Send Me No Flowers

Doris Day - Send Me No Flowers (Mono single 45 version) (Bacharach/David)

Doris Day's terrific movie song "Send Me No Flowers" (which was her last film teaming with Rock Hudson) was composed by the legendary musical team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. In May of 1964, Burt was too busy to arrange the recording himself, so he sent a note to Jack Nitzsche in Hollywood (Phil Spector's long-time arranger) asking him to make Doris sound like a "white Ronettes" on the record - which supposedly, Jack easily accomplished (with many of "The Wrecking Crew" members). The Nitzsche version of "Send Me No Flowers" was recorded in Hollywood on May 25, 1964, with Doris' son Terry Melcher producing. Unfortunately, Marty Melcher (Doris' domineering husband) nixed the session - for some reason not liking the end result - (he was often at loggerheads with his adopted son Terry). It is additionally unfortunate in that this original version of "Send Me No Flowers" was not only unissued, but the session tape was somehow totally lost from the Columbia archives - so it is unable to be heard and evaluated today. Marty Melcher had Columbia commission a new arrangement of "Flowers" from Mort Garson, which was recorded on September 11, 1964 - (produced by Allen Stanton - in the midst of Doris' sessions for her album "Doris Day's Sentimental Journey") and ultimately released on Columbia 4-43153 (the version heard here). A similar strange fate seemed to have happened to a Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil song entitled "Oo-Wee Baby" which was recorded by Doris on June 12, 1964 (produced by Tommy Oliver). Either Marty or Columbia was not keen to release it, and it was ultimately issued only in the UK on CBS AAG 219 (although a U.S. Columbia release number was actually assigned to it, 4-43099). The song "Rainbow's End was used as the "B" to the UK release of "Oo-Wee Baby" (as it was on the US release of "Send Me No Flowers"). At this same June 12 session, Doris also recorded a Neil Sedaka/Howie Greenfield song "What Till You See My Baby" (which Neil himself had released in his own RCA Victor version) and a re-make of the Bruce Johnston/Don Wyatt song "Fallling" which was originally recorded with Jim Harbert on January 25, 1960 by Doris and previously released as Columbia 4-42295. Unfortunately the session tapes of both of these Sedaka and Johnston songs were also totally lost in the Columbia archives. Thus, this upload of "Send Me No Flowers" is the only recorded version that survives. This is the mono, single 45 version of the song. Produced by Alan Stanton. Orchestra under the direction of Mort Garson.