Waiting at the Church
Encyclopedia
Waiting at the Church is a popular British music hall
song by Vesta Victoria
. It is sung by a woman who has given her fiancee all her money to buy a ring or a house only to be left "waiting at the church" when she discovers that he is already married. It has featured in a number of films including Here Come the Huggetts
, Millions Like Us
and I Thank You
. Richard Thompson included it on his album 1000 Years of Popular Music
.
The song is notable in British politics for being sung by the then Prime Minister James Callaghan
at the Annual Congress of the TUC
in the autumn of 1978 to indicate that there would not be a General Election that year. Callaghan misattributed the song to the better-known Marie Lloyd
, an error which has in consequence become common.
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
song by Vesta Victoria
Vesta Victoria
Vesta Victoria was an English music hall singer and comedian. Although born in Leeds, Yorkshire, Vesta adopted a Cockney persona on stage...
. It is sung by a woman who has given her fiancee all her money to buy a ring or a house only to be left "waiting at the church" when she discovers that he is already married. It has featured in a number of films including Here Come the Huggetts
Here Come the Huggetts
Here Come the Huggetts is a 1948 British film, the first of the Huggetts Trilogy about a working class English family. All three films were directed by Ken Annakin and released by Gainsborough Pictures....
, Millions Like Us
Millions Like Us
Millions Like Us is a 1943 British propaganda film, showing life in a wartime aircraft factory in documentary detail. It stars Patricia Roc, Eric Portman, Megs Jenkins, and Anne Crawford, was written by Sidney Gilliat, and directed by Gilliat and Frank Launder...
and I Thank You
I Thank You (film)
I Thank You is a 1941 British comedy filmdirected by Marcel Varnel and starring Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott. It was produced by Edward Black at Gainsborough Pictures.- Plot summary :...
. Richard Thompson included it on his album 1000 Years of Popular Music
1000 Years of Popular Music
1000 Years of Popular Music is a live album by Richard Thompson.The album was originally conceived after Thompson was ignored by Playboy magazine; initially meant simply as a list to be printed by the magazine, it was subsequently published into CD format. The songs comprising the tracklist cover a...
.
The song is notable in British politics for being sung by the then Prime Minister James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
at the Annual Congress of the TUC
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
in the autumn of 1978 to indicate that there would not be a General Election that year. Callaghan misattributed the song to the better-known Marie Lloyd
Marie Lloyd
Matilda Alice Victoria Wood was an English music hall singer, best known as Marie Lloyd. Her ability to add lewdness to the most innocent of lyrics led to frequent clashes with the guardians of morality...
, an error which has in consequence become common.