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.
Lili Marlene
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By the barrack gate
Darling I remember
The way you used to wait
'Twas there that you whispered tenderly
That you loved me
You'd always be
My Lili of the lamplight
Time would come for roll call
Time for us to part
Darling I'd caress you
And press you to my heart
And there neath that far off lantern light
I'd hold you tight
We'd kiss good night
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
Orders came for sailing
Somewhere over there
All confined to barracks
'Twas more than I could bear
I knew you were waiting in the street
I heard your feet
But could not meet
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
Resting in our billet
Just behind the line
Even though we're parted
Your lips are close to mine
You wait where that lantern softly gleamed
Your sweet face seems
To haunt my dreams
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene.
The lyrics of Vera Lynn's song "Lili Marlene" evoke the bittersweet experience of love during times of war. The setting is a military base where a soldier is reminiscing about his lover, Lili, who used to wait for him beneath a lantern by the barrack gate. The soldier remembers Lili's tender whispers of love, the way they used to hold each other tight under the lantern light, and their poignant farewells when he had to sail across the sea.
The song expresses the enduring power of love to transcend distance and time even in the midst of war. The soldier imagines Lili waiting for him in the same spot where they used to meet. Though he is unable to be with her, their love remains a beacon of hope and comfort through the hardships of war. The lyrics also suggest the deep emotional connection between soldiers and their loved ones at home, who they yearn for and cherish during their time away.
Overall, "Lili Marlene" is a beautiful and poignant tribute to the power of love in times of conflict, and the longing and heartache that comes with separation and distance.
Line by Line Meaning
Underneath the lantern
I remember when we used to meet by the lamppost
By the barrack gate
It was near the military base where we met
Darling I remember
I can still recall the memories of us together
The way you used to wait
How patiently you used to wait for me to arrive
'Twas there that you whispered tenderly
It was there that you spoke sweetly and softly to me
That you loved me
That's when you told me you loved me
You'd always be
You promised that you would always be
My Lili of the lamplight
My love who waits for me at the lamppost
My own Lili Marlene
My dear Lili, the one I love so much
Time would come for roll call
Eventually, we would have to go to military formation
Time for us to part
It was time for us to say goodbye
Darling I'd caress you
I would hold you close to me and stroke your hair
And press you to my heart
I would hold you tightly against my chest
And there neath that far off lantern light
Under the dim light of the lamppost in the distance
I'd hold you tight
I would embrace you with all my love
We'd kiss good night
We would say our goodbyes with a tender kiss
My Lili of the lamplight
The love of my life who waits for me at the lamppost
My own Lili Marlene
My dearest Lili, whom I love so much
Orders came for sailing
We received orders to go overseas
Somewhere over there
To some far-off land where danger awaits
All confined to barracks
We were all restricted to staying within the military base
'Twas more than I could bear
It was too much for me to handle
I knew you were waiting in the street
I was aware that you were waiting for me outside
I heard your feet
I could hear the sound of your footsteps
But could not meet
But I couldn't come to you
My Lili of the lamplight
The love of my life who waits for me at the lamppost
My own Lili Marlene
My dearest Lili, who I long to be with
Resting in our billet
Taking a break in our military quarters
Just behind the line
We were stationed just behind the front line of battle
Even though we're parted
Although we are separate from each other
Your lips are close to mine
I can still feel the warmth of your kiss
You wait where that lantern softly gleamed
You're still waiting for me at the lamppost where we used to meet
Your sweet face seems
Your lovely face appears to me
To haunt my dreams
You haunt my dreams when I'm away
My Lili of the lamplight
The love of my life who waits for me at the lamppost
My own Lili Marlene
My dearest Lili, I promise to come back to you
My Lili of the lamplight
The love of my life who waits for me at the lamppost
My own Lili Marlene
My dearest Lili, I will always love you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hans Leip, Norbert Schultze
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kathi
Depends on where you look though, I personally enjoy:
"Enter one" from Sol Seppy -2006
"Mountains" from Message to Bears -2012
"Hopeful" from detroit become human -2019
And "One more light" by Linkin Park also from -2019
Laura Gimenez
linterna, frente a mi cuartel
Sé que tu me esperas, mi dulce amado bien…
Y tu corazón al susurrar
Bajo el farol, latiendo está…
Lili… Mi luz de fe
Eres tú… Lili Marlene
II
Cuando llega un parte y debo marchar
Sin saber querida, si podré regresar…
Y sé que me esperas siempre fiel
Bajo el farol, frente al cuartel…
Lili… Mi luz de fe.
Eres tú… Lili Marlene…
III
Si en el frente me hallo, lejos ¡ay! de ti
Oigo que tus pasos se acercan junto a mí…
Y sé que allá me esperas tú
Junto al farol… plena de luz
Lili… Mi dulce bien
Eres tú Lili Marlene
Marlene Reisenauer
My parents named me after this song. It is a beautiful rendition!
MNS
That's my name, too!--Marlene S.
Comrad Darmoc
German beautiful name
Helen Kidd
@Comrad Darmoc😊😊
Marta Hegner
You knew that wad a Nazi song and sang it....with tears in your eyes... ?
VIRAL BEAUTIES
it wasnt a nazi song, the american sang it, the australian sang it the british sang it and the singer lieterally moved away from nazi german and condemn the nazi party. Yes its original was born in germany during the rise of the nazi party but the song itself naturally became a military song sang around the world. marlene dietrich performed this song for the allies many times in english durin the war, so no is a nazi song at all.
Erich Kartmann
I played this to my alzheimer Grandfather and tears poured down he dosent speak much nor nothing since hes in a vegetable condition but i believe a memory was remembered
Ruth Gunneson-Poling
Yes he heard it. Keep playing him all the songs from his time period.
Rocio P.
Keep your grandfather happy, Eric
jamie28gaming
Eric you have a grandfather!? but with all due respect thats very kind.