Vera Lynn
Encyclopedia
Dame Vera Lynn, DBE
(born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917) is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II
. During the war she toured Egypt
, India
and Burma
, giving outdoor concerts for the troops. She became known, and is still referred to, as "The Forces' Sweetheart"; the songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again", "The White Cliffs of Dover
" and "There'll Always Be an England
". She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the UK and the United States and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart
" and "My Son, My Son
". In 2009 she became the oldest living artist to make it to No. 1 on the British album chart, at the age of 92. She has devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex-servicemen, disabled children and breast cancer. She is still held in great affection by veterans of the Second World War and in 2000 was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the twentieth century.
in the county of Essex
. When she began performing publicly at the age of seven, she adopted her grandmother's maiden name (Lynn) as her stage name. Her first radio broadcast, with the Joe Loss
Orchestra, was in 1935. At this point she was being featured on records released by dance bands including those of Loss and of Charlie Kunz
. In 1936 her first solo record was released on the Crown label, "Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire". This label was absorbed by Decca Records
in 1938. After a short stint with Loss she stayed with Kunz for a few years during which she recorded several standard musical pieces. In 1937, she moved to the aristocrat of British dance bands, Bert Ambrose
.
asked British servicemen to name their favourite musical performers: Vera Lynn came out top and as a result became known as 'the Forces' Sweetheart'.
In 1941, during the darkest days of World War II, Lynn began her own radio programme, Sincerely Yours, sending messages to British troops serving abroad. She and her quartet performed songs most requested by the soldiers. Lynn also visited hospitals to interview new mothers and send personal messages to their husbands overseas.
She is best known for her 1942 recording of the popular song "We'll Meet Again
", written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles; the nostalgic lyrics ("We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day") were very popular during the war and made the song one of its emblematic hits. She also appeared in the 1943 film of that name
. Her other great wartime hit was "The White Cliffs of Dover
", words by Nat Burton, music by Walter Kent
. Contrary to later reports, she neither sang nor recorded "Rose of England
" during this time and it was only in 1966 when her producer, David Gooch, selected it for her album More Hits of the Blitz that she became familiar with it. The album itself was a follow-up to Hits of the Blitz produced by Norman Newell
.
During the war years she toured Egypt
, India
and Burma
, giving outdoor concerts for the troops. In 1985 it was announced that she would receive the Burma Star
for entertaining British guerrilla units in Japanese-occupied Burma. She is one of the last surviving major entertainers of the war years.
became the first record by a British performer to top the charts in the United States
, remaining there for nine weeks. She also appeared regularly for a time on Tallulah Bankhead
's U.S. radio programme, The Big Show. "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart
", along with "The Homing Waltz" and "Forget-Me-Not", gave Lynn a remarkable three entries on the first UK Singles Chart
, a top 12 (which actually contained 15 songs owing to tied positions).
Her popularity continued in the 1950s, peaking with "My Son, My Son
", a number-one hit in 1954 which she co-wrote with Gordon Melville Rees. In 1960 she left Decca Records after nearly 25 years, and joined EMI
. She recorded for EMI's Columbia, MGM and HMV labels. In 1967, she recorded "It Hurts To Say Goodbye", a song which hit the top 10 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart."
Vera Lynn was the subject of This Is Your Life
on two occasions, in October 1957 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews
at the BBC Television Theatre, and in December 1978, for an episode which was broadcast on 1 January 1979, when Andrews surprised her at the Cafe Royal
, London.
She hosted her own variety series on BBC1 in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was a frequent guest on other variety shows, notably The 1972 Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show. In 1972 she was a key performer in the BBC
anniversary programme Fifty Years Of Music
. In 1976 she hosted the BBC's A Jubilee Of Music
, celebrating the pop music hits of the period 1952-1976 to commemorate the start of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee
year. For ITV she presented a 1977 TV special to launch her album Vera Lynn in Nashville, which included pop songs of the 1960s and country songs.
The Royal Variety Performance
included appearances by Vera Lynn on three occasions: 1960, 1975 and 1986.
Lynn is also notable for being the only artist to have a chart span on the British single and album charts reaching from the chart's inception to the 21st century — in 1952 having three singles in the first ever singles chart, complied by New Musical Express, and most recently having a #1 album with We'll Meet Again — The Very Best Of Vera Lynn (see below).
in 1959, and promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1975. She was made an Officer of the Order of St John (OStJ) in 1998 and, in 2000, Dame Vera received a special "Spirit of the 20th Century" Award.
charity SOS (The Stars Organisation for Spastics) and became its chairperson.
The Vera Lynn Charity Breast Cancer Research Trust was founded in 1976, with Lynn its chairperson and later its president.
In 2002 Lynn became president of the cerebral palsy charity The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy, and hosted a celebrity concert on its behalf at Queen Elizabeth Hall
in London.
