Sentimental Journey is a 1944 popular song composed by Bud Green , Les Brownand Ben Homer. Les Brown and his Orchestra, with vocals by Doris Day, took it in november 1944 for Columbia Records. The record was released in January 1945, with "Twilight Time" on the other side. It became a hit and was from May to July 1945 noted as best-selling plate in Billboard Magazines bestseller list. They followed on that place another recording by Les Brown, "My dreams are getting better all the time".
In 1945 also published versions of "Sentimental Journey" by the close harmonygroup The Merry Macs on Decca Records, the Hal McIntyre Orchestra on Victor and Louis Prima on Majestic Records.
Billboard placed the song at number 2 in its list of top hits before 1945, after "Till the End of Time" (a popular version of Chopin's Polonaise with lyrics by Buddy Kaye). [1]
The song has a place as pop and jazz standard , and there are numerous versions of appeared. Some of these are:
- that of Ella Fitzgerald, with Orchestra conducted by Eddie Heywood for Decca in 1947;
- Ruth Brown for Atlantic Records in 1950;
- Julie London in 1960 on the album Julie ... at home (Liberty Records);
- Frank Sinatra in 1961 for Capitol Records;
- Cliff Richard in 1961 on his album Listen to Cliff! (Columbia Records);
- Booker t. & the MGS on their album And now! from 1966 on Stax Records.
Les Brown himself brought in 1951 a new version, this time with vocals by The Ames Brothers.
It is the title track of the album Sentimental Journey by Ringo Starr in 1970. Rosemary Clooney sang it on her last studio album Sentimental Journey: The Girl Singer and Her New Big Band (2001), which was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category "Best traditional pop vocal album".