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"
Lover Come Back
Doris Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it's not when the one
That you love has gone
I try to sleep
But the counting of sheep
Goes on and on
I just cannot exist
From the night til dawn
Lover, lover, lover
Come back
You had me where
I was walking on air
Never touched the ground
Now I have learned
There's a torch to be burned
Since you're not around
I'm gonna place
An ad in the space
Under lost and found
Lover, lover, lover
Come back
I'm like a birdy without it's wings
Like a pupper without it's strings
I'm not anything without you my love
Thinking about you
And being without you
Is what it took
Now I'm all set
Gonna go out and get you
By hook or crook
Whoever said they
Like crawling in bed
With a real good book
I've made my conclusion
I know what I lack
There's no substitution
So please hurry back
Lover, lover, lover
Lover, lover, come on back
Come on back
Lover, come back
In "Lover Come Back," Doris Day sings about the agony of falling in love with someone who has left. She longs for her lover's return, as the pain of missing them is too much to bear. The song begins with the idea that fun is only enjoyable when shared with the one you love, and it loses its luster when that person is no longer around. She goes on to explain that without his touch, she cannot manage to live from one night to the next. This love has taken a toll on her, keeping her awake all night, counting sheep to no avail. She's lost without him, and she's going to place an advertisement under “lost and found" in hopes that he will be returned to her.
In the next stanza, Day expresses how she felt before the break-up. She was on cloud nine, walking on air, and never touching the ground because of her love for this man. Unfortunately, she's now aware that love can also bring pain. Without her lover, the torch of her heart has gone out. Day feels like a bird without wings or a puppet without strings, and she isn't complete without him. She realizes that the only thing she needs in life is her lost love. She's going to go out and find him, no matter what it takes, knowing that there is no replacement for him.
Overall, "Lover Come Back" suggests that losing the one you love can be painful and difficult to manage. Doris Day acknowledges this in her lyrics, and she asks her lover to come home, saying that without him, she is incomplete.
Line by Line Meaning
Fun may be fun
Having fun can be enjoyable
But it's not when the one
However, having fun is not enjoyable
That you love has gone
When the person you love has left you
I try to sleep
I attempt to go to sleep
But the counting of sheep
But the traditional method of counting sheep to help go to sleep
Goes on and on
Continues endlessly
Without your kiss
Without the act of kissing you
I just cannot exist
I feel like I cannot live
From the night til dawn
From the time the sun sets until the sun rises
Lover, lover, lover
My love, my love, my love
Come back
Return to me
You had me where
You had complete control over me
I was walking on air
I felt really happy
Never touched the ground
I was so happy, it felt like I was floating
Now I have learned
However, now I know
There's a torch to be burned
There's a deep love that needs to be expressed
Since you're not around
Since you're not with me
I'm gonna place
I'm planning to put
An ad in the space
An advertisement in a public space
Under lost and found
As if looking for a lost item
You're like a birdy without its wings
You make me feel incomplete
Like a pupper without its strings
Like a puppet without its strings, I feel aimless
I'm not anything without you my love
I feel like I am nothing without you
Thinking about you
Reflecting on our past together
And being without you
How hard it is to be away from you
Is what it took
Realizing how much I miss you is what made me take action
Now I'm all set
Now I am prepared and ready
Gonna go out and get you
I am going to find you and bring you back to me
By hook or crook
By any means necessary
Whoever said they
Someone who claims
Like crawling in bed
That they enjoy laying in bed
With a real good book
While reading a good book
I've made my conclusion
I have realized
I know what I lack
What I am missing or in need of
There's no substitution
There's no replacement for you
So please hurry back
So please come back to me as soon as possible
Lover, lover, lover
My love, my love, my love
Lover, lover, come on back
My love, my love, please come back to me
Come on back
Please return to me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FRANK DENNY DE VOL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tina8796
What a happy, cheerful, bright, sunny song just like our Doris. ☀🌞☀🌞
@tina8796
Doris Day was a once in a lifetime human being. One in a trillion, billion, million. She was near perfect in every way. I want to transform into Doris 🤣😇🙃
@marilynhoftey7859
What a beautiful voice...and lady. Rest in peace.
@iacheson
Adore Doris Day☺️ Delightful songs.. Always made me happy to watch her movies..
@tomsparks6099
God, I love this song. My darling Doris, fly high -- a legend unmatched.
@tina8796
She was once in a lifetime human being. We will NEVER see the likes of her again.
@Bluejeans0701
This is the theme song for the film "Lover Come Back." It is used for the opening credits. Along with the other splendid songs Doris Day recorded, this is second to none.
@McLeanAmy
Such a glorious song!
@dkstewart1
Probably my favorite Doris Day song and movie. Thanks for posting!
@whispperson
Love this Lady and this Bouncy Song. Thanks for this Posting.