On 19 August 2008 Lynn became the Patron of the Forces Literary Organisation Worldwide for ALL, a charitable not-for-profit organisation which helps those affected by war.
On 16 November 2010 Dame Vera Lynn became Patron of The Dover War Memorial Project, a voluntary not-for-profit group remembering the Fallen from Dover, Kent, England.
in 1995 in a ceremony that marked the golden jubilee of VE Day
. This was her last known public performance.
The United Kingdom's VE Day Diamond Jubilee ceremonies in 2005 included a concert in Trafalgar Square
, London, in which Lynn made an unannounced appearance. She made a speech praising the veterans and calling upon the younger generation always to remember their sacrifice and joined in with a few bars of "We'll Meet Again". Following that year's Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, Dame Vera encouraged the Welsh
mezzo-soprano
singer Katherine Jenkins
to assume the mantle of "Forces' Sweetheart".
In her speech Lynn said, "These boys gave their lives and some came home badly injured, and for some families life would never be the same. We should always remember, we should never forget, and we should teach the children to remember."
In September 2008 Lynn helped launch a new social history recording website, "The Times of My Life", at the Cabinet War Rooms in London.
On 3 September 2009 Andrew Castle
hosted Lynn on GMTV
to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Britain's declaring war on Germany
. At the end of the interview she sang a verse from "We'll Meet Again," at Castle's request.
Her autobiography Some Sunny Day was published in August 2009, when Lynn was 92. She had written two previous memoirs: Vocal Refrain (1970) and We'll Meet Again (1989).
On 18 February 2009, The Daily Telegraph
reported that Lynn was suing the British National Party
(BNP) for using "the White Cliffs of Dover
" on an anti-immigration album without her permission. Her lawyer claimed the album seemed to link Lynn, who does not align with any political party, to the party's views by association.
On 13 September 2009 Lynn became the oldest living artist to make it into No. 1 in the British album chart, at the age of 92, passing such veterans of music as American
jazz trumpet
er Louis Armstrong
and French
singer Charles Aznavour
. Her collection We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn
entered the chart at number 20 on 30 August, and then climbed to number 2 the following week, before reaching the top position., outselling both the Arctic Monkeys
and the Beatles. In its third week the album went gold with sales of over 100,000.
ist and saxophonist
, whom she had met two years earlier. They had one child, Virginia Penelope Anne Lewis. Harry Lewis died in 1999.
Lynn has lived in Ditchling
in Sussex since the early 1960s.
" and "Red Sails in the Sunset
".
In 1938 the Decca label took over control of the British Crown label and the UK based Rex label, they had also issued early singles
from Lynn in 1937, including "Harbour Lights". In late September 1939 Vera Lynn first recorded a song that continues to be associated with her, the song "We'll Meet Again
was originally recorded with Arthur Young on the Novachord
.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s the Decca
label issued all of Vera Lynn's records, including several recorded with Mantovani
and His Orchestra in 1942 and with Robert Farnon
, from the late 1940s. Firstly they were only available as 78rpm singles, which only feature two songs an A and a B-side. In the mid 1950s Decca issued several EP
singles, which featured between two and four recordings per side, such as Vera Lynn's Party Sing Song from 1954 and singles were issued on two formats the known 78prm 10" and the recently introduced 45rpm 7" single. In the late 1950s Lynn recorded four albums at Decca, the first; Vera Lynn Concert remains her only live recording ever to be issued on vinyl.
In 1960, after more than 20 years at Decca Records, Lynn signed to the US based MGM Records
, in the UK her recordings were distributed by the His Masters Voice label, later EMI Records
, several albums and stand alone singles were recorded with Geoff Love & His Orchestra, Norman Newell
also took over as Lynn's producer in this period and remained with her until her 1976 Christmas with Vera Lynn. Recording at EMI Records up until 1977, Lynn released thirteen albums with material as diverse as traditional Hymns, pop
and country
songs, as well as re-recording many of her known songs from the 1940s for the albums Hits of the Blitz (1966), More Hits of the Blitz and Vera Lynn Remembers - The World at War (1974). In the 1980s two albums of contemporary pop
songs were recorded at the Pye Records
label, both included covers of songs previously recorded by such artists as Abba
and Barry Manilow
.
In 1982 a stand alone single "I Love This Land" (Falklands War song) was issued and in 1984 Horatio Nelson Records issued Vera Lynn's last recordings made before her retirement. The album Vera Lynn Remembers, produced by Harry Lewis, Lynn's husband, features 17 re-recordings of songs known and associated with Vera Lynn over her 50 year recording career.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917) is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During the war she toured Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and Burma
British rule in Burma
British rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the Anglo-Burmese Wars through the creation of Burma as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally independence...
