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"
I See Your Face Before Me
Doris Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crowding my every dream
There is your face before me
You are my only theme
It doesn't matter where you are
I can see how fair you are
I close my eyes and there you are
Always
If you could see me too
There would be nothing tragic
In all my dreams of you
Would that my love could haunt you so
Knowing I want you so
I can't erase
Your beautiful face before me.
Would that my love could haunt you so
Knowing I want you so
I can't erase
Your beautiful face before me.
The lyrics of Doris Day's song “I See Your Face Before Me” express the profound impact that love has on one's thoughts and dreams. The singer speaks of how they can visualize the face of their beloved all the time, even when they close their eyes. The repetition of "I see your face before me" emphasizes the power of that person's image in every aspect of their life - it is the first and last thing they think about, and the singer's "only theme."
The final lines of the chorus, "Would that my love could haunt you so, knowing I want you so," convey the desire to be close to the beloved and to share the same intensity of feelings for each other. The word "haunt" takes on a somewhat eerie connotation, as though the singer wants their love to possess or consume the beloved, which hints at the depth of their longing.
Overall, the song speaks to the universal human experience of longing for a deep connection with someone and the impact such an intense love can have on one's life. The lyrics convey both the joy and the pain that accompany such a strong attachment, as it pervades every aspect of one's thoughts and dreams, and the desire to share that love with the beloved.
Line by Line Meaning
I see your face before me
I constantly envision your face in my mind.
Crowding my every dream
Your image fills all of my dreams, leaving no space for any other thought.
There is your face before me
I cannot escape the vision of your face before me, no matter what I do.
You are my only theme
My thoughts are consumed with you, you are the only topic of significance in my life.
It doesn't matter where you are
Your physical whereabouts are irrelevant because I can picture you perfectly in my mind.
I can see how fair you are
I can accurately envision the beauty of your physical appearance.
I close my eyes and there you are
Even when I’m not expecting it, your face materializes in my mind's eye with no effort.
Always
The thought of you is consistently present in my thoughts.
If you could share the magic
If only you could experience the level of enchantment I feel for you.
If you could see me too
If you also had this intense admiration, we could share it together.
There would be nothing tragic
If this emotional bond was mutual, we wouldn’t have to suffer alone.
In all my dreams of you
Thoughts of you are a recurrent theme in all of my dreams and fantasies.
Would that my love could haunt you so
I wish I could have an impact on you as great as the one you have on me.
Knowing I want you so
You understand the intensity of my feelings for you.
I can't erase
I am unable to forget or expel from my mind.
Your beautiful face before me.
I am constantly reflecting upon the imagery of your captivating face.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR SCHWARTZ, HOWARD DIETZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dayniac4324
It is a truly beautiful song from a beautiful album. Her Day by Night album is superb ! Happy you enjoyed !
Elaine Mullen
My favorite singer, role model and actress, who NEVER compromised on either side of the camera! Light-years ahead of her time! God rest your soul Doris!!! "Thank You!"
Dayniac4324
Thank you Jose -- it is another lovely Doris song. I'm really happy you enjoyed my video !!
Jean-Paul LITIE
What a nice song sung by such an artist ! Beautiful.
Dayniac4324
Thank you FrAnK -- it's another great Doris song. I'm really happy you enjoyed my video !!
Evelyn Sloane
You have been my idol all through the 50's. Your music and songs I will cherish until I am gone. Thank you!
Aslam Ahmed
Doris Day could really sing these words in that manner which always touched my heart every time I listen this song. Not only she was so beautiful but she had that gift from to sing so touchingly. I could go on hearing her lovely songs for the rest my life and never get bored. She was the queen of melody and a great actress. I will always remember you. You live in my heart. Respect for reaching a such age 95 to 97, whichever, but you were an inspiration for many.
Simavi Uluc
One of the greatest songs of all time. Dreamlike production.Thank you.
Joan Cuthill
This is simply wonderful Toni. Sweet singing and beautiful pictures. Hope the weekend is being kind to you all. Love and hugs..Jan and Susan ♥
Dayniac4324
I think she has one of the best voices ever. So happy you enjoyed !!