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.
The London I Love
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And visions of a love arise
Changed though she may be
In dreams I'll always see
My London as the daylight dies
Street lamps aglow
And news boys calling
With twilight falling
Deep in my heart I keep recalling
The London I love
Small cosy bars
And cheerful greeting
Long lines of cars
And lovers meeting
Under the stars
A heart is beating
The London I love
Breathless and fast
The crowd hurries past
There's a glow in the London sky
Velvety dark
The trees in the park
Touch my heart, and I don't know why
Mayfair hotels
Their windows beaming
Chiming of bells
The river gleaming
You are my dream
I'm always dreaming
The London I love
Bright coloured lights
Palladium nights
And a world that was always gay
All you have been
Will stay ever green
In my heart till another day
Laughter and song
And swing doors turning
When will these things
Be more than yearning?
Come back, my world
With bright lights burning
The London I love
Vera Lynn's "The London I Love" is a nostalgic ode to the city that she loves. The opening line "I only have to close my eyes and visions of a love arise" suggests that although she is physically far from London, in her dreams she can always see the city as it used to be. The song is likely to have been written during or shortly after the Second World War when Lynn visited the capital to entertain the troops. The song portrays a romantic and sentimentalized view of the city at night, from the glow of the street lamps to the sound of newsboys calling on the corner.
The lyrics are full of vivid descriptions of the city at night, with its small cosy bars, lovers meeting under the stars, and the magnificent Mayfair hotels. Lynn's voice is full of warmth and affection for the city that she knows so well. The chorus "Breathless and fast, the crowd hurries past" captures the energy and excitement of the city at night, while other lines such as "touch my heart, and I don't know why" reflect the city's almost mystical hold over its residents.
Overall, "The London I Love" presents a romantic and sentimentalized vision of the city. Although it may not be entirely true to life, it captures the essence of what it means to be in love with a place - the memories, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings, and the never-ending sense of possibility that a city like London can offer.
Line by Line Meaning
I only have to close my eyes
When I close my eyes, I can picture my favorite city, London.
And visions of a love arise
I have memories of the love that I have for London.
Changed though she may be
Even though London might have changed over time,
In dreams I'll always see
I'll always have memories of it in my dreams.
My London as the daylight dies
The image of London that I cherish in my mind is the one at dusk.
Street lamps aglow
The street lamps light up the streets of London.
And news boys calling
Newsboys shout out the latest news in the streets of London.
City I know
I know this city – London – intimately.
With twilight falling
As the sun sets and darkness approaches.
Deep in my heart I keep recalling
I often recall my love for London deep in my heart.
The London I love
The London I hold dear to my heart.
Small cosy bars
Intimate, comfortable bars are characteristic of London.
And cheerful greeting
People in London always greet each other cheerfully.
Long lines of cars
The long lines of cars are a part of the chaos of London.
And lovers meeting
London is a romantic place where couples often meet.
Under the stars
In the beautiful night sky of London.
A heart is beating
The lover's heart is beating fast in excitement and anticipation at the prospect of their romantic date.
The London I love
Again, referring to her love for London.
Breathless and fast
The crowd hurries past quickly exerting themselves.
There's a glow in the London sky
The London skyline is beautiful and emits a beautiful glow.
Velvety dark
The darkness of London is welcoming like velvet. it is not a scary depth of darkness.
The trees in the park
The lovely trees in London's parks.
Touch my heart, and I don't know why
London’s beauty moves me deeply in a way I can’t explain.
Mayfair hotels
The best and luxurious hotels in London.
Their windows beaming
The windows of the hotels shine bright.
Chiming of bells
The bells of the historic churches ring, telling the time.
The river gleaming
The river Thames is brilliantly sparkling.
You are my dream
London is a city that I dream about often, it has all I ever wanted in a city.
I'm always dreaming
I can't stop dreaming about The London that I love.
Bright coloured lights
The dazzling colors of lights in the city, especially at night.
Palladium nights
The vibrant nights watching shows at the Palladium.
And a world that was always gay
A lively and jolly city that I remember with great fondness.
All you have been
I remember how London has changed over time.
Will stay ever green
These memories of London will never fade away.
In my heart till another day
They will remain forever etched in my heart until I visit London again.
Laughter and song
The sounds of people laughing and singing give me a warm feeling.
And swing doors turning
As the doors of a pub swing open and close, people are going about their everyday lives.
When will these things
Sighing over her memories of these things from her heart.
Be more than yearning?
Wistful and wishing for a time that used to be. Sadly the glory days of London are gone.
Come back, my world
She so wishes that London would come back to its former glory days.
With bright lights burning
She’s hoping to see London's bright lights burn bright like they used to.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE POSFORD, HAROLD PARCELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind