Doris Day: Che sera sera
mainThe Hollywood singer died today at 97.
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Que, not Che.
RIP.
It IS “che”, Caravaggio, as in “che sara, sara” – a popular Italian phrase meaning “whatever happens, happens”.
Norman got it wrong, and Barry Guerrero got it wrong as well.
You, however, working under an Italian name, should know better.
Greg: The song’s title is spanish, and thus it’s “Que será será…what ever etc” – translated into italian it becomes “Che sarà sarà”.
So Norman got it TOTALLY wrong…let’s hope some obit writer doesn’t call it “SliptDisk” one day. Perhaps they will be humble enough to correct their error. Language does matter, even if it isn’t your own.
Caravaggio is right. “Que Sera Sera” is, in fact, Spanish. Obviously you never saw the film.
A fond memory of my youth…a wonderful performer and personality. Indeed, rest in peace. Thanks for everything.
I knew she was still alive but she’s been out of the picture so long she could well fall into the “I thought she died long ago” category.
I really only know her from “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and an Oscar Levant quip I won’t repeat here.
Perky, chipper, gliding on rails of dippy songs — endless boredom down the decades.
Endless boredom sums up your posts
And endless joy to countless fans, you pompous a-hole. How many will mourn when you depart?
My father was crazy about her…..
Famous for romantic musicals but a fantastic jazz singer. Listen to some of her work with Previn
Sinatra rated her highly and said that her attack, of a song, was as good as his
From a time, post WW2, when people had manners and the popular culture of the day reflected this. A far gentler time when there wasn’t grievance, war between the sexes and there was a great deal of humor. And great artists who were usually role models in the films they made. Her two great performances were in “Love Me or Leave Me” and “MIdnight Lace”. The rest of her films were folderol but those Rock Hudson films were hugely funny, especially “Send Me No Flowers”.
In a way, it’s a pity that “Que sera, sera” will follow Doris Day forever. I know from a reliable second hand source that she detested that song and didn’t feel it belonged in whatever movie that was (“Please don’t eat the daisies”?). The director or producer insisted. I’m sure she made good money from royalties on it. My parents knew her and would occasionally go down to Carmel Valley to visit. They felt she was incredibly ‘down to earth’.
Can it really be that none of the obits so far have mentioned the famous crack (whose?) ‘I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin’?
Pianist, Songwriter and Raconteur, Oscar Levant.
Thanks!
Well, not quite – BBC, Guardian, Variety, and Time repeated it, and those were just the first four I looked at. A clever quip, granted, but one that hardly sums up her talent and life.
OK, thanks, am corrected: I must get out more and read more. But how is it a criticism of Levant’s wit (the quip is more than ‘clever’; in fact it’s not clever at all) that the remark fails to do sthg it clearly was not intended to do?
For me Doris Day was one of the great singers of our time. She was supremely musical, she never wobbled because she never pushed her voice, and her use of text was very expressive. Today young singers of all kinds could learn a lot from her recordings.
As Mr Guerrero has previously suggested “Que sera, sera” WILL follow Doris Day forever – no doubt about that. However, I think this great singer’s artistry is better manifested in the other song she sings in “The Man Who Knew Too Much”, namely “We’ll Love Again”. Sung to other party guests while James Stewart searches the Embassy building for the couple’s kidnapped son, this hauntingly beautiful song never received the same level of attention as its better known partner (same writers, by the way – Jay Livingston (music) and Ray Evans (lyrics)). Fortunately this forgotten gem is available on compact disc as a studio recording, and so I urge you to acquire it asap so as to witness Doris Day’s lovely, never to be forgotten artistry.