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.
There'll Come Another Day
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They only told me we were parting
The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me
I watched the harbor lights
How could I help if tears were starting
Goodbye to tender nights beside the silvery sea
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
Now I know lonely nights
For all the while my heart is whispering
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
Now I know lonely nights
For all the while my heart is whispering
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
The lyrics of Vera Lynn's song "There'll Come Another Day" are about separation and the fear of losing love. The singer is watching the harbor lights, which symbolize the ship that is taking her lover away from her. She reflects on the times they spent together, reminiscing about the tender nights they shared by the sea. As she is overcome by emotion and begins to cry, she realizes that she cannot stop her lover from sailing away.
The singer's longing for her lover is intense, as she confesses her desire to hold him near and kiss him just one more time. She understands that their separation will lead to lonely nights, and her heart whispers to her that some other harbor lights will steal her love from her. The fear of losing her lover to someone else is almost unbearable.
Overall, the song is a beautiful expression of the pain of separation and the fear of losing love. The harbor lights represent both hope and despair – hope that the lovers will reunite one day, but despair that their time together may have come to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw the harbor lights
The singer saw the harbor lights, which made them think of the impending separation.
They only told me we were parting
The harbor lights served as a signal that the singer and their loved one were about to part ways.
The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me
The harbor lights used to signify the arrival of the singer's loved one, but now they were bringing about their departure.
I watched the harbor lights
The artist continued to watch the harbor lights, knowing that their loved one was leaving.
How could I help if tears were starting
The artist couldn't stop their tears from falling, as they were overcome with emotion at the thought of the separation.
Goodbye to tender nights beside the silvery sea
The singer sadly said goodbye to the romantic nights they had enjoyed with their loved one by the sea.
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
The singer deeply desires to hold their loved one close and share one more kiss before they leave.
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
Unfortunately, the artist's loved one was already on the ship and the artist was left behind on the shore.
Now I know lonely nights
The artist is aware that they will be spending many lonely nights without their loved one by their side.
For all the while my heart is whispering
Despite the separation, the artist's heart continues to yearn for their loved one.
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
The singer fears that their loved one may find new romance under the same harbor lights that once brought them together.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HUGH WILLIAMS, JIMMY KENNEDY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alma Kivioja
Lyrics:
Your dearest memories all remind you
That sorrows never come to stay
And when the shadows fall behind you
There'll come another day.
A day to bring you joy and laughter
For when the night has passed away
You'll find the sunshine follows after,
There'll come another day.
And then together, in sunny weather,
We'll wander hand in hand,
Shadows will vanish, true love will banish
All life's misunderstandings.
The world will glow with golden glory,
Soon we'll forget the skies were grey,
And like a lovely fairy story,
There'll come another day.
And then together, in sunny weather,
We'll wander hand in hand,
Shadows will vanish, true love will banish
All life's misunderstandings.
The world will glow with golden glory,
Soon we'll forget the skies were grey,
And like a lovely fairy story,
There'll come another day.
Wayne Brasler
There's nothing she couldn't sing and make glorious. A very simple and direct style but also very heart-affecting without getting mawkish. What a talent! She also was a very good actress and a very happy soul.
Maree
I am 29 and I love listening to Vera Lynn. Beautiful voice and beautiful songs. I dislike modern music.
Ozmulki
Brilliant as ever...what a voice what positive uplifting songs she sang in times of dread...why can't the world write songs like this rather than the rubbish we hear!
dittybop12
In Vera Lynn, I hear a voice of authentic courage and Hope. A true gift for the generations that didn't have to live thru the struggle, And for the one who did. May this voice be heard for all time. Dearest Vera, Happy Birthday
deloy duff
Thank God for Dame Vera and her faithfulness with song all thru the years. She is a gift given for the world to enjoy.
Alma Kivioja
Lyrics:
Your dearest memories all remind you
That sorrows never come to stay
And when the shadows fall behind you
There'll come another day.
A day to bring you joy and laughter
For when the night has passed away
You'll find the sunshine follows after,
There'll come another day.
And then together, in sunny weather,
We'll wander hand in hand,
Shadows will vanish, true love will banish
All life's misunderstandings.
The world will glow with golden glory,
Soon we'll forget the skies were grey,
And like a lovely fairy story,
There'll come another day.
And then together, in sunny weather,
We'll wander hand in hand,
Shadows will vanish, true love will banish
All life's misunderstandings.
The world will glow with golden glory,
Soon we'll forget the skies were grey,
And like a lovely fairy story,
There'll come another day.
Kassidy Dunnigan
This is a good reminder that someday there will be more sunny days. The COVID 19 crisis is only temporary, not permanent 💙
Bossmanrocks
Why hasn't anyone digitally remastered her songs? Her voice sounds so phenomenal on the old recordings; imagine how fantastic they would sound remastered?
Edmond Mcdowell
I know of no other voice that can pull your emotion out and put it up for view like Vera can. First I ever heard her was the end Dr. STRANGELOVE.. Fell in love right there.
Derek J. Wood
When she passed away aged 103 I felt so very sad. I do really love her voice which was crystal clear. God bless her memory.