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| "Sentimental Journey" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byLes Brown Orchestra, featuringDoris Day | |
| B-side | "Twilight Time" |
| Released | 1945 |
| Recorded | November 20, 1944 |
| Genre | Big Band,Pop |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriters | Les Brown,Ben Homer andBud Green |
"Sentimental Journey" is a popular song originally performed byDoris Day and published byColumbia Records in 1944. The music was written byLes Brown andBen Homer, and the lyrics were written byBud Green. It has since been covered byRingo Starr andRod Stewart.
Les Brown and His Band of Renown had been performing the song, but were unable to record it because of the1942–1944 musicians' strike. When the strike ended, the band, withDoris Day as vocalist, recorded the song forColumbia Records on November 20, 1944, and they had a hit record with the song, Doris Day's first number one hit, in 1945.[1] The song's release coincided with the end of theSecond World War in Europe and became the unofficial homecoming theme for many veterans.[1] The recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 36769, with the flip side "Twilight Time".[2] The record first reached theBillboard chart on March 29, 1945, and lasted 23 weeks on the chart, peaking at number one.[3] The song reached the chart after the later-recorded "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time".
The song describes someone about to take a train to a place to which they have a great emotional attachment, and their mounting anticipation while wondering why they ever roamed away. The opening verse is:
Gonna take a sentimental journey
Gonna set my heart at ease
Gonna make a sentimental journey
To renew old memories.[1]
Bob Dylan covered the song on his albumTriplicate (2017).[4]
