Les Brown and His Band of Renown had been performing the song, but were unable to record it because of the
1942–1944 musicians' strike. When the strike ended, the band, with
Doris Day as vocalist, recorded the song for
Columbia Records 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 in Europe and became the unofficial homecoming theme for many veterans. The record first reached the
Billboard 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". ==Lyrics==