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.
Wishing
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just keep on wishing and care will go
Dreamers tell us dreams come true
It's no mistake
Wishes are the dreams we dream
When we're awake
The curtain of night will part
So if you wish long enough wish strong enough
You will come to know
Wishing will make it so
Just imagine that you are
Back in childhood days
Wishing on the evening star
For a load of hay
It worked wonders for you then
Who knows why or how
Though you're older try again
It can help you now
Wishing will make it so
Just keep on wishing and care will go
Dreamers tell us dreams come true
It's no mistake
Wishes are the dreams we dream when we're awake
The curtain of night will pass
If you are certain within your heart
So if you wish long enough wish strong enough
You will come to know
Wishing will make it so
The song "Wishing" by Vera Lynn is an optimistic and hopeful tune that encourages listeners to continue dreaming and wishing because there is power in these thoughts. The first verse suggests that simply wishing for something can make it happen, and dreams can become reality. The second verse invites listeners to envision themselves as children, where wishing upon a star was a regular occurrence. The chorus emphasizes the ideas from the first verse, stating that dreaming is not a mistake, but rather a natural human capability. If one wishes hard enough and long enough, they too can believe that it will come true.
The verses of the song are motivational and offer hope to those who may feel stuck or disheartened. Through wishing and holding positive thoughts, one may find themselves in a better place, free from worry and care. The imagery of the curtain of night opening is a symbol of a new beginning or a fresh start, suggesting that with the right mindset, change can happen. The song also invites listeners to tap into their inner child, reminding them that even as adults, the power of dreaming is still within reach.
Overall, Vera Lynn's "Wishing" is a song that encourages listeners to never give up hope, even when situations seem tough, and to continue to dream and wish for a brighter tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Wishing will make it so
Believing that something will happen can actually cause it to happen
Just keep on wishing and care will go
If you continue to focus on your wish, your worries will disappear
Dreamers tell us dreams come true
People who have aspirations and hope can make them a reality
It's no mistake
This is a fact
Wishes are the dreams we dream
The thoughts we have about what we want to happen can become reality if we believe in them
When we're awake
Even when we are conscious and aware, we have aspirations that can come true
The curtain of night will part
Difficult times will come to an end eventually
If you are certain within your heart
If you truly believe in something, your wish will come to fruition
So if you wish long enough wish strong enough
If you continue to focus on a positive outcome, that is what will occur
You will come to know
You will realize that your positive wishes can become a reality
Just imagine that you are
Think back to a time when you were young and free of any negative thoughts
Back in childhood days
Things were simpler and less stressful at a younger age
Wishing on the evening star
Making a wish on a star is a way of expressing hopeful thoughts
For a load of hay
This is an example of a simple wish with a positive outcome
It worked wonders for you then
At a younger age, positive wishes seemed to have a greater impact
Who knows why or how
The reasoning behind why positive wishes come true is unknown
Though you're older try again
Even as you grow older, it is important to stay hopeful and believe in positive outcomes
It can help you now
Positive wishes can still make a difference, no matter how old you are
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc., Actual Music, S.L.
Written by: B.G. DESYLVA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Spiffy Griffy Music & Hair
My goodness. Vera Lynn has so much talent and a very beautiful artist. i really wish we had artists like this on public radio
bucktoothedsuccubus
I am merely a high schooler but I keep stumbling onto Vera's music, I love her voice.
storytellerslie
thanks for posting this--my grandmother was so happy to hear it for the first time in many years!
Londonfogey
Mrs Lynn has a lovely accent. She doesn't try to sound 'posh' like many singers of the time nor does she play up her working class background, like Gracie Fields. It just sounds 'correct'.
Matilda
I agree. Vera had la lovely sweet voice that sounded so natural.
Dennis Roy Hall
Amen to all you say and I would add my belief that the word ‘posh’ is itself perhaps the most absurdly ridiculous and presumptive expression of all time and a worthy seed of ‘Woke Kulcha’ that deserved eradication the moment it first announced its presence. It should’ve been dealt with in like manner that we’d wish to do to Omicron.
Country drummer
Miss Lynn she is a good singer
Country drummer
Did you know she is dead
AMY Royer
I love playing songs from the 30's for my patients. I'm home health aide. Play these and they get sparkle in their eyes.
Kid Icarus: Uprising
If only they made this kind of music, today