, giving outdoor concerts for the troops. She became known, and is still referred to, as "The Forces' Sweetheart"; the songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again", "The White Cliffs of Dover
(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover
" The White Cliffs of Dover" is a popular World War II song made famous by Vera Lynn with her 1942 recording—one of her best known recordings. Written in 1941 by Walter Kent and Nat Burton, the song was also among the most popular Second World War tunes...
" and "There'll Always Be an England
There'll Always Be an England
"There'll Always Be an England" is an English patriotic song, written and distributed in the summer of 1939, which became highly popular upon the outbreak of World War II...
". She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the UK and the United States and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart
Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart
"Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" is a popular song and a cover version of "Auf wiedersehen, auf wiedersehen" written by German composer Eberhard Storch. Storch wrote the song in the hospital for his wife Maria as he was ill for a long time....
" and "My Son, My Son
My Son, My Son
"My Son, My Son" is a traditional popular music song written by Bob Howard, Melville Farley and Eddie Calvert in 1954.The best known recording of the song, by Vera Lynn, climbed to the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart in November that year....
". In 2009 she became the oldest living artist to make it to No. 1 on the British album chart, at the age of 92. She has devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex-servicemen, disabled children and breast cancer. She is still held in great affection by veterans of the Second World War and in 2000 was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the twentieth century.
Early life
Vera Lynn was born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917 in East HamEast Ham
East Ham is a suburban district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Newham. It is a built-up district located 8 miles east-northeast of Charing Cross...
in the county of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. When she began performing publicly at the age of seven, she adopted her grandmother's maiden name (Lynn) as her stage name. Her first radio broadcast, with the Joe Loss
Joe Loss
Joshua Alexander "Joe" Loss LVO OBE was a British musician and founder of the Joe Loss Orchestra.-Life:Loss was born in Spitalfields, London, the youngest of four children. His parents, Israel and Ada Loss, were Russian Jews and first cousins. His father was a cabinet-maker who had an office...
Orchestra, was in 1935. At this point she was being featured on records released by dance bands including those of Loss and of Charlie Kunz
Charlie Kunz
Charles Kunz was an American musician.Kunz was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1896, the only son of a master baker who played the French horn. He made his debut aged six and made his first appearance as a prodigy aged seven...
. In 1936 her first solo record was released on the Crown label, "Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire". This label was absorbed by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
in 1938. After a short stint with Loss she stayed with Kunz for a few years during which she recorded several standard musical pieces. In 1937, she moved to the aristocrat of British dance bands, Bert Ambrose
Ambrose (bandleader)
Benjamin Baruch Ambrose , known professionally as Ambrose or Bert Ambrose, was an English bandleader and violinist. Ambrose become the leader of a highly acclaimed English dance band, the Bert Ambrose & His Orchestra, in the 1930s.-Early life:Ambrose was born in the East End of London; his father...
.
War years
In 1939, during the Phoney War, the Daily ExpressDaily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
asked British servicemen to name their favourite musical performers: Vera Lynn came out top and as a result became known as 'the Forces' Sweetheart'.
In 1941, during the darkest days of World War II, Lynn began her own radio programme, Sincerely Yours, sending messages to British troops serving abroad. She and her quartet performed songs most requested by the soldiers. Lynn also visited hospitals to interview new mothers and send personal messages to their husbands overseas.
She is best known for her 1942 recording of the popular song "We'll Meet Again
We'll Meet Again
"We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song made famous by British singer Vera Lynn, and it also may refer to:* We'll Meet Again , a musical starring Lynn that includes the song...
", written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles; the nostalgic lyrics ("We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day") were very popular during the war and made the song one of its emblematic hits. She also appeared in the 1943 film of that name
We'll Meet Again (film)
We'll Meet Again is a 1943 British musical film directed by Philip Brandon and starring Vera Lynn.-Plot summary:The film is about a young dancer trying to make it in London during World War II and then discovers that people like her singing voice. Although she's reluctant at first to sing, she...
. Her other great wartime hit was "The White Cliffs of Dover
(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover
" The White Cliffs of Dover" is a popular World War II song made famous by Vera Lynn with her 1942 recording—one of her best known recordings. Written in 1941 by Walter Kent and Nat Burton, the song was also among the most popular Second World War tunes...
", words by Nat Burton, music by Walter Kent
Walter Kent
Walter Kent was a Jewish American composer who wrote the music for songs including the Christmas standard "I'll Be Home for Christmas", and the wartime hit " The White Cliffs of Dover", co-written with fellow American Nat Burton. He died at the age of 82-External links:...
. Contrary to later reports, she neither sang nor recorded "Rose of England
Rose of England
"Rose of England" is a patriotic song written by Welsh composer Ivor Novello in 1937 for his musical 'Crest of the Wave'. Contrary to some reports, it was not popularised by Vera Lynn during the war years. The only recording which she made of the song was on the long-playing album 'More Hits of the...
" during this time and it was only in 1966 when her producer, David Gooch, selected it for her album More Hits of the Blitz that she became familiar with it. The album itself was a follow-up to Hits of the Blitz produced by Norman Newell
Norman Newell
Norman Newell, OBE was born in Plaistow, Essex , and was a successful British record producer in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as co-writer of many notable songs...
.
During the war years she toured Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and Burma
British rule in Burma
British rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the Anglo-Burmese Wars through the creation of Burma as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally independence...
, giving outdoor concerts for the troops. In 1985 it was announced that she would receive the Burma Star
Burma Star
The Burma Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.The medal was awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945...
for entertaining British guerrilla units in Japanese-occupied Burma. She is one of the last surviving major entertainers of the war years.
Post-war career
Lynn's Auf Wiederseh'n SweetheartAuf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart
"Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" is a popular song and a cover version of "Auf wiedersehen, auf wiedersehen" written by German composer Eberhard Storch. Storch wrote the song in the hospital for his wife Maria as he was ill for a long time....
became the first record by a British performer to top the charts in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, remaining there for nine weeks. She also appeared regularly for a time on Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
's U.S. radio programme, The Big Show. "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart
Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart
"Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" is a popular song and a cover version of "Auf wiedersehen, auf wiedersehen" written by German composer Eberhard Storch. Storch wrote the song in the hospital for his wife Maria as he was ill for a long time....
", along with "The Homing Waltz" and "Forget-Me-Not", gave Lynn a remarkable three entries on the first UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, a top 12 (which actually contained 15 songs owing to tied positions).
Her popularity continued in the 1950s, peaking with "My Son, My Son
My Son, My Son
"My Son, My Son" is a traditional popular music song written by Bob Howard, Melville Farley and Eddie Calvert in 1954.The best known recording of the song, by Vera Lynn, climbed to the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart in November that year....
", a number-one hit in 1954 which she co-wrote with Gordon Melville Rees. In 1960 she left Decca Records after nearly 25 years, and joined EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. She recorded for EMI's Columbia, MGM and HMV labels. In 1967, she recorded "It Hurts To Say Goodbye", a song which hit the top 10 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart."
Vera Lynn was the subject of This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life (UK TV series)
This Is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987 aged 64...
on two occasions, in October 1957 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, CBE , was an Irish television presenter based in the United Kingdom.-Life and career:...
at the BBC Television Theatre, and in December 1978, for an episode which was broadcast on 1 January 1979, when Andrews surprised her at the Cafe Royal
Café Royal
The Café Royal was a restaurant and meeting place on 68 Regent Street in London's Piccadilly.-History:The establishment was originally conceived and set up in 1865 by Daniel Nicholas Thévenon, who was a French wine merchant. He had to flee France due to bankruptcy, arriving in Britain in 1863 with...
, London.
She hosted her own variety series on BBC1 in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was a frequent guest on other variety shows, notably The 1972 Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show. In 1972 she was a key performer in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
anniversary programme Fifty Years Of Music
Fifty Years Of Music
Fifty Years Of Music is a one-off BBC Television production, broadcast to coincide with the BBC's Fiftieth Anniversary in 1972. Originally broadcast on BBC2 on 6 November 1972, from 8:50 – 10:05pm, it was later repeated on BBC1 on 27 December 1972, at 5:45pm...
. In 1976 she hosted the BBC's A Jubilee Of Music
A Jubilee of Music
A Jubilee of Music is a one off BBC Television entertainment show of 75 minutes duration, broadcast on 31 December 1976 on BBC1. The show was produced to celebrate the British music successes of the first twenty-five years of Elizabeth II's reign, ahead of the commencement of 1977, the year of her...
, celebrating the pop music hits of the period 1952-1976 to commemorate the start of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
year. For ITV she presented a 1977 TV special to launch her album Vera Lynn in Nashville, which included pop songs of the 1960s and country songs.
The Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
included appearances by Vera Lynn on three occasions: 1960, 1975 and 1986.
Lynn is also notable for being the only artist to have a chart span on the British single and album charts reaching from the chart's inception to the 21st century — in 1952 having three singles in the first ever singles chart, complied by New Musical Express, and most recently having a #1 album with We'll Meet Again — The Very Best Of Vera Lynn (see below).
Honours
Lynn was appointed an Officer (OBE) of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1959, and promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1975. She was made an Officer of the Order of St John (OStJ) in 1998 and, in 2000, Dame Vera received a special "Spirit of the 20th Century" Award.
Charity work
In 1953 Lynn formed the cerebral palsyCerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
charity SOS (The Stars Organisation for Spastics) and became its chairperson.
The Vera Lynn Charity Breast Cancer Research Trust was founded in 1976, with Lynn its chairperson and later its president.
In 2002 Lynn became president of the cerebral palsy charity The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy, and hosted a celebrity concert on its behalf at Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
in London.
On 19 August 2008 Lynn became the Patron of the Forces Literary Organisation Worldwide for ALL, a charitable not-for-profit organisation which helps those affected by war.
