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"
The Pajama Game: There Once Was A Man
Doris Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was the one he slew a dragon for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he
But me, I love you more
And there once was a man who loved a woman
She was the one he gave his kingdom for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he
My love is a giant, fierce and defiant
But how can I prove it to you
Ain't got no kingdom or dragon
To back up my braggin'
How can I show what I would do
I only know there once was a man
Who loved a woman
She was the one he ate the apple for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he
But me, I love you more
There once was a woman who loved a man
He was the one that she took poison for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as she
But me, I love you more
And there once was a woman who loved a man
He was the one she swam the channel for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as she
But me, I love you more
My love's meteoric, it's merely historic
A whirlwind, a cyclone on wheels
It rocks my whole solar plexus
It's bigger than Texas
I just can't tell you how it feels
I only know there once was a woman
Who loved a man
Loved him enough to cause the Trojan war
They say that nobody ever loved as much as she
But me, I love you more, more, more, more
More than a hangman loves his rope
More than a dopefiend loves his dope
More than an Injun loves his scalps
More than a yodeler loves his alps
More, more, more, more, more
There once was a man
There once was a woman
who loved a woman
who loved a man
She was the one he slew the dragon for
He was the one that she took poison for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he she
But me, I love you more
But me, I love you more
The song "There Once Was a Man" by Doris Day is a love song that draws its inspiration from folktales, legends, and historical stories. The lyrics describe the epic love stories of men and women who did incredible things to prove their love for their partners. The verses tell the stories of a man who slew a dragon and gave up his kingdom for a woman he loved and a woman who took poison and swam across a channel for the man she loved. The chorus emphasizes that while these are impressive feats, the singer loves their partner even more, despite not having any grand acts of heroism to prove it.
The song's message is that true love doesn't have to involve grand gestures, but can be conveyed through simpler means. The singer is expressing that their love may not be as epic as the ones described in the song, but it is just as deep and meaningful. The use of historical examples and folk tales adds to the grandeur and romanticism of the song.
The final verse's repetition of "more, more, more" emphasizes the singer's love and devotion to their partner, and the humorous comparisons (e.g., "More than an Injun loves his scalps") adds a lighthearted playfulness to the song.
Overall, the message of the song is that grand acts of love are not necessary to demonstrate true love and devotion. The singer loves their partner more than anyone else could, just through their simple, yet genuine love.
Line by Line Meaning
There once was a man who loved a woman
This man once loved a woman very much
She was the one he slew a dragon for
He fought a dragon to show his love for her
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he
People claim he was the most in love person ever
But me, I love you more
But I love you even more than that
And there once was a man who loved a woman
Another man once loved a woman a lot too
She was the one he gave his kingdom for
He gave up his kingdom for her
My love is a giant, fierce and defiant
My love is strong and rebellious
But how can I prove it to you
But how can I show you how much I love you
Ain't got no kingdom or dragon
I don't have any grand gestures to offer
To back up my braggin'
To support my claims of love
How can I show what I would do
How can I demonstrate my love for you
I only know there once was a man
I only know that another man
Who loved a woman
Once loved a woman
She was the one he ate the apple for
He ate an apple for her
And there once was a woman who loved a man
Another woman once loved a man deeply
He was the one she took poison for
She poisoned herself for him
My love's meteoric, it's merely historic
My love is powerful and noteworthy
It rocks my whole solar plexus
It stirs up intense emotions in me
It's bigger than Texas
My love is immense
I just can't tell you how it feels
I can't accurately convey my emotions
Loved him enough to cause the Trojan war
Her love was so intense that it caused a war
More than a hangman loves his rope
I love you more than a hangman loves his tool of execution
More than a dopefiend loves his dope
I love you more than an addict loves their drug
More than an Injun loves his scalps
I love you more than a Native American warrior loves their war trophies
More than a yodeler loves his alps
I love you more than a Swiss yodeler loves their mountain range
More, more, more, more, more
Even more, with greater intensity
There once was a woman who loved a man
Another woman once loved a man
who loved a woman
Who herself loved a woman
She was the one he slew the dragon for
He killed a dragon for her
He was the one that she took poison for
She poisoned herself for him
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he she
People claim that no one has ever loved as much as either of them
But me, I love you more
But I love you even more than that
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Ross, Richard Adler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dani Chace
There once was a man who loved a woman
She was the one he slew a dragon for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he-ee
But me-ee
I love you more.
