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"
Pretty Baby
Doris Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You hate to have me call you Pretty Baby;
I really thought that I was pleasing you,
For you're just a baby to me.
Your cunning little dimples and your baby stare,
Your baby talk and baby walk and curly hair;
Your baby smile makes life worth while,
You're just as sweet as you can be.
Your mother says you were the cutest kid;
No wonder, dearie, that I'm wild about you,
And all the cunning things you said and did.
Why, I love to fondly recall,
Ann just like Peter Pan, it seems you'll always be
The same sweet, cunning, Little Baby dear to me.
And that is why I'm sure that I will always love you best of all.
Everybody loves a baby that's why I'm in love with you,
Pretty Baby, Pretty Baby;
And I'd to be your sister, brother, dad and mother too,
Pretty Baby, Pretty Baby.
Won't you come and let me rock you in my cradle of love,
And we'll cuddle all the time.
Oh! I want a Lovin' Baby and it might as well be you,
Pretty Baby of mine.
The lyrics to Doris Day's song "Pretty Baby" convey a sense of playful teasing and affection towards a significant other. The singer addresses their partner, who they call "Pretty Baby," and asks why they are always teasing them. The singer thought that calling their partner by that nickname was pleasing, but it turns out that their partner dislikes it. Despite this, the singer continues to express their love for their partner, whom they see as a "baby" with "cunning little dimples" and a "baby smile."
The second verse of the song reinforces the concept of the singer's partner being a "baby." The singer talks about how their mother described them as the "cutest kid" and reminisces on the "cunning things" their partner did and said. The comparison to Peter Pan suggests that the singer sees their partner as eternal and ageless, and they will always be "Little Baby dear" to the singer. The song ends with the refrain "Everybody loves a baby," and the singer expressing the desire to be their partner's everything - sister, brother, dad, mother - and have them be their "lovin' baby."
Overall, the lyrics of "Pretty Baby" convey a loving and playful sentiment towards a partner. The use of the nickname "Pretty Baby" and the repeated references to their partner being a "baby" reinforce a sense of affection that is childlike and pure.
Line by Line Meaning
You ask me why I'm always teasing you,
You inquire about why I often make jokes about you,
You hate to have me call you Pretty Baby;
You dislike it when I refer to you as Pretty Baby;
I really thought that I was pleasing you,
I believed that I was making you happy by using that nickname,
For you're just a baby to me.
Because to me, you have the qualities of an adorable, lovable baby.
Your cunning little dimples and your baby stare,
Your clever and endearing dimples and the way you look at me like a baby,
Your baby talk and baby walk and curly hair;
The way you speak, move and your beautiful curls,
Your baby smile makes life worth while,
Your beautiful smile that adds meaning to life,
You're just as sweet as you can be.
Your sweetness knows no bounds. You're as sweet as they come.
Your mother says you were the cutest kid;
According to your mother, you were the most adorable child,
No wonder, dearie, that I'm wild about you,
It's no surprise that I'm crazy in love with you,
And all the cunning things you said and did.
The clever pranks and tricks that you've pulled in the past,
Why, I love to fondly recall,
I adore reminiscing about those moments,
Ann just like Peter Pan, it seems you'll always be
In the same way as Peter Pan, you appear to be someone who'll never age,
The same sweet, cunning, Little Baby dear to me.
The same adorable, witty, and loving little baby that I hold dear.
And that is why I'm sure that I will always love you best of all.
This is the reason why I'm confident that I'll always love you the most.
Everybody loves a baby that's why I'm in love with you,
Everybody adores babies, and that's why I fell for you,
Pretty Baby, Pretty Baby;
Pretty Baby, oh my beautiful little baby;
And I'd to be your sister, brother, dad and mother too,
I would love to be your sibling, parent, and your everything,
Pretty Baby, Pretty Baby.
My Lovely Baby, My Lovely Baby.
Won't you come and let me rock you in my cradle of love,
Wouldn't you let me hold you in my arms and rock you gently to sleep,
And we'll cuddle all the time.
And we'll snuggle close together every moment we have.
Oh! I want a Lovin' Baby and it might as well be you,
Oh, how I crave a loving baby, and there's no one else I'd rather have but you,
Pretty Baby of mine.
My precious and charming little baby.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EDWARDS, RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peachell
So lovely, tender & gentle. Like a loving lullaby.
I never tire of her voice. 💗
Trombonology Erstwhile
Similarly to Sinatra, Doris embarked upon her solo career with the apparent intention of counterbalancing the new tunes that she was called upon by Columbia to popularize with the old standards, which were usually far superior. Dating to at least 1912, "Pretty Baby" would have been familiar fare for listeners in '48. Doris, by that time already a superb interpreter, managed to be both respectful to the innocent playfulness of the song in raw form and invest it with a, shall we say, "after-hours" quality that is most effective. Interestingly, three years later Doris would appear in WB's I'll See You In My Dreams , a biopic (light on the bio) of Gus Kahn, playing the part of Gus' wife, Grace -- and being serenading with this tune by Danny Thomas as Gus.
rarerepair Frits
Great voice
Michael Brodie
I haven't heard this version by Doris. It's sad they slowed the melody down. I think Kay Starr had a version that was quite bouncy. It would have sounded great in eight or four bar as a boogie woogie tune. Doris does it well of course.