Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Day made her Broadway debut in Pom-pom in 1916. Day then appeared in three silent films, The Grain of Dust (1918), A Romance of the Air (1918), and Children Not Wanted (1920).
In 1919, she became a major star playing the title role in Irene. Five months into the run, she departed the cast to create the role in the London production. Embraced by the London critics, she decided to remain there after the show closed and went on to become the first lady of West End musicals, with triumphs in Rose-Marie, The Desert Song and Show Boat.
Day retired from acting in the 1930s. In 1960 she briefly returned to the stage in NoĂŤl Coward's Waiting in the Wings, later appearing in the London production of Coward's musical Sail Away at the Savoy Theatre in 1962.
Day was married three times, to theatre producer Carle Carleton, actor Pat Somerset and Henry Horne. Her only son died in World War II. She died in London at the age of 75.
A cocktail is named for her, made with dry gin, grapefruit juice, sugar, and an egg white.
Alice Blue Gown
Edith Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, the daintiest thing, it was sweet Alice blue,
With little forget-me-nots placed here and there,
When I had it on, oh, I walked on the air!
And it wore, and it wore, and it wore,
'Til it went, and it wasn't no more.
In my sweet little Alice blue gown,
I was so proud inside,
As I felt every eye,
And in every shop window I primped, passing by.
A new manner of fashion I'd found,
And the world seemed to smile all around.
'Til it wilted, I wore it,
I'll always adore it,
My sweet little Alice blue gown!
The little silk worms that made silk for that gown,
Just made that much silk and then crawled in the ground,
'Cause there never was anything like it before,
And I don't care to hope there will be any more!
And it's gone, 'cause it just had to be,
Still it wears in my memory.
In my sweet little Alice blue gown,
When I first wandered down into town,
I was so proud inside,
As I felt every eye,
And in every shop window I primped, passing by.
A new manner of fashion I'd found,
And the world seemed to smile all around.
So it wouldn't be proper
If made of silk were another,
My sweet little Alice blue gown!
The song Alice Blue Gown is a nostalgic and wistful tribute to a beloved dress that once made the singer feel beautiful and confident. The lyrics describe the delicate and intricate details of the gown, with "little forget-me-nots placed here and there" contributing to the whimsical and dreamy atmosphere. The singer remembers how happy and proud she felt to wear the dress, with "every eye" admiring her as she walked through town. This newfound sense of confidence and beauty is embodied in the "new manner of fashion" that the singer has discovered and embraced.
However, as the song progresses, the tone shifts towards a more melancholic and resigned perspective. The dress "wore, and wore, and wore," until it was no more, and the singer laments its passing. The final stanza of the song introduces a note of bittersweetness, as the singer acknowledges that the dress was unique and irreplaceable, crafted from silk made by "little silk worms that made silk for that gown." While the dress itself may be gone, it still lives on in the singer's memory and in the song itself.
Overall, Alice Blue Gown is a poignant reflection on the ephemeral and fleeting nature of beauty, while also celebrating the joy and confidence that it can inspire.
Line by Line Meaning
I once had a gown, it was almost new,
I used to own a gown that was barely worn
Oh, the daintiest thing, it was sweet Alice blue,
This dress of mine was the finest Alice blue shade and delicate in design
With little forget-me-nots placed here and there,
It had delicate floral designs in forget-me-nots adding charm here and there
When I had it on, oh, I walked on the air!
Whenever I wore it, I felt like I was floating on air
And it wore, and it wore, and it wore,
As I kept wearing it, it began to wear out
âTil it went, and it wasn't no more.
Finally, it wore out and was no more
In my sweet little Alice blue gown,
This sweet dress I'm talking about is my Alice blue gown
When I first wandered down into town,
When I first walked in the town wearing this gown
I was so proud inside,
I was filled with pride inside
As I felt every eye,
As I felt all eyes looking at me
And in every shop window I primped, passing by.
I couldn't resist looking at myself in every shop window while passing by
A new manner of fashion I'd found,
It was a new fashion statement I had discovered
And the world seemed to smile all around.