(BABE: Tell me!)
And there once was a man who loved a woman
She was the one he gave his kingdom for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he-ee
But me-ee
I love you more
My love is a giant, fierce and defiant
But how can I prove it to you?
Ain't got no kingdom or dragon
To back up my braggin'
How can I show what I would do?
I only know there once was a man
Who loved a woman
She was the one he ate the apple for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he-ee
But me-ee, I love you more
<b>BABE:</b>There once was a woman who loved a man
He was the one that she took poison for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as she-ee
But me-ee, I love you more
And there once was a woman who loved a man,
He was the one she swam the channel for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as she-ee
But me-ee, I love you more.
My love's meteoric, it's merely historic
A whirlwind, a cyclone on wheels
It rocks my whole solar plexus,
It's bigger than Texas
I just can't tell you how it feels
I only know there once was a woman
Who loved a man
Loved him enough to cause the Trojan War
They say that nobody ever loved as much as she-ee
But me-ee,
I love you more! more! more! more!
More than a hangman loves his rope
More than a dopefiend loves his dope
More than an Injun loves his scalps
More than a yodeler loves his alps
More More More more more!
SID: There once was a man who loved a woman
BABE: there once was a woman who loved a man
SID: She was the one he slew the dragon for
BABE: He was the one that she took poison for
SID // BABE: They say that nobody ever loved as much as he-ee // she-ee
BOTH: But me-ee, I love you more!
But me-ee-ee-ee-ee! I love you more!
Joe Lupariello
Doris Day's vocals on this are so spectacular on this- one of her best. She takes vocal risks on this song that we hadn't heard before- the vocal fry, the pushing until the notes give out and it's just raw sound, the swoops up, the Elvis impersonations, it's magnificent. If you ever wondered whether she was deserving of this role against any others up for it- this is the proof.
Have Faith
What couldn’t she do?!
Ravenelvenlady
RIP Doris Day. In my opinion, this was one of her best roles. She and John Raitt were well matched, acted and sang beautifully.
bettina thwaite
The Pajama Game was vastly underrated.
Liz
My dad used to sing this when I was young, I spent ages wondering about its providence!
flaggerify
Provenance. ;-)
Sandy Hervert
I love Doris Day ❤️
Dominic R
John Raitt (Bonnie's father) and Doris Day---perfect!
Dani Chace
There once was a man who loved a woman
She was the one he slew a dragon for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he-ee
But me-ee
I love you more.
(BABE: Tell me!)
And there once was a man who loved a woman
She was the one he gave his kingdom for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he-ee
But me-ee
I love you more
My love is a giant, fierce and defiant
But how can I prove it to you?
Ain't got no kingdom or dragon
To back up my braggin'
How can I show what I would do?
I only know there once was a man
Who loved a woman
She was the one he ate the apple for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as he-ee
But me-ee, I love you more
<b>BABE:</b>There once was a woman who loved a man
He was the one that she took poison for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as she-ee
But me-ee, I love you more
And there once was a woman who loved a man,
He was the one she swam the channel for
They say that nobody ever loved as much as she-ee
But me-ee, I love you more.
My love's meteoric, it's merely historic
A whirlwind, a cyclone on wheels
It rocks my whole solar plexus,
It's bigger than Texas
I just can't tell you how it feels
I only know there once was a woman
Who loved a man
Loved him enough to cause the Trojan War
They say that nobody ever loved as much as she-ee
But me-ee,
I love you more! more! more! more!
More than a hangman loves his rope
More than a dopefiend loves his dope
More than an Injun loves his scalps
More than a yodeler loves his alps
More More More more more!
SID: There once was a man who loved a woman
BABE: there once was a woman who loved a man
SID: She was the one he slew the dragon for
BABE: He was the one that she took poison for
SID // BABE: They say that nobody ever loved as much as he-ee // she-ee
BOTH: But me-ee, I love you more!
But me-ee-ee-ee-ee! I love you more!
Have Faith
I luv me some Doris Day!!! 🎉❤