The 10 Best Doris Day Songs of All-Time

Doris Day

Doris Day was a singer and actress who began her career in 1939 as a big band singer. She achieved commercial success in the mid-1940s when she was performing with ‘Les Brown & His Band of Renown.’ In 1947, Doris Day left Brown to pursue a career as a solo artist. Between then and 1947, she recorded more than 650 songs. In addition to a hugely successful career in music, Doris Day was also one of the biggest film stars of the 1950s and 1960s. She starred in a wide range of film genres, including comedies, musicals, thrillers, and dramas, and she won multiple awards for her performances. Doris Day continued to record music throughout her career and did not retire until 2012 at 90. Just a year earlier, Day had released her 29th studio album. Here are the 10 best Doris Day songs of all time.

10. A Guy Is a Guy (1952)

 

‘A Guy Is a Guy’ was Doris Day’s second number one hit as a solo artist. Oscar Brand wrote the song, and it was inspired by an 18th-century British song called ‘I Went to the Alehouse (A Knave Is a Knave).’ Although Day’s recording of the song is the most famous, it has been recorded by multiple other artists, including Ella Fitzgerald.

9. Nobody’s Heart (1962)

 

While many of Doris Day’s singles featured in one of her films, that is not the case with ‘Nobody’s Heart.’ She recorded the track for her 1962 album ‘Duet,’ which consisted of Day singing duets with many high-profile singers. Day recorded this particular track with the Andre Previn Trio, and she had worked with them on many occasions previously. Doris Day often performed against the backing of a big band or orchestra, but this track only features Previn playing the piano, Frank Capp on the drums, and Red Mitchell playing bass.

8. Love Somebody (1948)

 

‘Love Somebody’ was the first time Doris Day topped the charts after parting ways with Les Brown and His Band of Renown. However, it was not a solo performance, as she duets on the track with Buddy Clark. Joan Whitney and Alex Kramer wrote the song. Many other artists have since covered it.

7. Secret Love (1954)

 

One of Doris Day’s most famous film roles was ‘Calamity Jane.’ A year after starring in this film, Day released one of its songs, ‘Secret Love.’ It is a lilting and soaring ballad that features a harp playing in the background. The song topped the singles charts in both the United States and the UK. The song was also the first to win Doris Day an Oscar.

6. Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk (1949)

 

Doris Day and Frank Sinatra were two of the biggest stars of the 1950s, both in the film industry and as music performers. The pair performed ‘Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk’ as a duet in 1949. Irving Berlin wrote the song. Sinatra and Day later starred alongside each other in the 1955 film ‘Young at Heart.’

5. By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)

 

Doris Day co-starred with Gordon McRae in five Warner Bros. feature films during her career, most of which were musicals. One of the films in which they starred together was ‘By the Light of the Silvery Moon‘, and they sang the title track as a duet. However, Doris Day performed the song alone when the song was recorded for the soundtrack album.

4. Put ’em in a Box, Tie ’em with a Ribbon, and Throw ’em in the Deep Blue Sea (1948)

 

‘Put ’em in a Box, Tie ’em with a Ribbon, and Throw ’em in the Deep Blue Sea’ was a song from Doris Day’s first film, ‘Romance on the High Seas.’ Day performs the song with the Page Cavanagh Trio, and the song was written by Jules Style and Sammy Cahn. Despite Day being stereotyped in films as virginal and homely, the song’s lyrics fit her real-life persona. Off-screen, she was married four times, grew up around jazz musicians, and knew how to handle herself.

3. It’s Magic (1948)

 

Like many of the singles released by Doris Day, ‘It’s Magic’ is a song from one of her films. It features in the 1948 comedy film ‘Romance on the High Seas .’ It was Day’s first film, and she played a young girl who loves jazz jive music. Although she was only the second romantic lead in the film, she made audiences aware that her acting talents were just as good as her vocal skills.

2. Sentimental Journey (1945)

 

Prior to becoming a solo artist and famous actress, Doris Day performed with Les Brown & His Band of Renown,’ and ‘Sentimental Journey’ was his biggest hit from that time, reaching number one on the charts in the United States, and was considered her first signature song. The song was written by Les Brown, Ben Homer, and Bud Green.

1. Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) (1956)

 

According to the Los Angeles Times, the best Doris Day song of all time is ‘Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera), which became known as her signature song. It is an Italianate-style, faux folk waltz that Jay Livingstone and Ray Evans wrote. The song is sung in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 remake of ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much.’ Day starred in this film opposite actor James Stewart. When Day released the song as a single, it was made livelier than the film version with the addition of the Mediterranean mandolin. Doris Day also performed versions of this song in the 1960 film ‘Please Don’t Eat the Daisies’ and the 1966 film ‘The Glass Bottom Boat.’

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