On 16 November 2010 Dame Vera Lynn became Patron of The Dover War Memorial Project, a voluntary not-for-profit group remembering the Fallen from Dover, Kent, England.
Later years
Lynn sang outside Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
in 1995 in a ceremony that marked the golden jubilee of VE Day
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
. This was her last known public performance.
The United Kingdom's VE Day Diamond Jubilee ceremonies in 2005 included a concert in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
, London, in which Lynn made an unannounced appearance. She made a speech praising the veterans and calling upon the younger generation always to remember their sacrifice and joined in with a few bars of "We'll Meet Again". Following that year's Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, Dame Vera encouraged the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
singer Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs across a spectrum of operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns.-Early life and education:...
to assume the mantle of "Forces' Sweetheart".
In her speech Lynn said, "These boys gave their lives and some came home badly injured, and for some families life would never be the same. We should always remember, we should never forget, and we should teach the children to remember."
In September 2008 Lynn helped launch a new social history recording website, "The Times of My Life", at the Cabinet War Rooms in London.
On 3 September 2009 Andrew Castle
Andrew Castle
Andrew Nicholas Castle is an English retired tennis professional, former British No. 1, and now television presenter.-Biography:...
hosted Lynn on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Britain's declaring war on Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. At the end of the interview she sang a verse from "We'll Meet Again," at Castle's request.
Her autobiography Some Sunny Day was published in August 2009, when Lynn was 92. She had written two previous memoirs: Vocal Refrain (1970) and We'll Meet Again (1989).
On 18 February 2009, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
reported that Lynn was suing the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP) for using "the White Cliffs of Dover
(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover
" The White Cliffs of Dover" is a popular World War II song made famous by Vera Lynn with her 1942 recording—one of her best known recordings. Written in 1941 by Walter Kent and Nat Burton, the song was also among the most popular Second World War tunes...
" on an anti-immigration album without her permission. Her lawyer claimed the album seemed to link Lynn, who does not align with any political party, to the party's views by association.
On 13 September 2009 Lynn became the oldest living artist to make it into No. 1 in the British album chart, at the age of 92, passing such veterans of music as American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
singer Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
. Her collection We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn
We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn
We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn is a compilation album by English singer Vera Lynn.The album is a selection of her recordings made for Decca Records, for whom Lynn recorded between 1936 and 1959. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart on 13 September 2009, making her at age 92...
entered the chart at number 20 on 30 August, and then climbed to number 2 the following week, before reaching the top position., outselling both the Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
and the Beatles. In its third week the album went gold with sales of over 100,000.
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Certifications | Sales | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
IRE Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
EU European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
DUT MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
NOR Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
NZ New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
DEN Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
BEL Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
||||
| 2009 | We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn is a compilation album by English singer Vera Lynn.The album is a selection of her recordings made for Decca Records, for whom Lynn recorded between 1936 and 1959. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart on 13 September 2009, making her at age 92...
|
1 | 48 | 8 | 83 | 18 | 8 | 28 | 10 | 21 |
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... : Gold New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... : Gold |
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... : 240,000+ |
Personal life
In 1941 Lynn married Harry Lewis, a clarinetClarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
ist and saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, whom she had met two years earlier. They had one child, Virginia Penelope Anne Lewis. Harry Lewis died in 1999.
Lynn has lived in Ditchling
Ditchling
Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling....
in Sussex since the early 1960s.
Recording career
Vera Lynn made her solo recording debut with the song "Up The Wooden Hill To Bedfordshire" in February 1936. The 9" 78rpm single was issued on the Crown Records label, which went on to release a total of 8 singles recorded by Vera Lynn and Charles Smart on organ. Early recordings include "I'm in the Mood for LoveI'm in the Mood for Love
"I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...
" and "Red Sails in the Sunset
Red Sails in the Sunset (song)
"Red Sails in the Sunset" is a popular song.Published in 1935, its music was written by Hugh Williams with lyrics by prolific songwriter Jimmy Kennedy...
".
In 1938 the Decca label took over control of the British Crown label and the UK based Rex label, they had also issued early singles
Singles
Singles may refer to:In society:* Single persons and associated businesses and discussionsIn retail commerce:* United States one-dollar bills, particularly when requesting change from, or implicitly comparing to, larger denomination bills...
from Lynn in 1937, including "Harbour Lights". In late September 1939 Vera Lynn first recorded a song that continues to be associated with her, the song "We'll Meet Again
We'll Meet Again
"We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song made famous by British singer Vera Lynn, and it also may refer to:* We'll Meet Again , a musical starring Lynn that includes the song...
was originally recorded with Arthur Young on the Novachord
Novachord
The Novachord is often considered to be the world's first commercial polyphonic synthesizer. All-electronic, incorporating many circuit and control elements found in modern synths, and using subtractive synthesis to generate tones, it was designed by John M. Hanert, Laurens Hammond and C. N....
