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.
I Had the Craziest Dream
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And what insane and silly things we do
Here is what I see before me, vividly and clear
As I recall it, you were in it, too
I had the craziest dream last night, yes I did
I never dreamt it could be
Yet there you were, in love with me
And you didn't mind it at all
When I'm awake such a break never happens
How long can a gal go on dreaming?
If there's a chance that you care
Then, please, say you do, Baby
Say it and make my craziest dream come true
The first two lines of the song speak about how in a dream we see strange and odd things and do insane and silly things that we wouldn't do in reality. The singer then goes on to describe a dream they had, where someone they know, possibly a lover or a crush, was in it too. The dream was so crazy that the singer never thought it could be real. But in the dream, the person they were into was in love with them too. The singer mentions how they kissed this person and how the person didn't mind it at all. The singer then wonders how long they can keep dreaming because when they're awake, such a "break" never happens.
The chorus is a plea from the singer to the person they dreamt about to make their craziest dream come true. The singer is hoping that the person cares for them and they want them to say it out loud. The song is essentially a love song that talks about the great heights that love can take you to. It speaks about how love can make you feel like you're living in a dream and that anything is possible.
Overall, the song is about being in love and wanting to make that love a reality. It's a whimsical and romantic song that speaks to the power that love can have over us.
Line by Line Meaning
In a dream the strangest and the oddest things appear
Dreams can be unpredictable and show us strange scenarios that we couldn't imagine or make sense of when awake.
And what insane and silly things we do
Our dreams can cause us to act in ways that we wouldn't consider in real life, often leading to ridiculous or irrational behavior.
Here is what I see before me, vividly and clear
Despite the surreal nature of dreams, we can often remember them vividly as if they were real occurrences.
As I recall it, you were in it, too
The dream that the singer had involved another person, who they can picture and remember clearly.
I had the craziest dream last night, yes I did
The singer is emphasizing the bizarre and startling nature of their dream, perhaps hinting that it went beyond their usual subconscious thoughts.
I never dreamt it could be
The singer is indicating that they were surprised by the events that unfolded in their dream and didn't expect them to happen.
Yet there you were, in love with me
The singer's dream involved another person showing romantic interest in them, which is unexpected and exciting for them to imagine.
I found your lips close to mine so I kissed you
The dream involved a passionate kiss between the singer and the other person, which in reality might be difficult or unlikely to happen.
And you didn't mind it at all
The other person in the dream was receptive and happy to receive the singer's kiss, which is a satisfying and positive outcome for the singer in their dream.
When I'm awake such a break never happens
The singer recognizes that the events of their dream couldn't happen in real life or would be unlikely to happen based on their current circumstances.
How long can a gal go on dreaming?
The singer is wondering how long they'll be able to keep imagining a fantasy like the one in their dream before they have to face reality again.
If there's a chance that you care
The singer is hoping that the other person in their dream might have real feelings for them, even though it was only a dream.
Then, please, say you do, Baby
The singer is making a plea to the other person to acknowledge their possible feelings and reciprocate them, even if only in their imagination.
Say it and make my craziest dream come true
The singer is hoping that the other person will tell them that they care, so that the dream they had can become a reality and they can live out their romantic fantasy.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY WARREN, MACK GORDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind