NEW DAY: Beloved actress and singer Doris Day returns to the Billboard 200 after a 47-year absence, as "My Heart" debuts at No. 135.

First released in England, the set began at No. 9 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart in September, marking Day's first top 10 on the list. With the bow, Day, 87, became the senior-most female artist to notch a U.K. top 10 with a collection of newly-released material.

On the Billboard 200, Day appears for the first time since 1964, when "Love Him!" spent eight weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 102.

"Heart" features recordings produced by Day's son, Terry Melcher, before his death in 2004, including U.S. bonus track "Stewball," a duet between the pair. The set unveils songs that she had recorded for her 1985-86 Christian Broadcast Network TV show "Doris Day's Best Friends," in which she welcomed such stars as Loni Anderson, Angie Dickinson and Leslie Nielsen.

Alongside a film career in which she shared screen time with the legendary likes of Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Stewart, Day has long advocated for animal rights. Earlier this year, a facility to help abused and neglected horses bearing her name, the Doris Day Horse Rescue and Adoption Center, opened in Murchison, Texas.

Homecomings on Billboard and U.K. charts are the latest in a line of honors that Day has recently celebrated. In October, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association crowned her the esteemed recipient of its 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award.

In June 2010, Day received the Legend Award from the Society of Singers in Los Angeles, in recognition for her achievements in the recording industry. "I just feel so fortunate and so blessed to have been able to entertain people in the theatres and on record," Day said upon earning the distinction.

"It's just an amazing life that I've experienced."


DIFFERENT SIDE OF 'TOWN': Day isn't the only female luminary halting a lengthy chart absence.

The Saw Doctors enter Ireland Digital Songs at No. 9 with "Downtown." The song features the artist who sent the original version to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965, Petula Clark.

The Irish rockers' faithful modernization of the pop classic brings Clark back to a Billboard chart for the first time since her 22nd and most recent Hot 100 entry, "Natural Love," reached No. 66 (and No. 24 on Adult Contemporary) in 1982.

Clark clocked six Hot 100 top 10s, from the two-week No. 1 "Downtown" through "Don't Sleep in the Subway" (No. 5) in 1967. Her second topper, "My Love," likewise reigned for two weeks in 1966.


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