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.
Tomorrow
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tomorrow is a lovely day
Come and feast your tear dimmed eyes
On tomorrow's clear blue skies
If today your heart is weary
If ev'ry little thing looks gray
Just forget your troubles and learn to say
It's a lovely day tomorrow
Tomorrow is a lovely day
Come and feast your tear dimmed eyes
On tomorrow's clear blue skies
If today your heart is weary
If ev'ry little thing looks gray
Just forget your troubles and learn to say
Tomorrow is a lovely day
The song "It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow" by Vera Lynn is a hopeful and optimistic piece that encourages listeners to overcome their present sorrows and anxieties by looking ahead to the promise of the future. The lyrics articulate that tomorrow will be a beautiful day, free from the heaviness and pain of yesterday. The exchange between the first and second lines "It's a lovely day tomorrow/ Tomorrow is a lovely day," highlights the power of positive thinking and its ability to shape one's perception of reality. Instead of dwelling on the hardships currently experienced, the song urges individuals to focus on the bright and favorable possibilities that the future holds. The lines "Come and feast your tear dimmed eyes/ On tomorrow's clear blue skies" encourage people to lift their spirits and embrace the optimism that every new day can bring.
The second half of the song repeats the message again, and the lyrics become even more powerful. The words "If today your heart is weary/ If every little thing looks gray/ Just forget your troubles and learn to say/ Tomorrow is a lovely day" speak directly to those who may be struggling to find hope in their present circumstances. Lynn's soothing voice provides reassurance and comfort, reminding listeners that tomorrow will present new opportunities and that they should not give up hope. The overall message of the song is that, although life can be challenging, it is important to stay positive and optimistic, and to look forward to the possibility of a brighter tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a lovely day tomorrow
Tomorrow has the potential to be a beautiful day
Tomorrow is a lovely day
The upcoming day has the potential to be wonderful
Come and feast your tear dimmed eyes
Allow yourself to witness the beauty and clarity of tomorrow
On tomorrow's clear blue skies
On the clear and blue skies that tomorrow brings
If today your heart is weary
If you are feeling sad or troubled currently
If ev'ry little thing looks gray
If everything in your life seems bleak and without brightness
Just forget your troubles and learn to say
Forget your worries and learn to say
Tomorrow is a lovely day
That tomorrow has the potential to be wonderful
It's a lovely day tomorrow
Tomorrow has the potential to be a beautiful day
Come and feast your tear dimmed eyes
Allow yourself to witness the beauty and clarity of tomorrow
On tomorrow's clear blue skies
On the clear and blue skies that tomorrow brings
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John
Living in mud
Marching in mud
Killing in mud
Dying in mud.
World at War...Thames TV, 1972 ?
''BURMA'.
The Forgotten 14th Army.
Kohema and the 'Admin box'.
Always remembered.
'for your tomorrow, we gave our today'.
Velvetcool
This song was played in one episode of The World At War covering the Burma campaign. Vera went out there as they felt like the forgotten army.
Irfan Khan
That is episode 14 - and the name of this episode is actually the title of the song. It features an actual interview with Dame Vera, who stated that fact as the primary reason for her going out there. It also features another song of hers - Bless em all!
History Fellow 🇺🇸
Yes, that's where I first heard the song, and immediately Googled and bought it. Love it.
George Baird
She went out to the “Forgotten Army” the XIV serving in Burma. Wonderful brave amazing lady.
the halo studio
@Irfan Khan It's a moving segment of that episode, and it always immediately comes to mind when I hear the song. I can't imagine what it must have been like to serve in SE Asia against the Japanese in WW2.
Martin Putt
@the halo studio It must have been awful, from all I've heard and seen the Japanese soldiers were fanatical.
Velvetcool
What a fantastic voice and the organ is superb.
David Walsh
It Must be amazing to have a beautiful organ
Bill Shaver
yeah, and helps me when low in faith...those words alone bring me back...
mike rayner videos
very touching. and beautifully sung by vera. i hope there's no more war