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.
No Regrets
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No regrets I know I'll always care though you're away
Somehow our happy romance ended suddenly
Still in my heart you'll be forever mine
No regrets because somebody new looks good to you
No regrets sweetheart no matter what you say or do
I know our love will linger when the other love forgets
The song No Regrets, originally titled Non, je ne regrette rien, was written in French by Michel Vaucaire and composed by Charles Dumont in 1960. The song was famously sung by French singer Edith Piaf, who made it a hit, and later translated into English by American singer Bing Crosby. Vera Lynn's version of the song was released in 1961 and became one of her most popular and beloved songs.
The lyrics of the song speak of letting go of regrets even if a love affair has gone astray. The singer acknowledges that their happy romance ended suddenly but still holds on to the love they shared. Despite somebody new looking good to the person they love, the singer has no regrets and declares that their love will linger even after the other love forgets. The words are simple, yet powerful, and the melody conveys a sense of nostalgia and longing.
The song has become a timeless classic and continues to be covered by various artists. Its message of accepting the past and moving on without regret resonates with people around the world, making it a beloved song for generations. No Regrets has been featured in numerous films and TV shows, including the 2007 film La Vie En Rose, which was a biopic of Edith Piaf's life.
Line by Line Meaning
No regrets altho' our love affair has gone astray
I don't regret our love even though it didn't end up working out
No regrets I know I'll always care though you're away
I still love you and will always care for you even though we're not together
Somehow our happy romance ended suddenly
Our love story might have ended quickly, but at least we had the good times we shared
Still in my heart you'll be forever mine
I'll always carry the memories of our love in my heart, and you'll always have a special place in it
No regrets because somebody new looks good to you
I'm not jealous because you've found someone new who makes you happy
No regrets sweetheart no matter what you say or do
I don't regret loving you, no matter what happens
I know our love will linger when the other love forgets
Our love might have ended, but it will still be remembered long after your new love has faded away
Lyrics © HARRY TOBIAS MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: Harry Tobias, Roy Ingraham
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fabio Cervantes
A música em inglês com Vera Lynn ficou tão esplêndida como na voz de Edith Piaf em francês. Maravilha...
Daniel Victor
Essa versão ficou melhor que a da Shirley Bassey!
Kelvin Venema
Rest in peace Vera Lynn, I am only 18 and I adore you and look up to you! Thanks you for your service! Such astonishing lady your voice resonates with full emotion and power! 103 years, glad you, you we still presented on Earth when I was born. May you fly high angle, we will meet again, some sunny day. God bless you!
David Wainwright
RIP DAME VERA LYNN our SWEETHEART.
David Bret
By far the best English-language version of the Piaf classic.
Rod Starr
A lovely lady.
Jimmy Dewerpe
That sounds almost exactly the same as "Non, je ne regrette rien" from Edith Piaf, wtf ?
Maystenra
Yes, it's the same song, but in English!