.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s the Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
label issued all of Vera Lynn's records, including several recorded with Mantovani
Mantovani
Annunzio Paolo Mantovani known as Mantovani, was an Anglo-Italian conductor and light orchestra-styled entertainer with a cascading strings musical signature. The book British Hit Singles & Albums states that he was "Britain's most successful album act before The Beatles .....
and His Orchestra in 1942 and with Robert Farnon
Robert Farnon
Robert Joseph Farnon was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a famous composer of original works , he was recognised as one of the finest arrangers of his generation...
, from the late 1940s. Firstly they were only available as 78rpm singles, which only feature two songs an A and a B-side. In the mid 1950s Decca issued several EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
singles, which featured between two and four recordings per side, such as Vera Lynn's Party Sing Song from 1954 and singles were issued on two formats the known 78prm 10" and the recently introduced 45rpm 7" single. In the late 1950s Lynn recorded four albums at Decca, the first; Vera Lynn Concert remains her only live recording ever to be issued on vinyl.
In 1960, after more than 20 years at Decca Records, Lynn signed to the US based MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
, in the UK her recordings were distributed by the His Masters Voice label, later EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
, several albums and stand alone singles were recorded with Geoff Love & His Orchestra, Norman Newell
Norman Newell
Norman Newell, OBE was born in Plaistow, Essex , and was a successful British record producer in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as co-writer of many notable songs...
also took over as Lynn's producer in this period and remained with her until her 1976 Christmas with Vera Lynn. Recording at EMI Records up until 1977, Lynn released thirteen albums with material as diverse as traditional Hymns, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
songs, as well as re-recording many of her known songs from the 1940s for the albums Hits of the Blitz (1966), More Hits of the Blitz and Vera Lynn Remembers - The World at War (1974). In the 1980s two albums of contemporary pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
songs were recorded at the Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
label, both included covers of songs previously recorded by such artists as Abba
Abba
ABBA is the name of a former Swedish pop music group.Abba may also refer to:* ABBA , a self-titled album by the Swedish pop music group ABBA* "Abba ", a song by Christian pop and rock artist, Rebecca St...
and Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
.
In 1982 a stand alone single "I Love This Land" (Falklands War song) was issued and in 1984 Horatio Nelson Records issued Vera Lynn's last recordings made before her retirement. The album Vera Lynn Remembers, produced by Harry Lewis, Lynn's husband, features 17 re-recordings of songs known and associated with Vera Lynn over her 50 year recording career.
Original albums
| Year | Album title | Other notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Vera Lynn Concert | Live recording. Issued on the Decca Decca Records Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades.... label |
| 1956 | If I Am Dreaming | First studio album. Issued on the Decca label |
| 1958 | The Wonderful World of Nursery Rhymes | Album issued on the Decca label |
| 1959 | Vera Lynn Sings...Songs Of The Tuneful Twenties | Last studio album issued on the Decca label |
| 1960 | Sing With Vera | First album issued on MGM Records MGM Records MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s... . With "The Williams Singers" and "Geoff Love Geoff Love Geoff Love was a British easy-listening, and disco orchestra leader. He was born in the industrial town of Todmorden in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His father was a mixed race American-born guitarist and dancer, and his mother an actress. As a child, Love began to learn to play the violin but... & His Orchestra" |
| 1960 | Yours | Issued on MGM Records. With "The Williams Singers" and "Geoff Love & His Orchestra" |
| 1961 | As Time Goes By | Issued on MGM Records. With "The Williams Singers" and "Geoff Love & His Orchestra" |
| 1962 | Hits of the Blitz | Issued on the His Masters Voice, EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... label. With "Tony Osborne & His Orchestra" |
| 1963 | The Wonderful Vera Lynn | Issued on His Masters Voice, EMI label. With "Tony Osborne & His Orchestra" |
| 1964 | Among My Souveniers | Issued on His Masters Voice, EMI label. With "Tony Osborne & His Orchestra" |
| 1966 | More Hits of the Blitz | Issued on His Masters Voice, EMI label. With "The Sam Fonteyn Orchestra" |
| 1970 | Hits of the 60's-My Way | Issued on the EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... Columbia Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... label. With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra |
| 1972 | Unforgettable Songs by Vera Lynn | Issued on the EMI Columbia label. With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra |
| 1972 | Favourite Scared Songs | Issued on the EMI Columbia label. With the Mike Sammes Singers |
| 1974 | Vera Lynn Remembers - The World at War | Issued on the EMI Records label. With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra |
| 1976 | Christmas with Vera Lynn | Issued on the EMI Records label. With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra |
| 1977 | Vera Lynn in Nashville | Last album Vera Lynn recorded for EMI Records label |
