Doris Day Icon

I definitely remember reading that “Ella Fitzgerald — everybody’s favorite singer — has her favorite, Doris Day.” This was in the celebrity news column that ran in the Chicago Tribune’s TV Weekly (insert in Sunday’s paper) around 1960, but it could have been as early as 1957 or as late as 1963.

Hi Art,
This is the first time I hear this, I know that Doris Day loved Ella , but didn’t know it was mutual. I’ll need you to find this reference please, otherwisw I can’t use this information in my document. Thanks and keep on posting.
Velda

Dear all,

Great site! I just discovered it. I still have a lot of posts to read but thought I would introduce myself right away. I am writing a PhD dissertation on female pop music singers of the 1950s. I have not figured out firm boundaries of the project yet, but I know I will be giving significant attention to Doris Day, Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald.

I agree that Day was and is a cultural icon. However, I believe it is difficult to pin down her influence, because as so many posters have pointed out, she is held up by so many as being some sort of “anti-influence,” i.e. what baby boomers were so anxious to (ostensibly) depart from, in the sense that Doris Day seemed to stand for sexual repression or old-fashioned, prudish morals that the “sexual revolution” was meant to challenge.

Yet I find that Doris Day (and other 50s icons) exude an undeniable sexuality. In a way, they remind me of Sesame Street. (And let me explain!) As many parents know, Sesame Street is a children’s show with many nods and winks and humorous references that only parents would understand. I find that many female icons of the 1950s present a very “acceptable” “all-ages” image, and yet for those viewers who are “in the know” I feel like we are invited to perceive that these women are very sexually desirable (and capable of assertive sexual expression) even if this is not spelled out explicitly.

This is a puzzle I am trying to get my head around, but I’m glad to see that so many posters are already examining this idea from different angles - I am anxious to read more.

Of course since my dissertation is in music, I am focusing in particular on Doris Day’s singing career. I am entranced with her visual/filmic image as many on this forum, and I am definitely using these images and this side of her persona to help me understand what kind of image she projected when she sang.

It is hard to talk about music, and different kinds of singing voices and singing styles, even for a music scholar. But one thought I have about her music is this, and I would love to know if anyone else agrees with me. I find that in her recordings, especially those of her solo career (as opposed to the Les Brown recordings) Doris Day sings with a voice that sounds like she is smiling. Like, I feel you can actually “hear” her smile in the quality of her voice, her pronunciation, and phrasing. You can “hear” the sparkle in her eyes.

Thanks for reading & I look forward to reading more posts!

Sarah