The world around me seemed to appreciate my new fashion choice
'Til it wilted, I wore it,
I continued to wear it until it began to wither away
I'll always adore it,
I'll always have fond memories of this dress
My sweet little Alice blue gown!
My sweet Alice blue gown will remain special to me forever
The little silk worms that made silk for that gown,
The silk worms that made silk for my dress
Just made that much silk and then crawled in the ground,
Silk worms only produced enough silk for my dress and then died
'Cause there never was anything like it before,
Because there was never a dress like this before
And I don't care to hope there will be any more!
And I don't think there will be another dress like this one anymore
And it's gone, 'cause it just had to be,
And my dress is gone because it had to happen eventually
Still it wears in my memory.
But the memory of that dress lives on in my mind
So it wouldn't be proper,
It wouldn't be appropriate
If made of silk were another,
If a dress of the same design was made from another material
My sweet little Alice blue gown!
It still wouldn't be as sweet as my original Alice blue gown
Lyrics Š Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Tierney, Joseph Mc Carthy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elena Robson
I once had a gown, it was almost new
Oh, the daintiest thing, it was sweet Alice blue
With little forget-me-nots placed here and there
When I had it on, I walked on the air
And it wore, and it wore, and it wore
'Til it went, and it wasn't no more
In my sweet little Alice blue gown
When I first wandered down into town
I was both proud and shy, as I felt every eye
And in every shop window I primped passing by
Then in manner of fashion, I'd frown
And the world seemed to smile all around
'Til it wilted, I wore it, I'll always adore it
My sweet little Alice blue gown
The little silk worms that made silk for that gown
Just made that much silk and then crawled in the ground
For there never was anything like it before
And I don't dare to hope there will be any more
But it's gone, 'cause it just had to be
Still it wears in my memory
In my sweet little Alice blue gown
When I first wandered down into town
I was both proud and so shy, as I felt every eye
And in every shop window I primped passing by
Then in manner of fashion, I'd frown
And the world seemed to smile all around
So it wouldn't be proper if made of silk were another
My sweet little Alice blue gown
Elena Robson
I once had a gown, it was almost new
Oh, the daintiest thing, it was sweet Alice blue
With little forget-me-nots placed here and there
When I had it on, I walked on the air
And it wore, and it wore, and it wore
'Til it went, and it wasn't no more
In my sweet little Alice blue gown
When I first wandered down into town
I was both proud and shy, as I felt every eye
And in every shop window I primped passing by
Then in manner of fashion, I'd frown
And the world seemed to smile all around
'Til it wilted, I wore it, I'll always adore it
My sweet little Alice blue gown
The little silk worms that made silk for that gown
Just made that much silk and then crawled in the ground
For there never was anything like it before
And I don't dare to hope there will be any more
But it's gone, 'cause it just had to be
Still it wears in my memory
In my sweet little Alice blue gown
When I first wandered down into town
I was both proud and so shy, as I felt every eye
And in every shop window I primped passing by
Then in manner of fashion, I'd frown
And the world seemed to smile all around
So it wouldn't be proper if made of silk were another
My sweet little Alice blue gown
jerry lyons
thank you.
Kynnoelle
Iâm singing my choir solo today that is this!
Nayeonâs Bunny đ
Iâm 22, but my name is Alice and I work at an assisted living facility. One of the residents transcribed this and gave it to me. Itâs a beautiful song đĽ°
Jamie Ngo
Thats so wonderful!
Bruce Lee ⢠hace 21 aùos
I was 1 month when this beauty song was recorded, I'm 100 years now and I still hearing it, like in 1920s
Maria Barrientos
u alive?
Lisa Legato and Noyz
@Maria Barrientos Their comment is 2 years old. That would make them 102.
Maria Barrientos
@Lisa Legato and Noyz yay u got the joke
Marilyn Block
The first song my Mother every taught me! I am 69 years old now and I still remember it so well. I was just singing it today and came across this! Thank you for posting đ