We'll Meet Again - Vera Lynn, 1943
We'll meet again So will you please say 'Hello' |
It was written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles, but the most popular song of the Second World War was first released in 1939 by then 22 year old Vera Lynn. In 1943, We'll Meet Again was also made into a musical film, with Lynn in the leading role. This very same version was later used in the 1964 movie, Dr. Strangelove. After that, seemingly incongruous recordings followed by groups The Byrds, The Turtles and Johnny Cash, but nothing can compare to the original version sung by "The Forces Sweetheart", Vera Lynn.
She was born Vera Margaret Welch in 1917, but decided to use her grandmother's sir-name, Lynn. Vera was actually singing on a London stage by the age of 7. By 1936, she had played with several dance bands, including those of Charlie Kunz and Joe Loss, but decided to strike out on her own. Her very first solo recording was Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire. In 1939, Vera Lynn married clarinetist and saxophonist Harry Lewis. In 1940, she started her own radio broadcast series called Sincerely Yours. Catering to the soldiers abroad, she performed the most requested songs, and sent along personal messages to the troops. Her recording of We'll Meet Again soon became a symbol of hope for couples and families separated because of the war. In the ultimate recognition for her selfless service to her country, Lynn was appointed an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1969 and a DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1975. She continues to serve with various charities, including the Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy. |
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