During the war she toured Egypt, India, and Burma (Myanmar) as part of ENSA, giving outdoor concerts for the troops. The songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again", "The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There'll Always Be an England".
She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the UK and the US and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" and her UK Number one single "My Son, My Son". Her last single, "I Love This Land", was released to mark the end of the Falklands War. In 2009, at age 92, she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart.
She has devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex-servicemen, disabled children, and breast cancer. She is held in great affection by veterans of the Second World War to this day and in 2000 was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century.
On 20th March, 2017 Dame Vera celebrated her 100th birthday.
Vera Margaret Welch was born in East Ham, London. She began performing publicly at the age of seven and adopted her maternal grandmother's maiden name, Margaret Lynn, as her stage name when she was eleven. 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.
Vera Lynn made her solo recording debut with the song "The General's Fast Asleep" on the 3rd October 1935, accompanied by the Rhythm Rascals (A pseudonym for Jay Wilbur's orchestra). The 9" 78 rpm 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 Love" 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: "We'll Meet Again" was originally recorded with Arthur Young on the Novachord.
In 1940 she began her own radio series, "Sincerely Yours", sending messages to British troops stationed abroad. In this radio show she and a quartet performed the songs most requested to her by soldiers stationed abroad. She also went into hospitals to interview new mothers and send messages to their husbands overseas. She toured Burma and gave outdoor concerts for soldiers.
In 1941 Vera Lynn married Harry Lewis, clarinettist, saxophonist and fellow member of Bert Ambrose's orchestra.
In 1942 she recorded the Ross Parker/Hughie Charles song "We'll Meet Again" while making the film of the same name. 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") had a great appeal to the many people separated from loved ones during the war, and it became one of the emblematic songs of the wartime period.
After the war, her "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" became the first record by a British artist to top the US charts, doing so for nine weeks, and she appeared regularly on Tallulah Bankhead's US 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 contained 15 songs owing to tied positions).
Lynn's career flourished in the 1950s, peaking with "My Son, My Son", a number-one hit in 1954. It was co-written by Eddie Calvert.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s the Decca label issued all of 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 78 rpm 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 78 rpm 10" and the recently introduced 45 rpm 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 album 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 (1962), 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 including covers of songs previously recorded by artists such as ABBA and Barry Manilow.
In 1982 Lynn released the stand-alone single "I Love This Land", written by André Previn, to mark the end of the Falklands War. Lynn's last recordings before her retirement were issued on the 1984 album Vera Lynn Remembers, produced by her husband, Harry. The album featured 17 re-recordings of songs known and associated with Lynn over her career.
Lynn was awarded the British War Medal 1939–1945 and the Burma Star.
She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1969 New Year Honours "for services to the Royal Air Forces Association and other charities", and was advanced to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1975 Birthday Honours for charitable services.
In 1976 she received an honorary doctorate from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. In 1977 She was made an honorary citizen of Nashville, Tennessee. She received the Freedom of the City of London in 1978.
She was made a Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 1985. She was made an Officer of the Order of Saint John (OStJ) in 1998 and, in 2000, Lynn received a special "Spirit of the 20th Century" Award.
A street named in her honour, Vera Lynn Close, is situated in Forest Gate, London.
She was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment and charity.
A preserved example of the WD Austerity 2-10-0 class of steam locomotives at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is named Dame Vera Lynn.
A Star Fell Out of Heaven
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A star fell out of heaven, right into my dreams
And since that very moment, life is so divine
I never heard a star speak before
This one said will you be mine?
Then roses fell from heaven to be my bouquet
And dew rained down from heaven to christen the day
A star fell out of heaven and turned out to be you
The lyrics of Vera Lynn's A Star Fell Out of Heaven tell a story of love and romance. The song begins with the singer recounting a miraculous event that has taken place, as a star falls out of heaven and directly into their arms. This heavenly gesture seems to be symbolic of a divine intervention that has brought them the person of their dreams. As the star speaks to the singer, it asks if they will be theirs, and this becomes the beginning of a beautiful romance.
The second verse describes the continuation of the miracle as roses and dew fall from heaven, adding to the beauty of the occasion. The singer is clearly enamored with their newfound love and basks in the divine intervention that has brought them together. The final line of the song states that the star that fell from heaven has turned out to be the person they are in love with, which beautifully and poetically expresses the feeling that love itself can be a heavenly force.
The song's lyrics are a testament to the power of love to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, and to elevate human experience to a divine level. The use of imagery such as stars, roses and dew falling from heaven lends a magical quality to the song, and the idea of a miracle taking place conveys a sense of hope and wonder.
Line by Line Meaning
A star fell out of heaven, right into my arms
A miraculous event occurred where a star unexpectedly fell from the sky and landed in my embrace
A star fell out of heaven, right into my dreams
I had a dream where a star descended from the heavens and entered my subconscious
And since that very moment, life is so divine
Ever since that instance, my life has been filled with wonder and beauty
I never heard a star speak before
It was a unique experience to hear a celestial body communicate with me for the first time
This one said will you be mine?
The star asked me to be its companion and partner
Then roses fell from heaven to be my bouquet
As another divine occurrence, a collection of roses descended from the heavens and became a gift for me
And dew rained down from heaven to christen the day
Furthermore, even the morning dew seemed to have been blessed from above and was present to acknowledge the day
A miracle had happened, as they sometimes do
This event was no less than a miracle, which are rare but occasionally happen
A star fell out of heaven and turned out to be you
The star that fell from the heavens was actually a representation of you, making your presence in my life just as mystical and wondrous
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MACK GORDON, HARRY REVEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Al Angelini
Once I discovered who she was and what she sang, she became a favourite of mine.
Not only a wonderful talent, but a caring and giving lady with CLASS......not like some of the singers we have today.
MrGoto7734
A Star certainly did fall out of Heaven when you were born. Happy 100th Birthday Vera!
MrGoto7734
Whoever could ever click dislike towards this sweet, lovely, elegant little song has no heart or soul. A Star Fell Out Of Heaven and she happened to be named Vera. <3 <3 <3
Kelvinsurname
Dame Vera Lynn was a such a sweetheart, God bless her in heaven. hope you are in good health, may God bless you. I would like to hear from you
Jamie Boy1995
She had 103 glorious years... RIP Vera
MrGoto7734
Happy "102" Birthday Vera!
hermes1939
wow she sang this song when she was 18 ! :)
dick12235
Beautiful. Thanks.
Mark Thompson
A lovely song I haven't heard for years, spoiled by silly added reverb which kills the intimate sound of the original. The band is Charlie Kunz's
Nostalgic Memories
agreed!