We'll Meet Again

Last updated

"We'll Meet Again"
Cover of sheet music for "We'll Meet Again" by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles.jpg
Sheet music cover
Song by Vera Lynn
Released1939
Genre Ballad
Length3:04
Label Michael Ross Limited
Songwriter(s) Ross Parker, Hughie Charles
Producer(s) Norman Keen

"We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song by English singer Vera Lynn with music and lyrics composed and written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. The song is one of the most famous of the Second World War era, resonating with servicemen going off to fight as well as their families and loved ones. [1]

Contents

Background

The song was published by Michael Ross Limited, whose directors included Louis Carris, Ross Parker and Norman Keen. Keen, an English pianist, collaborated with Parker and Hughie Charles on "We'll Meet Again", as well as many other songs published by the company, including "There'll Always Be an England" and "I'm In Love For The Last Time".

The song's original recording featured Lynn accompanied by Arthur Young on Hammond Novachord (an early electronic keyboard), while a rerecording in 1953 featured a more lavish instrumentation and a chorus of British Armed Forces personnel. [2] [3] [4]

Composition

The song was originally written in the key of D major, set to a tempo of 92 BPM. [5]

Legacy after World War II

During the Cold War, Lynn's recording was included in the package of music and programmes held in 20 underground radio stations of the BBC's Wartime Broadcasting Service (WTBS), designed to provide public information and morale-boosting broadcasts for 100 days after a nuclear attack. [6] [ better source needed ] [7] The song reached number 29 on the U.S. charts.[ when? ][ citation needed ] Lynn sang the song in London on the 60th anniversary of VE Day in 2005 alongside Petula Clark and Bruce Forsyth. [4]

In April 2020, a charity duet with Katherine Jenkins, released in 2014, reached number 72 on the UK Singles Chart, with proceeds going to National Health Service charities.[ citation needed ] In May 2020 following the 75th Anniversary celebrations of VE Day, the solo version by Lynn also reached number 55 in the UK chart. [8]

Use in media

The song inspired and gave its name to the 1943 musical film We'll Meet Again , where Lynn stars in a loose adaptation of her life as a Forces' Sweetheart during the war. [9] [10]

Lynn's 1953 recording is featured in the final scene of Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film Dr. Strangelove with a bitter irony, as the song accompanies a nuclear holocaust that wipes out humanity. [11] [12]

British director John Schlesinger used the song in his 1979 film Yanks . The film focuses on British citizens and American soldiers during the military buildup in the UK as the Allies prepare for the Normandy landings.

The 1982 ITV period drama We'll Meet Again took its name from the song. The song is used in the closing scenes of the 1986 BBC television serial The Singing Detective . [13]

Cultural impact

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square</span> Song

"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a British romantic popular song written in 1939 and published in 1940, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Maconie</span> English radio DJ and television presenter

Stuart John Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of pop music and popular culture. He is a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music where, alongside Mark Radcliffe, he hosts its weekend breakfast show which broadcasts from the BBC's MediaCityUK in Salford. The pair previously presented an evening show on BBC Radio 2 and the weekday afternoon show for BBC Radio 6 Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novachord</span> Keyboard electronic music synthesizer (1939–1942)

The Novachord is an electronic musical instrument often considered the world's first commercial polyphonic synthesizer. Incorporating many circuit and control elements found in modern synthesizers, and using subtractive synthesis to generate tones, it was designed by John M. Hanert, Laurens Hammond and C. N. Williams, and was manufactured by the Hammond company. Only 1,069 Novachords were built over a period from 1939 to 1942. It was one of very few electronic products released by Hammond that was not intended to emulate the sound of an organ.

"We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song made famous by Vera Lynn.

"Vera" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd which appears on their 1979 double album, The Wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">There'll Always Be an England</span> English patriotic song by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles

"There'll Always Be an England" is an English patriotic song, written and distributed in the summer of 1939, which became highly popular following the outbreak of the Second World War. It was composed and written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. It was recorded in 1939 by Billy Cotton and his Band, whose recording is mentioned on the original 1939 sheet music, and supplied him with a finale for his show for years. A popular version was later recorded by Vera Lynn in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music in World War II</span>

World War II was the first conflict to take place in the age of electronically distributed music.

<i>The Chronicle of the Black Sword</i> 1985 studio album by Hawkwind

The Chronicle of the Black Sword is the fourteenth studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1985. It spent two weeks on the UK Albums Chart peaking at #65. The album is based upon the adventures of Elric of Melniboné, a recurring character in the novels of science fiction author Michael Moorcock, a long-standing associate of the group, who contributes lyrics to one track on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monument to the Women of World War II</span> War memorial in Whitehall, London

The Monument to the Women of World War II is a British national war memorial situated on Whitehall in London next to the Cenotaph at the end of Downing Street. The sculpture represents the wartime contributions of over seven million women, including 650,000 who joined military services. It is a 6.7-metre (22 ft) tall hollow bronze resembling a coat rack representing Winston Churchill's call 'Let the Women Come Forward', the idea being that women left their normal lives to fight for survival in any role necessary. The monument was sculpted by John W. Mills, himself a wartime evacuee when his mother joined the fire service.

"(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" is a popular World War II song composed in 1941 by Walter Kent to lyrics by Nat Burton. Made famous in the United Kingdom by Vera Lynn's 1942 version, it was one of Lynn's best-known recordings and among the most popular World War II tunes.

<i>Well Meet Again</i> (1943 film) 1943 British film

We'll Meet Again is a 1943 British musical film directed by Philip Brandon and starring Vera Lynn. The plot is loosely based on the life of its star, otherwise known as Britain's "Forces' Sweetheart".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vera Lynn</span> English singer and entertainer (1917–2020)

Dame Vera Margaret Lynn was an English singer, entertainer and centenarian whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the "Forces' Sweetheart", having given outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India and Burma during the war as part of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The songs most associated with her include "We'll Meet Again", "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There'll Always Be an England".

We'll Meet Again is a British television drama set in the Second World War. It was produced by London Weekend Television (LWT) for the ITV network and was broadcast in early 1982 in the Friday primetime slot of 9 pm.

<i>Well Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn</i> 2009 compilation album by Vera Lynn

We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn is a compilation album by English singer Vera Lynn.

"When the Lights Go On Again " is a popular song composed during World War II. It was written by Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus and Eddie Seiler. The first recording, by Vaughn Monroe, reached number one on the charts in 1943.

This is a summary of 1942 in music in the United Kingdom.

VE Day 70: A Party To Remember was a 1940s themed concert and party held on Saturday 9 May 2015 on Horse Guards Parade in London. It was hosted by The Royal British Legion, as part of the three-day celebration to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

"I Love This Land" is a 1982 song by Vera Lynn that was released as a single in the aftermath of the Falklands War. The song was written by André Previn, and credited to "Vera Lynn and The Victory Group". The B-side was "The Victory Theme". It was released on State Records.

"Don't You Remember When" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, that was released as a single by Vera Lynn on 20 February 1976 on the EMI record label, in the UK as well as in Europe. The song was recorded at the Marquee Studios, London and was produced by de Paul and she also sang backing vocals on the track. In an interview with Tony Robinson of the "Sunday Mirror" at the time, De Paul said "I was absolutely thrilled at working with Dame Vera". Ringo Starr, who was de Paul's partner at the time, was widely reported as playing the tambourine on the song, with Lynn recently recalling this in a 2019 interview in Saga Magazine. The music collectors magazine "Goldmine" listed it as one of Starr's 5 greatest session performances. De Paul also produced the B-side of the single, "That Old Feeling", written by Lew Brown and Sammy Fain. The English keyboard player, pianist and composer Tony Hymas, who had worked with de Paul before on her Love Bomb album and who went on to be a member of the duo Ph.D., arranged the song. The song received favourable reviews, with the Record Mirror writing that the song is "a perfect vehicle for her with a well-honed nostalgic lyrics and lots of big long notes". Lynn performed the song on her own BBC 1 TV show.

<i>Her Greatest from Abbey Road</i> 2017 compilation album by Vera Lynn

Her Greatest from Abbey Road is a 2017 compilation album by English singer Vera Lynn. Released on 10 March to mark her 100th birthday, the album, produced by Parlophone and Warner Music UK, compiles Lynn's recordings from Abbey Road Studios for the first time.

References

  1. ↑ Baade, Christina L. (2012). Victory Through Harmony: The BBC and Popular Music in World War II. USA: Oxford University Press. p. 45. ISBN   978-0-19-537201-4. The song combined the first-person plural, which had been so successful in more jingoistic numbers, with romantic longing and an insistent faith in the couple's eventual reuinon.
  2. ↑ "Cover versions of We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn with Arthur Young on the Novachord". Secondhandsongs.com.
  3. ↑ "Vera Lynn – We'll Meet Again / I'm Praying To St. Christopher". Discogs . 9 September 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Savage, Mark (18 June 2020). "We'll Meet Again: The story of Dame Vera Lynn's wartime classic". BBC . Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  5. ↑ Publications, Wise (13 January 2011). We'll Meet again: The Best of Vera Lynn (PVG) . Wise Publications. ISBN   978-0-85712-514-9 – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ Hellen, Nicholas (11 July 1999). "Julie Andrews to sing to Brits during nuclear attack". The Sunday Times . London.
  7. ↑ Saunders, Tristram Fane (18 June 2020). "We'll Meet Again: how Vera Lynn's song inspired everyone from Kubrick to the Queen". The Telegraph . Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "Vera Lynn". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  9. ↑ Maconie, Stuart (6 June 2013). The People's Songs: The Story of Modern Britain in 50 Records. Random House. p. 10. ISBN   978-1-4090-3318-9. So popular was 'We'll Meet Again' that it spawned a movie of the same name starring Vera Lynn in 1943, by which time both America and the Soviet Union had entered the war and the tide had turned against the Axis powers.
  10. ↑ Guthrie, Kate (June 2017). "Vera Lynn on Screen: Popular Music and the 'People's War'". Twentieth-Century Music. 14 (2): 245–270. doi:10.1017/S1478572217000226. hdl: 1983/ac206c7a-7646-4dd5-b7fc-8f212cd7d4f8 . ISSN   1478-5722 – via Cambridge Core.
  11. ↑ Pfeiffer, Lee (25 October 2024). "Dr. Strangelove | Summary, Characters, & Facts". Britannica .
  12. ↑ McQuiston, Kate (2013). We'll Meet Again: Musical Design in the Films of Stanley Kubrick. USA: Oxford University Press. p. 25. ISBN   978-0-19-976766-3.
  13. ↑ "We'll Meet Again". The People's Songs. BBC Radio 2 . Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  14. ↑ "We'll Meet Again: The story of Dame Vera Lynn's wartime classic". BBC News. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  15. ↑ Asprou, Helena (18 June 2020). "What are the lyrics to Dame Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again' – and what's the story behind the WWII song?". Classic FM . Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  16. ↑ "2024 Liberation Concert at Netherlands American Cemetery". American Battle Monuments Commission . 28 August 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  17. ↑ "The Queen's coronavirus address: 'We will meet again'". BBC News . 5 April 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  18. ↑ Hewitt, Phil (24 April 2020). "Dame Vera Lynn promises UK theatre will thrive again "some sunny day" – VIDEO". Sussex Express . Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "Katherine Jenkins and Dame Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" reaches number one on iTunes charts". ITV. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  20. ↑ Paskin, Willa (19 December 2014). "Of Course Stephen Colbert, the Character, Didn't Die. We're Going to Need Him". Slate . ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  21. ↑ Maconie, Stuart (6 June 2013). The People's Songs: The Story of Modern Britain in 50 Records. Random House. p. 10. ISBN   978-1-4090-3318-9. Pink Floyd's track 'Vera' on The Wall album refers to it 'Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn?/Remember how she said that we would meet again some sunny day?'


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.