Secret Love (Doris Day song)
"Secret Love" | ||||
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Single by Doris Day | ||||
B-side | ||||
Released | October 9, 1953[1] | |||
Recorded | August 5, 1953 | |||
Studio | Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank | |||
Genre | Traditional pop | |||
Length | 3:41 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster | |||
Doris Day singles chronology | ||||
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"Secret Love" is a song composed by
Doris Day version
Doris Day first heard "Secret Love" when its co-writer Sammy Fain visited the singer's home and played it for her, Day being so moved by the song that she'd recall her reaction as being: "I just about fell apart".[4]
Day recorded the song on 5 August 1953 in a session at the Warner Bros. Recording Studio (Burbank), overseen by Warner Bros. musical director Ray Heindorf. On the day of the recording session for "Secret Love", Day had done vocal exercises at her home. Then about noon—the session being scheduled for 1 p.m.—she had set out on her bicycle to the studio. Heindorf had rehearsed the studio orchestra prior to Day's reaching the studio; upon her arrival, Heindorf suggested that Day do a practice run-through with the orchestra prior to recording any takes, but acquiesced to Day's request that her first performance with the orchestra be recorded. Day recalls, "When I got there I sang the song with the orchestra for the first time ... That was the first and only take we did." ... "When I finished Ray called me into the sound booth grinning from ear to ear and said, 'That's it. You're never going to do it better.'"[4]
The single of "Secret Love" was released on 9 October 1953—three weeks prior to the premiere of the Calamity Jane film—by her longtime record label, Columbia Records in both 45 and 78 rpm format (cat. no.40108).[5] The single entered the Top 20 bestselling singles survey at number 17 on Billboard magazine dated 9 January 1954 with the single reaching number 1 on the Top 20 survey for the week ending 17 February 1954, the week in which the song's Academy Award nomination for Best Song had been announced, the nominations for the 26th Academy Awards for the film year 1953 having been announced two days earlier. Day's "Secret Love", having spent three weeks ranked as the number 1 bestselling single by Billboard, was still ranked as the number 4 bestseller the week of the 26th Academy Awards broadcast which occurred 25 March 1954. However, Day declined to perform the nominated (and ultimately victorious) "Secret Love" at the Academy Awards ceremony, later stating: "When they asked me to sing 'Secret Love' on Academy Awards night I told them I couldn't—not in front of those people".[4] Instead, Ann Blyth performed the song at the ceremony. Day's refusal to perform "Secret Love" on the Academy Awards broadcast resulted in the Hollywood Women's Press Club "honoring" Day with the Sour Apple Award as the most uncooperative celebrity of 1953: this put-down occasioned a bout of depression which kept Day virtually housebound for several weeks, and which Day eventually had to qualify her Christian Science outlook to deal with, consulting with a medical practitioner.[4]
In 1999, the 1953 recording of "Secret Love" by Doris Day on Columbia Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[7]
1953/54 cover versions
"Secret Love" | ||||
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Single by Slim Whitman | ||||
from the album Favorites | ||||
B-side | "Why" | |||
Released | December 1953 | |||
Recorded | 4 December 1953 | |||
Genre | C&W | |||
Length | 2:25 | |||
Label | Imperial | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster | |||
Slim Whitman singles chronology | ||||
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At the time of the release of the Doris Day version of "Secret Love" two vocal
On 4 December 1953 Slim Whitman made a recording of "Secret Love" in Baltimore MD: Whitman's version reached number 2 on the C&W chart in Billboard magazine in the spring of 1954 concurrent with the Doris Day version being number 1 on the magazine's Pop chart.
Both the Moonglows and the Orioles covered "Secret Love" for the r&b market, the Moonglows' track being recorded in Chicago 10 January 1954 while the Orioles' track was recorded in New York City 29 January 1954.