| 1979 | Thank You For the Music (I Sing The Songs) | Issued on the Pye Records Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man... label |
| 1981 | Singing To the World | Second and last album issued on the Pye Records Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man... label |
| 1984 | Vera Lynn Remembers | Last album recorded by Vera Lynn. Issued by Horatio Nelson label |
Charted albums
| Date | Album | UK Chart position |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Nov 1981 | 20 Family Favourites | 25 |
| 9 Sep 1989 | We'll Meet Again | 44 |
| 30 Aug 2009 | We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn is a compilation album by English singer Vera Lynn.The album is a selection of her recordings made for Decca Records, for whom Lynn recorded between 1936 and 1959. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart on 13 September 2009, making her at age 92... |
1 |
| 30 May 2010 | Unforgettable | 61 |
Charted singles
| Date | Title | UK Chart position |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Nov 1952 | "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" is a popular song and a cover version of "Auf wiedersehen, auf wiedersehen" written by German composer Eberhard Storch. Storch wrote the song in the hospital for his wife Maria as he was ill for a long time.... " |
10 |
| "Forget-Me Not" | 5 | |
| "The Homing Waltz" | 9 | |
| 5 Jun 1953 | "The Windsor Waltz" | 11 |
| 15 Oct 1954 | "My Son, My Son My Son, My Son "My Son, My Son" is a traditional popular music song written by Bob Howard, Melville Farley and Eddie Calvert in 1954.The best known recording of the song, by Vera Lynn, climbed to the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart in November that year.... " |
1 |
| 8 Jun 1956 | "Who are We" | 30 |
| 26 Oct 1956 | "A House with Love in It A House with Love in It "A House with Love in It" is a popular song composed by Sid Lippman with lyrics by Sylvia Dee. The song was published in 1956.The recording by The Four Lads was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 40736. It first reached the Billboard charts on September 15, 1956... " |
17 |
| 15 Mar 1957 | "The Faithful Hussar (Don't Cry My Love)" | 29 |
| 21 Jun 1957 | "Travellin' Home" | 20 |
Films
- We'll Meet AgainWe'll Meet Again (film)We'll Meet Again is a 1943 British musical film directed by Philip Brandon and starring Vera Lynn.-Plot summary:The film is about a young dancer trying to make it in London during World War II and then discovers that people like her singing voice. Although she's reluctant at first to sing, she...
(1943) - Rhythm Serenade (1943)
- One Exciting Night (1944)
- Venus fra VestøVenus fra VestøVenus fra Vestø is a 1962 Danish drama film directed by Annelise Reenberg and starring Malene Schwartz.-Cast:* Malene Schwartz - Frk. Nicola Egede-Schack* Henning Moritzen - John Morland* Dirch Passer - Ditlev Egede-Schack...
(1962)
In popular culture
- Both Lynn and "We'll Meet Again" feature in Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's 1979 album The WallThe WallThe Wall is the eleventh studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Released as a double album on 30 November 1979, it was subsequently performed live with elaborate theatrical effects, and adapted into a feature film, Pink Floyd—The Wall.As with the band's previous three...
. They are directly cited in the track "VeraVera (song)"Vera" is a song by Pink Floyd which appears on their 1979 album, The Wall. The title is a reference to Vera Lynn, a British singer who came to prominence during World War II with her popular song "We'll Meet Again". The reference is ironic, as Roger Waters would not meet his father, lost in the war...
". In the live version of The Wall, Is There Anybody Out There: The Wall Live 1980-1981, "We'll Meet Again" opens the concert before the show starts. It serves as a link between band member Roger WatersRoger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
and his father, who was killed during World War II. The film The WallPink Floyd The Wall (film)Pink Floyd—The Wall is a 1982 British live-action/animated musical film directed by Alan Parker based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album The Wall. The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters. The film is highly metaphorical and is rich in symbolic imagery and sound...
begins with Lynn singing "The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot." - Lynn and the words "We'll meet again some day" are mentioned in the KinksThe KinksThe Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' song "Mr. Churchill Says". - The final scene of Stanley KubrickStanley KubrickStanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's Dr. Strangelove features "We'll Meet Again" playing as many nuclear explosions are set off. - One of the episodes of the TV documentary series The World at War is named after one of Lynn's songs "It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow," which dealt with the Burma CampaignBurma CampaignThe Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
. Ms. Lynn herself reminisced visiting the British troops in Burma, and a snippet of the song is included amidst the struggles of the British Forces in dealing with the mud and the monsoon. - In Gary NumanGary NumanGary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
's song 'War Songs', there is a line that reads "Old men love war songs, I'm Vera Lynn". - In the British campaign of Call of Duty 3Call of Duty 3Call of Duty 3 is a World War II first-person shooter and the third installment in the Call of Duty video game series first released on November 7, 2006. It has been released for all three seventh generation video game systems: the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii...
