Doris Day began her career as a singer, recording several unsuccessful singles in the mid-1940s that were not picked up for release. She then turned to acting, first appearing in minor roles in films. By the early 1950s, Day had signed with Columbia Records and had made her first solo album, Doris Day Sings Best of the Best. It included eight songs from the film versions of the popular musicals "Pillow Talk" (1959), "Love Me or Leave Me" (1961), and "Pillow Talk" (1959) as well as two new songs
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The album was an immediate success, reaching number three on the Billboard pop albums chart. Her second album for Columbia, Doris Day Sings Songs from Funny Girl (1956), became an even bigger success after it was reissued in 1956, hitting number two on the chart. Her third album for Columbia, Doris Day's Biggest Hits (1958), topped the charts and included her biggest hit single ever, "Secret Love".
The song went to number one on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart for ten weeks and stayed there for twenty-one weeks total.