Kathy Kirby version
"Secret Love" | ||||
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Single by Kathy Kirby | ||||
B-side | "You Have to Want to Touch Him" | |||
Released | October 1963 | |||
Genre | Beat | |||
Length | 2:25 | |||
Label | Decca | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster | |||
Producer(s) | Peter Sullivan | |||
Kathy Kirby singles chronology | ||||
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In 1963, Kathy Kirby remade "Secret Love", released as a single in October 1963. The track, with musical direction by Charles Blackwell, Jimmy Page on guitar, and production by Kirby's regular collaborator Peter Sullivan, afforded Kirby her UK career record with a number 4 UK chart peak that December. "Secret Love" was also a hit in Australia reaching number 2.[2]
Kirby recalled: "[when] 'Secret Love'...was suggested by my recording manager Peter Sullivan[,] I said 'But that's already been done beautifully by Doris Day!' Peter came up with a completely different version, up-tempo and starting with the middle eight. We took a chance on it and decided that if it didn't chart it would at least be a prestige number, so we were thrilled when it sold over half a million copies in three weeks".[9]
"Secret Love" provided the title for a jukebox musical depicting Kirby's life story, which following its debut run at the Leeds City Varieties commencing 9 May 2008 played venues throughout the UK into 2009.[citation needed]
Chart (1963) | Peak position |
Chart (1963) | Peak position |
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UK Singles Chart[10] |
4 | New Zealand Singles Chart[11] |
4 |
Danish Singles Chart[12] |
4 | Australian Singles Chart[13] | 3 |
Hong Kong Singles Chart[12] | 3 | Irish Singles Chart[14] | 7 |
Freddy Fender version
"Secret Love" | ||||
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Are You Ready For Freddy? | ||||
B-side | "Loving Cajun Style" | |||
Released | October 1975 | |||
Genre | Tejano music | |||
Length | 3:35 | |||
Label | Dot | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster | |||
Producer(s) | Huey P. Meaux | |||
Freddy Fender singles chronology | ||||
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Chart (1976) | Peak position |
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New Zealand ( RIANZ)[15]
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10 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles[16] | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[17] | 20 |
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[18] | 10 |
Other versions
"Secret Love" | ||||
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Single by Billy Stewart | ||||
from the album Billy Stewart Teaches Old Standards New Tricks | ||||
B-side | "Look Back & Smile" | |||
Released | September 1966 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 2:55 | |||
Label | Chess | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster | |||
Producer(s) | Billy Davis, Leonard Caston | |||
Billy Stewart singles chronology | ||||
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External audio | |
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You may hear an arrangement of "Secret Love" by John Serry performed in 1956 Here on Archive.org |
- Spike Jones recorded a novelty version of the song (1955)
- John Serry Sr. arranged and recorded the song with his ensemble for his 1956 album Squeeze Play, on Dot Records (DLP-3024), and on Chicago Musette - John Serry et son Accordén, on Versailles Records (90 M 178) in 1958.[19][20]
- Count Basie – Dance Along with Basie (1959)[21]
- Frank Sinatra - Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners (1964)
- Billy Stewart – Look Back and Smile (1966)
- Art Blakey with Keith Jarrett – Buttercorn Lady (1966)[21]
- Al Cohn – Rifftide (1987)[21]
- Billy Eckstine – Once More with Feeling (1960)
- Dexter Gordon with Hampton Hawes – Blues a la Suisse (1973)[21]
- Ahmad Jamal – Ahmad's Blues (1958)[21]
- Brad Mehldau – Progression: Art of the Trio, Vol. 5 (2000)[21]
- Sinéad O'Connor – Am I Not Your Girl? (1992)
- Dinah Washington – Tears and Laughter (1961)[21]
- Viola Wills - If You Could Read My Mind (1980)
- Connie Francis recorded "Secret Love" in a 27 April 1962 session at RCA Italiana Studios in Rome for her album Connie Francis sings Award Winning Motion Picture Hits. The original version from April 1962, with an arrangement by Geoff Love, was only available in Australia and New Zealand, on MGM Records. All other worldwide releases of the album included a version with a new orchestration recorded in April 1963, arranged by Don Costa.
- Classical guitarist Kaori Muraji recorded an instrumental version on her album Portrait.[22]
- George Wright - Red Hot and Blue. (1984)[23]
- George Michael - Songs from the Last Century (1999)
- Caterina Valente recorded the song in an upbeat version (1959)
- Pianist David Benoit - Waiting For Spring (1987)
"Secret Love" has been performed in various stage productions of the stage musical version of Calamity Jane in the US by Edie Adams, Martha Raye, Carol Burnett (who also sang the song in a 12 November 1963 televised broadcast of the Calamity Jane stage musical), Ginger Rogers, and Louise Mandrell; in the UK by Barbara Windsor, Louise Gold, Gemma Craven, Toyah Willcox, and Jodie Prenger; and in Australia by Rowena Wallace. Craven, who played the title role in an extensive touring production of Calamity Jane in 1995 and 1996, can be heard singing "Secret Love" on a 1995 cast album of Calamity Jane (Craven is the sole vocalist on the album). Willcox, who played the title role of Calamity Jane in the West End production of the stage musical in the summer of 2003, said of "Secret Love": "It's a great song to sing; it's very powerful, and emotionally—and musically—it's the pinnacle of the whole show."[24]
In the Billy Paul version of "Me and Mrs. Jones" (1972), a saxophone is heard playing the first seven notes of "Secret Love", in the intro and outro of the song. That led to a lawsuit by Fain and Webster, claiming the melody was used without approval. It was settled out of court, with Fain and Webster each receiving half of the proceeds for the Billy Paul version of the song.
Loretta Lynn covered a version of the song on both the 1967 release Singin' With Feelin' and again on her 2016 album Full Circle.
References
- ^ Liner notes, Golden Girl: The Columbia Recordings 1944-66 compilation
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ keeping the tradition of TV and Silver Screen hits the Bar G Wranglers in Bryce Canyon continue to keep this great song alive as well. Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-6107-3.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.
- ^ ”Music Editorial: Keep ‘Em Short!” Cash Box 15:19 (30 January 1954), 3.
- ^ https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#s
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ "Biography". Kathy Kirby. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- )
- )
- ^ )
- )
- )
- ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 27 February 1976
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 121.
- ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 84.
- ^ "Dot Album Discography, Part 2 (1955-1960)". Bsnpubs.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "CHICAGO MUSETTE". BnF Catalogue général. January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
- ^ Hugo, Caleb (December 24, 2016). "Portrait - Kaori Muraji - An Album Review". Caleb Hugo - Composer Musician. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ISSN 0040-5531.
- ^ "Calamity Jane to Arrive in London in June; star Wilcox chats about musical". Playbill.com. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
External links
- "Secret Love" on YouTube