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.
Besame Mucho
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each time I cling to your kiss I hear music divine.
Bésame mucho,
Hold me, my darling, and say that you′ll always be mine.
This joy is something new.
My arms enfolding you,
Never knew this thrill before.
Who ever thought I'll be holding you close to me,
Whisspering ′It's you I adore'.
Dearest one,
If you should leave me,
Each little dream will take wing and my life would be through
Bésame mucho,
Love me forever and make all my dreams come true.
Bésame mucho,
Love me forever and make all my dreams come true.
Vera Lynn's song "Besame Mucho" is a poignant and romantic tune that speaks to the deep love between two people. The song's title, which means "Kiss me a lot" in Spanish, sets the tone for the lyrics that follow. The song tells the story of two people who are deeply in love and who can't get enough of each other's affections.
Each time the singer clings to their lover's kiss, they hear "music divine," a testament to the intense pleasure and joy they feel when they're together. This joy is something new, the singer notes, as they fold their arms around their lover and enjoy the thrill of being together. They never knew they could feel these intense emotions before and are grateful to have found such a deep connection.
The song's climax comes with the singer's plea for their lover to stay with them forever. They can't imagine a life without their beloved, and the thought of each little dream taking wing is unbearable to them. They implore their lover to kiss them a lot, love them forever, and make all their dreams come true. It's a powerful declaration of love that underscores the depth of feeling between the two people.
Overall, "Besame Mucho" is a beautiful tribute to the power of love and the intense emotions it can evoke in those lucky enough to experience it.
Line by Line Meaning
Bésame, bésame mucho
Kiss me, kiss me a lot
Each time I cling to your kiss I hear music divine.
Whenever I hold onto your kiss, I hear beautiful music.
Bésame mucho,
Kiss me a lot,
Hold me, my darling, and say that you'll always be mine.
Embrace me, my love, and promise that you will always be with me.
This joy is something new.
This happiness is a new experience.
My arms enfolding you,
My arms wrapped around you,
Never knew this thrill before.
I have never felt this excitement before.
Who ever thought I'll be holding you close to me,
I never imagined I would hold you so close to me,
Whisspering 'It's you I adore'.
Whispering that I love you.
Dearest one,
My dearest love,
If you should leave me,
If you were to leave me,
Each little dream will take wing and my life would be through
All my hopes and dreams would vanish, and my life would be over
Bésame mucho,
Kiss me a lot,
Love me forever and make all my dreams come true.
Love me always and make all my wishes a reality.
Bésame mucho,
Kiss me a lot,
Love me forever and make all my dreams come true.
Love me always and make all my wishes a reality.
Writer(s): Consuelo Velasquez, Sunny Skylar
Contributed by Adalyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cat0172
Hetalians: GEORGE
rest of the world: who tf is george
@lemonkerr3698
A man who broke my heart worse than a Pineapple , GUTTERS
@EllieTheTraveller
@@lemonkerr3698 Why
@lemonkerr3698
Because my life has been ruined and I must vent out my frustrations
@pokerfacequeen
I swear, each time I hear this song I get chills and my eyes gets filled with tears. I will forever remember George and he will forever be my model, my inspiration. He is the only one who was able to make me feel so many things at the same time T^T
@usukie1288
xD
@MikasaOkumura
Jesus Christ. I expected comments about Vera Lynn not about George and Spamano. After years of leaving the Hetalia fandom, I didn’t expect to find this way!
Anyways, I really like Vera Lynn’s singing and voice. I’m in love with her and the rich voice of hers. 😍
@robotichoneybee
Sometimes things get broken. But what is inside is that matters. Because it is what will last forever. And it will never break.
@uh6348
S CR EAM S
N O
@portuguesedisaster5760
@@uh6348 how did i found you here