to You" (also done by Denise Lor)
"I'll Never Stop Loving You"
1,000,000+ sales
"Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" ("Que Sera, Sera")
1,000,000+ sales
"Everybody Loves a Lover"
"Move Over Darling"
But Not for Me
Doris Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A lucky star's above, but not for me
With love to lead the way
I found more clouds are gray
Than any rainy day, could guarantee
I was a fool to fall, and get that way
I should have known the price, I'd have to pay
The memory of his kiss
I guess he's not, for me
These lyrics are about the feeling of being left out of love and not having the luck to find it. The singer mentions that although there are many songs being written about love, they are not meant for her. Even though there might be a lucky star above, it is not shining for her in terms of love. Love is supposed to lead the way, but for her, it only leads to gray clouds and rainy days. She feels regret for falling in love and not knowing the price she would have to pay for it.
The singer cannot deny the memory of her lover's kiss, but she knows in her heart that he is not meant for her. These lyrics are a perfect example of the feeling of being unlucky in love and the disappointment that comes along with it. The use of colorful words like "gray clouds" and "rainy days" is a great way to illustrate the despair and sadness that the singer is feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
They're writing songs of love, but not for me
Everyone around me seems to be in love and happy, but I am not fortunate enough to have found love yet.
A lucky star's above, but not for me
Even though luck seems to favor other people, it seems to elude me when it comes to finding love.
With love to lead the way, I found more clouds are gray
Even though I had high hopes that love would make my life brighter, it has only brought me heartache, disappointment, and pain.
Than any rainy day, could guarantee
Even on the cloudiest of days, there was always a chance of sunshine breaking through, but in my love life, there seems to be no hope for a happy ending.
I was a fool to fall, and get that way
Looking back, I realize that I was foolish to have let my guard down and fall in love, knowing how difficult it can be to find a lasting and fulfilling relationship.
I should have known the price, I'd have to pay
I was well aware that love comes with its own set of challenges, but I did not realize the full extent of the emotional toll it would take on me.
Although I can't dismiss, The memory of his kiss
Despite the pain and heartache caused by my failed relationship, I cannot deny the fact that I once shared a deep and meaningful connection with my ex-partner.
I guess he's not, for me
Ultimately, I have come to accept that my ex-partner was not meant to be in my life forever, and that I must move on and continue searching for a love that is truly meant for me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lamarmeiki7962
Old Man Sunshine, listen, you
Never tell me dreams come true
Just try it, and I'll start a riot
Beatrice Fairfax, don't you dare
Ever tell me he will care
I'm certain, It's the final curtain
I never want to hear from any cheerful Pollyannas
Who tell you fate supplies a mate, it's all bananas
They're writing songs of love, but not for me
A lucky star's above, but not for me
With love to lead the way
I found more skies of gray
Than any Russian play could guarantee
I was a fool to fall, and get that way
Hi-ho, alas, and also lack-a-day
Although I can't dismiss
The memory of his kiss
I guess he's not for me
Although I can't dismiss
The memory of his kiss
I guess he's not for me
@dayfan1962
This is music the way it was meant to be sung by one who is uniquely gifted to perform it as such! What a gift to the world her talent has been!! What more can I say about one of the most enchanting human beings alive today?
@Bluejeans0701
Doris Day is a real genius among jazz vocalists. This is the first time I listen to her sing this number but I get mesmerized by her sweet voice. Thanks for posting this clip. I am positive that she could top today's young artists like Ne-yo and Lady Gaga.
@pauldirac5376
What a great performance! And a very good recording too; sounds great, with my Boston computer speakers. Doris had such natural presence in her singing. Can't be imitated.
@isabelcordero3557
I guess I was a fool.....
Doris is fabulous!!! The rythm of the song and her singular way of singing, makes her in my opinion
the best 👍👍👍👏👏👏
@Dayniac4324
She really does a ballad as good as or better than anyone ! Happy you enjoyed !
@MJLeger-yj1ww
Nice selection of songs by the extremely talented Doris Day! What a clear, beautiful voice she had. I've always liked "But Not For Me" and used to sing it now and then when I performed, many recorded this song. Pretty but kind of sad song!
@rossharmonics
She doesn't stay strictly with the written score. Like Sinatra, she is so subtle in how she departs from the score. Also, like Sinatra, part of it is how she uses slight changes in rhythm and how she chooses to stretch notes. She's a true master of the voice. Absolutely brilliant and absolutely perfect. Sinatra apparently was thrilled when he got to appear with her in Young at Heart.
@mauricioduron3193
As I sit and listen, Doris has me swaying and swinging back and forth. Not many can do that.
@paulprocopolis
Uniquely Doris Day and utterly irresistable! (And surely she had one of the most captivating smiles in video history.)
@mdsoulsounds
Doris Day had such grace in her beautiful interpretations.