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"
SMALL TALK
Doris Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now that I'm alone with you
I don't want to talk small talk
We've got bigger things to do
Let's not talk of the weather
Or the fashions for the fall
Why don't you stop all this small talk?
I've got something better for your lips to do
I've got to buy me a dressy dress, the one that I have is such a mess!
Small Talk!
Who will you vote for next election,
How do you like the stamp collection?
Small Talk!
Read in a book the other day that halibut spawn in early may
And horses whinney and donkeys bray and furthermore,
The pigmy tribes in Africa may have a war.
No?
Yes!
I don't want to talk small talk
What do you think they charge for ham now?
Now that I'm alone with you
Got so a buck ain't worth a damn now
I don't want to talk small talk
Read where the winters are getting milder
We've got better things to do
And that the teenage kids are wilder
Let's not talk of the weather
One of these days I'm gonna paint the kitchen
Or the fashions for the fall
Get pop to put a new light switch in
Why don't you stop all that small talk
Like I was saying
I've got something better
What I mean is
For your lips
I was only
To do
In Doris Day's song Small Talk, the singer expresses her desire to have a deep and meaningful conversation, instead of engaging in trivial small talk. She suggests that they have bigger and more important things to discuss. The lyrics imply that the two individuals are alone together, and the singer wants to use the opportunity to engage in a more intimate activity than just speaking. She insists that the conversation should steer clear of discussing issues like the weather, fashion or any other irrelevant stuff. Instead, she suggests her partner should focus on keeping her lips engaged in something more meaningful. This could be interpreted as an invitation to a kiss or other physical intimacy, but it is left to the listener's imagination to determine.
The song takes a humorous approach to the subject of small talk. Small talk is often cited as a way to break ice and start a conversation, but Doris Day's song suggests that it is often pointless and inconvenient. The song's message may be interpreted as a call for deeper interpersonal connections and more meaningful conversations between people. Doris Day's style of delivery, accompanied by a jazz-influenced melody, adds to the quirky and playful tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to talk small talk
I want to have a more meaningful conversation with you
Now that I'm alone with you
Now that we have this private moment, I want to use it wisely
We've got bigger things to do
We should focus on more substantial topics that matter to us
Let's not talk of the weather
Discussing trivial matters such as the weather is not worth our time
Or the fashions for the fall
Similarly, talking about things of little consequence, like fashion trends, is not a productive use of our time together
Why don't you stop all this small talk?
I'm urging you to stop making idle chit-chat and engage in a more stimulating conversation
I've got something better for your lips to do
I have something more significant and worthwhile for you to focus on
And that takes no talk at all
This better thing I'm referring to is not about words or language, but about direct physical action
I've got to buy me a dressy dress, the one that I have is such a mess!
This is an example of the type of small talk that I wish to avoid – it's superficial and unimportant
Who will you vote for next election,
This is another example of insignificant small talk that I don't want to engage in
How do you like the stamp collection?
Another trivial topic of conversation that has no bearing on our lives
Read in a book the other day that halibut spawn in early may
I don't want to engage in mindless chatter about irrelevant trivia
And horses whinney and donkeys bray and furthermore,
Similar to the previous line, this is just a bunch of random facts with no context or relevance to our conversation
The pigmy tribes in Africa may have a war.
This information is not only irrelevant but also potentially offensive and insensitive
No?
I don't want to discuss this any further
Yes!
I'm serious about wanting a more meaningful conversation with you
What do you think they charge for ham now?
This is exactly the type of small talk that I don't want to engage in
Got so a buck ain't worth a damn now
This is a cynical and negative statement that doesn't contribute to a constructive conversation
Read where the winters are getting milder
This is another example of trivial information that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things
And that the teenage kids are wilder
This may be true, but it doesn't add anything to our conversation or our understanding of the world
One of these days I'm gonna paint the kitchen
This is yet another mundane topic that doesn't make for an engaging conversation
Get pop to put a new light switch in
Again, this is not the type of conversation that I'm interested in having
Like I was saying
I'm trying to steer the conversation back to more important matters
I've got something better
I want to have a more interesting and substantive conversation with you
What I mean is
Let me clarify what I'm trying to say
For your lips
This is something that we can do physically, rather than just talking about it
To do
This is the better thing that I want us to focus on instead of small talk
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY J. ROSS, RICHARD ADLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@coloraturaElise
He was a WONDERFUL performer, it's just crazy they didn't put him in more movies, like Carousel, for Pete's sake!
@lancevaughn432
Worked on a remodel of John Raitt’s House in the 80s. He was extremely nice and funny always had something good to say about everybody. Met one of his sons David, and then Bonnie and then almost passed out. Huge Bonnie Raitt fan. I had several of her albums at home wish I had one on me so I could’ve had her autograph an album, but that’s life. At Least I got to meet them all.
@AnneHardingBondiJct
What do you think they charge for fruit now, in 2017 ?
It's got so, a $1 will buy you one cherry !