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"
Close Your Eyes
Doris Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
something dreamy for dancing
while we're here romancing
It's love's holiday
And Love will be our guide
Close your Eyes
When you open them dear
So
Close your eyes
rest your head on my shoulder and sleep
Close your eyes
And I will close mine
Close your eyes
Let's pretend that we're both counting sheep
Close your eyes
This is divine
Music play
something dreamy for dancing
while were here romancing
It's love's holiday
And Love will be our guide
Close your Eyes
When you open them dear
I'll be near by your side
So won't you close your eyes
The first stanza of the song "Close Your Eyes" by Doris Day is a call for the start of the romantic moment or holiday that the couple is experiencing. It is a moment where they can let loose, dance and express their feelings for each other. The music that is playing is something dreamy, a type of music that can inspire the soul and captivate the mind. Love is the theme of the moment, and it will be their guide. In essence, they are dedicating a moment to celebrate their love.
The Chorus "Close Your Eyes" is an invitation for the couple to take a moment and appreciate each other. It is an intimate moment where they can forget about everything else and focus on each other. The singer invites the listener to rest their head on their shoulder and sleep. It is an act of pure affection and a way of demonstrating safety and protection. The second line of the chorus is a promise that the singer will still be there when they open their eyes, reaffirming the safety and security that comes from love. They can pretend to be counting sheep, which is another way of saying to relax and enjoy the moment, which the singer considers divine.
The last stanza is a reiteration of the first, reestablishing that the moment they are sharing is a romantic holiday. Love is the core of the moment, and it will guide them through the experience. The singer again tells the listener that when they open their eyes, she will be there. The song ends with the singer asking the listener to close their eyes once more, a suggestion that they can continue to enjoy the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Music play
Let's have some music playing
something dreamy for dancing
Let's have some soft music that's good for dancing together
while we're here romancing
While we're here enjoying each other's company and being in love
It's love's holiday
This is a time for us to cherish our love for each other
And Love will be our guide
Our love will lead us through this moment and beyond
Close your Eyes
Please close your eyes
When you open them dear
When you decide to open your eyes
I'll be right hear by your side
I will be here next to you
So
Therefore
rest your head on my shoulder and sleep
Relax and lay your head on my shoulder to sleep
Let's pretend that we're both counting sheep
Let's pretend that we are peacefully drifting off to sleep counting sheep
This is divine
This moment is truly wonderful
Music play
Let's have some music playing
something dreamy for dancing
Let's have some soft music that's good for dancing together
while were here romancing
While we're here enjoying each other's company and being in love
It's love's holiday
This is a time for us to cherish our love for each other
And Love will be our guide
Our love will lead us through this moment and beyond
Close your Eyes
Please close your eyes
When you open them dear
When you decide to open your eyes
I'll be near by your side
I will be close to you
So won't you close your eyes
Therefore, would you please close your eyes?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOE HISAICHI, OLIVIER DAHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nicole Cardenas
Close your eyes
Rest your head on my shoulder and sleep
Close your eyes
And I will close mine
Close your eyes
Let's pretend that we're both counting sheep
Close your eyes
This is divine
Music play
Something dreamy for dancing
While were here romancing
It's love's holiday
And Love will be our guide
Close your Eyes
When you open them dear
I'll be near by your side
close your eyes
Dayniac4324
Well - she's a good example of how to overcome adversity. She's had plenty to overcome. Her son, Terry, said she was great at moving on - could leave the bad behind her and move right on up the road. I guess we should all learn a lesson from that. thank for your great comments. This is one of my favorite songs too !!
Dayniac4324
Yes -- this is a great album. Too bad they didn't do more together. I've posted a few of the songs from the lp - don't have Control Yourself yet. Thats really neat that your Dad enjoyed her music on your headphones ! Thank you .. really happy you enjoyed !
William L Robinson
Great Doris Day vocal on this jazz tune. This is a swinging rendition helped by the Andre Previn trio. This is terrific music.
Iggy Reilly
For those who may not know, the entire 'Duet' album is great. Makes me wish she had done more true jazz-oriented music, as she obviously had such a feel for it. Her vocal control should be studied by all aspiring singers.
manfreadstraw
What a cool piano solo! Bluesy jazz - that's what i like. And Doris proves it - she could sing anything as well as anyone! Thank you!
Janis Carroll
From 2.40 to 2.47 she goes from full blast to a whisper with total breath control. Amazing! Effortless class.
Helen Wain
RIP Doris Day, You'll never be forgotten. God Bless, sleep tight angel.
Maria Khachikian
I don’t know how could I miss that wonderful duet!
Love it! Thank you!
Stephen Vincent
She brightens up any dark day - a most talented artist - RIP.
Tanja
One of the most beautiful Jazz Standards. Love Doris Day💖