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.
Somewhere in France With You
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's never sad, who's always gay
I know she's acting a part
You can see what goes on in her heart
There are two eyes, such blue eyes, a-smiling at me
Yet, they're lonely as only a woman's can be
For I see all her thoughts are somewhere
While she's talking, she's talking of no one but you
She's so proud, oh so proud
Of the things you will do
I can see all her love is somewhere
Somewhere in France with you
And when your letters come
They bring a smile, a tear
Each one a sweet souvenir
Only one of a million who'll never complain
For she knows that the sunshine will follow the rain
Every beat of that heart will always be
Somewhere in France with you
And when your letters come
They bring a smile, a tear
Each one a sweet souvenir
Only one of a million who'll never complain
For she knows that the sunshine will follow the rain
Every beat of that heart will always be
Somewhere in France with you
The song "Somewhere In France With You" by Vera Lynn portrays a woman who is putting on a brave face, pretending to be happy but in reality, her heart is filled with loneliness and longing for her loved one who is fighting in France. The singer meets this woman every day, who seems to be in good spirits but her eyes betray a deep sense of sorrow. The lyrics suggest that this woman's mind is occupied with thoughts of her loved one in France as she talks about him constantly and takes pride in his bravery. The singer, however, can see through the façade and knows that her love and heart are somewhere in France with her partner.
The use of the phrase 'somewhere in France with you' in the lyrics emphasizes the distance between the two lovers. The woman's heart and thoughts are far away, across the sea, where her partner is fighting for his country. Her pain is evident in the way she talks about him, and how his letters bring both joy and sorrow to her. However, the woman never complains, as she believes that the sun will always shine after the rain.
Overall, "Somewhere In France With You" is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by soldiers and their loved ones during times of war. The lyrics capture the heartache and longing that accompany the separation of loved ones during war, highlighting the emotional toll that it takes on people.
Line by Line Meaning
I meet a someone each day
Every day I come across someone who appears cheerful and happy.
Who's never sad, who's always gay
This person never seems to be unhappy and is always positive and happy.
I know she's acting a part
However, I know that she's pretending to be happy, and isn't really.
You can see what goes on in her heart
I can tell from her eyes and demeanor that she is hiding her true feelings and is actually quite lonely.
There are two eyes, such blue eyes, a-smiling at me
She looks at me with her big blue eyes and appears happy and smiling on the outside.
Yet, they're lonely as only a woman's can be
But deep down, she feels lonely and sad like only a woman can.
For I see all her thoughts are somewhere
I can see that she is lost in her thoughts, perhaps thinking about someone in particular.
Somewhere in France with you
She is likely thinking about a loved one who is somewhere in France.
While she's talking, she's talking of no one but you
Whenever she talks, she only talks about this person she's thinking of, and no one else.
She's so proud, oh so proud
She talks about this person with great pride, and is very proud of them.
Of the things you will do
She often imagines the things this person is doing in France, and is proud of them for it.
I can see all her love is somewhere
I can tell that she truly loves this person and is missing them greatly.
Somewhere in France with you
Her mind and heart are both in France with this person she loves.
And when your letters come
Whenever she receives letters from this person she loves, she is overjoyed.
They bring a smile, a tear
The letters make her both happy and sad at the same time, and she becomes emotional.
Each one a sweet souvenir
Each letter is very special to her, and she keeps them as cherished memories.
Only one of a million who'll never complain
She is one of many people who are separated from their loved ones during the war, but she never complains or voices her pain.
For she knows that the sunshine will follow the rain
She understands that there will be difficult times, but she has faith that good times will come again.
Every beat of that heart will always be
Her love for this person will never fade, and every moment she spends apart from them, she keeps them close to her heart.
Somewhere in France with you
Her mind and heart are both in France with this person she loves.
Writer(s): Carr
Contributed by Adeline P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.