As far as I can tell Joel hasn’t offered us much insight into the lyrics of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” but I think he included Doris Day because she personified the ideal, wholesome, perfect woman of the 50’s, Joel’s formative years.

Doris Day is a 20th century singer and actress. She turned 80 this year.

Her first #1 pop chart hit was “Sentimental Journey.” It was released during WWII. Let’s listen.

Eventually she grew to hate singing that song. Overexposure I guess. For me, the song that reminds me of Doris Day is Que Sera, Sera. More on that later.

In 1948, Day began her movie career in Romance on the High Seas as Miss Georgia Garrett. According to IMDB she went on to make 41 movies, including one by one of my favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock. The movie is The Man Who Knew Too Much. Hitchcock’s remake of his own 1934 suspense/thriller. Yes he remade his own movie and did a fine job.

Back to Doris Day. In The Man Who Knew Too Much she sang Que Sera, Sera and won an oscar for her performance. And this is the song that makes me think of Doris Day. As far as I can recall this is the only Doris Day movie I have seen.

Earlier this month her son, singer, songwriter and record producer Terry Melcher died at the age of 62. Melcher’s claim to fame was in shaping the “California Sound.” He sang on the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album and produced the Byrds’ version of Bob Dylan’s Mr Tambourine Man.