, there are two SAS Jeeps. One is named "Vera", and the other is named "Lynn". - Scottish band TravisTravis (band)Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
have a song called "U16 GirlsU16 Girls"U16 Girls" is the second single released from Indie band Travis' debut album, Good Feeling. The single was released on April 1, 1997 in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
" with the following line: "I met a girl in Paris, she talked like Vera Lynn." - During a Street Talk segment on The AFL Footy ShowThe AFL Footy ShowThe Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994 at the same time as the other version which relates to the NRL and rugby...
in 2009, an elderly Englishman claiming to be Vera Lynn's brother appeared before Sam NewmanSam NewmanJohn Noel William "Sam" Newman is a retired Australian rules football player and current television personality. He is a featured presenter on the AFL version of The Footy Show.-VFL career:...
on the streets of St KildaSt Kilda, VictoriaSt Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
. Although there was no way to prove his claim, it was expected to be true because of his striking physical resemblance as well as his knowledge of her songs. - In the movie HellboyHellboy (film)Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
, during Professor Broom's confrontation with Rasputin, a recording of Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" plays in the background (according to the closed-captioning). - The name Vera Lynn is cockney rhyming slangCockney rhyming slangRhyming slang is a form of phrase construction in the English language and is especially prevalent in dialectal British English from the East End of London; hence the alternative name, Cockney rhyming slang...
for "skin", a cigarette paper used for roll-ups. This was immortalised in the song "Ebeneezer GoodeEbeneezer Goode"Ebeneezer Goode" is a song by Scottish electronic music group The Shamen, which, after being heavily remixed by The Beatmasters, became their biggest hit when released as a single in September 1992. The band's original version also featured on the vinyl edition of their album Boss Drum...
" by the Shamen with the line "Anyone got any Veras? Lovely!" It is also slang for "bin". - The punk band the Sex PistolsSex PistolsThe Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
are noted for coming onstage to the Lynn version of the song "There'll Always Be an England". It is also the name of their only live DVD. - English rock band the LibertinesThe LibertinesThe Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
used Lynn's song "We'll Meet Again" as their walk-on music during their 2010 reunion concerts. - Lynn is the subject of "The Yip! Song" by Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians.
- Lynn is mentioned among several memories of the Second World War in When the Wind Blows (graphic novel) and the animated film adaptation.
- In an episode of 'Allo 'Allo Herr Flick bugs General von Klinkerhoffen's golf bag. When trying to pick up what the General is saying, Lynn's White Cliffs of Dover(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" The White Cliffs of Dover" is a popular World War II song made famous by Vera Lynn with her 1942 recording—one of her best known recordings. Written in 1941 by Walter Kent and Nat Burton, the song was also among the most popular Second World War tunes...
is heard leaving Herr Flick to remark, That damn woman, she gets everywhere. - "We'll Meet Again" is played at the close of The Singing DetectiveThe Singing DetectiveThe Singing Detective is a BBC television miniseries written by Dennis Potter, which stars Michael Gambon, and was directed by Jon Amiel. The six episodes were "Skin", "Heat", "Lovely Days", "Clues", "Pitter Patter" and "Who Done It"....
. - The character of Lynn MinmayLynn MinmayLynn Minmay, also spelled Ling Mingmei is a fictional anime character from Super Dimension Fortress Macross television series and Macross: Do You Remember Love? movie. She is also in Macross: Flash Back 2012 music video collection...
in the anime series Super Dimension Fortress Macross is based on Vera Lynn. - In the FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode "A Big Piece of GarbageA Big Piece of Garbage"A Big Piece of Garbage" is episode eight in season one of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on May 11, 1999. The episode was written by Lewis Morton and directed by Susie Dietter. Ron Popeil guest stars in this episode as himself. Nancy Cartwright also has a brief cameo as a Bart...
" Lynn's song "We'll Meet Again" is sung over the closing credits. - In the 1984 film "The HitThe HitThe Hit is a 1984 feature film directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Hurt, Terence Stamp and Tim Roth. The Hit was Stamp's first starring role in over a decade and Roth won an Evening Standard award as the apprentice hit man....
", "We'll Meet Again" is sung by the gangsters on trial to witness Terence Stamp as he leaves the courtroom. It serves as a way of telling Stamp's character that he is a marked man for testifying against his friends.
Publications
- Lynn, Vera (1975). Vocal Refrain. London: W.H. Allen
- Lynn, Vera and Cross, Robin (1989). We'll Meet Again. London: Sidgwick & Jackson
- Lynn, Vera (2009). Some Sunny Day. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780007318155
External links
- Debrett's People of Today
- Q&A with TIME Magazine in September 2009
- 2002 BBC article
- 2009 article in The Guardian (1)
- Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy
- Dame Vera Lynn March 2010 interview
- One-hour radio programme on France Culture in June 2007 (listen)
- Vera Lynn Biography
- The Discography of Vera Lynn at Discogs.com