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"
Ten Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Two Sheep
Doris Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'd like to discuss the matter
The nerves to which I'm strung are tight
And I'm as beat as a bowl of batter
If old man Rip Van Winkle
Thought his long sleep was a curse
I know how the old man felt
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty two sheep
How long can I toss like this?
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty three sheep
What did you put in that kiss?
I've tried all the remedies
The well-known good advice
Took a hot tub and an alcohol rub
Did the alphabet backwards twice
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty four sheep
We'd better get married soon
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty five sheep
I'll never hold out till June
How much do I love you?
Just in case you didn't know
You get a mental kiss
With every sheep I count
And I still got a million sheep to go
(Did you ever try seeing see a doctor?)
A doctor?
I went to see a noted doctor
Who's a famous analyst
Then he led me to the couch
And he gently took my wrist
I paid him fifty dollars
(Well, that sounds pretty cheap)
Cheap! I should have paid him nothing!
'Cause I still can't sleep
(Ten thousand, four hundred) and thirty six sheep
(And one sheep that got away)
He took another lamb!
(Ten thousand, four hundred) and thirty eight sheep
(Won't night ever turn to day?)
Oh what a fool I am
How much do I love you?
Just in case you didn't know
You get a mental kiss with every sheep I count
(Add them all together
That's a large amount)
I've counted a trillion sheep
(How many?)
I've counted a billion sheep
(How many?)
Well at least a million sheep, I know
(How the numbers grow)
And I got about million more to go
(Ten thousand, nine thousand, eight thousand
Seven thousand, six thousand, five thousand)
(To fade)
The Doris Day song Ten Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Two Sheep describes the situation of the singer who cannot sleep at night. She is tired and restless, and has tried all the remedies suggested. The lyrics suggest that she has counted an incredibly large number of sheep in an attempt to fall asleep. The number is so large that it seems almost impossible to imagine- 10,432 sheep. In the end, the singer reveals that she loves someone and that she sends them a "mental kiss" with every sheep she counts. The song is a testament to the power of love and the lengths one will go to in order to get a good night's sleep.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't sleep again last night
I didn't get any sleep last night
And I'd like to discuss the matter
I want to talk about it
The nerves to which I'm strung are tight
I'm tense and anxious
And I'm as beat as a bowl of batter
I'm exhausted
If old man Rip Van Winkle
If Rip Van Winkle
Thought his long sleep was a curse
Thought his long sleep was bad
I know how the old man felt
I know how he felt
Because I've got his problem in reverse
Because I can't sleep
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty two sheep
I've counted a lot of sheep
How long can I toss like this?
How much longer can I toss and turn?
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty three sheep
Another sheep counted
What did you put in that kiss?
What's in that kiss that's keeping me awake?
I've tried all the remedies
I've tried everything
The well-known good advice
The advice everyone gives
Took a hot tub and an alcohol rub
Tried a hot bath and rubbing alcohol
Did the alphabet backwards twice
Did a mental exercise
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty four sheep
Another sheep counted
We'd better get married soon
Let's get married
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty five sheep
Another sheep counted
I'll never hold out till June
I can't wait that long
How much do I love you?
How much I love you
Just in case you didn't know
In case you didn't know
You get a mental kiss
I'm sending you a kiss in my mind
With every sheep I count
With every sheep I imagine
And I still got a million sheep to go
I have a lot more sheep to count
A doctor?
Did you suggest seeing a doctor?
I went to see a noted doctor
I went to a famous doctor
Who's a famous analyst
Who's a famous therapist
Then he led me to the couch
Then he made me lie down
And he gently took my wrist
And he examined me
I paid him fifty dollars
I paid him money
(Well, that sounds pretty cheap)
(Seems like a small amount)
Cheap! I should have paid him nothing!
I shouldn't have paid him anything!
'Cause I still can't sleep
I still can't sleep
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty six sheep
Another sheep counted
And one sheep that got away
And one sheep escaped my count
He took another lamb!
I imagined another sheep
Ten thousand, four hundred and thirty eight sheep
Another sheep counted
Won't night ever turn to day?
Will I ever fall asleep?
Oh what a fool I am
What a silly situation
How much do I love you?
How much I love you
Just in case you didn't know
In case you didn't know
You get a mental kiss with every sheep I count
I'm sending you a kiss in my mind with every sheep I imagine
(Add them all together
(If you add them all up)
That's a large amount)
That's a lot of sheep
I've counted a trillion sheep
I've imagined a really large number of sheep
(How many?)
(How many is that?)
I've counted a billion sheep
I've imagined a really large number of sheep
(How many?)
(How many is that?)
Well at least a million sheep, I know
I know I've imagined at least a million sheep
(How the numbers grow)
(The numbers keep getting bigger)
And I got about million more to go
I still have a lot more sheep to imagine
(Ten thousand, nine thousand, eight thousand
(Counting down)
Seven thousand, six thousand, five thousand)
More counting down
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JULE STYNE, SAMMY CAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind