Jun 18th “Remembering Vera Lynn singing Second World War standards”

 

Vera Lynn songs: From ‘We’ll Meet Again’ to ‘White Cliffs of Dover’, the story of the Dame’s greatest hits after her death at 103

Dame Vera was best known for performing for the troops during the Second World War in countries such as India and Burma

and…

Dame Vera Lynn, the Forces’ Sweetheart, has died aged 103.

The singer’s family confirmed she died on Thursday morning surrounded by her close relatives.

Dame Vera was best known for performing for the troops during the Second World War in countries such as India and Burma.

 

Her music raised the spirits of soldiers fighting across the world, carrying messages of hope and love.

Here are some of the entertainer’s most beloved hits…

 

Dame Vera’s breakout song was written in 1939 at the outset of the Second World War by popular composers Ross Parker and Hughie Charles.

Its lyrics were a message of hope and comfort to those who feared they would never see their loved ones again, and buoyed Dame Vera’s burgeoning career.

It inspired a popular 1943 film of the same name, which saw Dame Vera play a fictionalised version of herself – a young singer who cheers British soldiers with her voice.

The song still resonates with those who lived through the war.

 

‘(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover’

On a clear day, Britain’s towering white coastline could be seen by servicemen across the English Channel fighting in France.

Composed in 1941 by Walter Kent to lyrics by Nat Burton, ‘The White Cliffs Of Dover’ was an ode to those cliffs that symbolised home.

Dame Vera popularised the song with her version, and it became one of the best-known Second World War standards.

Its lyrics refer to pilots “braving those angry skies” and describe the “light of hope in their eyes”.

 

There’ll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

I’ll never forget the people I met
Braving those angry skies
I remember well as the shadows fell
The light of hope in their eyes

And though I’m far away
I still can hear them say
Bombs up
But when the dawn comes up

There’ll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

There’ll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow
When the world is free

The shepherd will tend his sheep
The valley will bloom again
And Jimmy will go to sleep
In his own little room again

There’ll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

There’ll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

 

                With this song, in 1952 Dame Vera became the first foreign artist to                              reach number one on the US Billboard charts.

It was written by German composer Eberhard Storch around 1950, for his wife who was confined to hospital with a long-term illness.

The story goes that Dame Vera was on holiday in Switzerland when she heard people singing the song in a beer parlour.

When she returned home to England, she recorded the track with the soldiers and airmen of HM Forces and the Johnny Johnston Singers.

*****************************

The full song includes two verses rarely found in recordings:

I’ll never forget the people I met braving those angry skies.
I remember well as the shadows fell, the light of hope in their eyes.
And tho’ I’m far away, I can still hear them say “Thumbs Up!”
for when the dawn comes up,… There’ll be blue birds over…

When night shadows fall, I’ll always recall out there across the sea
Twilight falling down on some little town;
It’s fresh in my memory.
I hear mother pray, and to her baby say “Don’t cry,”
This is her lullaby…. There’ll be blue birds over…

XOXO               D.V.

Posted in Grandma, Today and tagged "Mickey McLaren" -" herself"with 1 comment.