"Sentimental Journey" is a popular song originally performed by

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

and published by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in 1944. The music was written by Les Brown and Ben Homer, and the lyrics were written by Bud Green. It has since been covered by

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

and

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

History

Les Brown and His Band of Renown Lester Raymond Brown (March 14, 1912 – January 4, 2001) was an American jazz musician who for over six decades (1938-2000) led his big band, later called Les Brown and His Band of Renown. Biography Brown was born in Reinerton-Orwin-Muir, Pen ...

had been performing the song, but were unable to record it because of the

1942–1944 musicians' strike On August 1, 1942, the American Federation of Musicians, at the instigation of union president James Petrillo, James C. Petrillo, began a strike against the major American record companies because of disagreements over royalty payments. Beginning ...

. When the strike ended, the band, with

as vocalist, recorded the song for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

on November 20, 1944, and they had a hit record with the song, Doris Day's first number one hit, in 1945. The song's release coincided with the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in Europe and became the unofficial homecoming theme for many veterans. The recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 36769, with the flip side " Twilight Time". The record first reached the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' chart on March 29, 1945, and lasted 23 weeks on the chart, peaking at number one. The song reached the chart after the later-recorded "

My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" is a 1945 popular song. The music was written by Vic Mizzy and the lyrics by Manny Curtis. The song was published in 1944 and was introduced in the 1944 film '' In Society'' by Marion Hutton. Notab ...

Lyrics

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.

Cover versions

would later cover the song as the titular track from his 1970 debut solo album, following the

break-up of the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, active from 1960 until 1970. From 1962 onwards, the band's members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Their break-up is attributed to numerous factors, including the 1967 d ...

covered the song on his album '' Swing Fever'' (2024).

References

{{authority control 1944 songs 1945 singles Songs with music by Les Brown (bandleader) Songs with lyrics by Bud Green Doris Day songs Number-one singles in the United States Songs of World War II Songs about trains Music published by MPL Music Publishing