Have you heard of the song We’ll Meet Again?
The song was published 81 years ago in 1939 at the start of the Second World War. It has recently become popular again after Her Majesty The Queen quoted its title in her address to the nation at the beginning of the Coronavirus lockdown:
We’ll Meet Again was written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles, but it was Vera Lynn who sang the song during World War Two.
Vera Lynn is known as ‘The Forces’ Sweetheart’. She is most famous for being a singer with hugely popular recordings during the Second World War. Throughout the war, she travelled around the United Kingdom, Europe, North Africa and Asia to entertain the soldiers who were fighting in those regions.
Vera Lynn was awarded the honour of being called Dame Vera Lynn by the Queen in 1975.
Dame Vera Lynn is still alive – she is 103 years old.
We’ll Meet Again and The White Cliffs of Dover are her two most popular songs. Both have a theme of hope and are about soldiers returning from the war and coming home to their loved ones.
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away
To the folks that I know
Tell them I won’t be long
They’ll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singing this song
We’ll Meet Again has remained popular ever since Vera Lynn first recorded it. Its popularity has increased recently, partly because of it being mentioned in the speech by the Queen, but also because of the 75th anniversary today of the end of World War Two in Europe, known as VE Day. The song is currently at Number 4 in the iTunes chart.
On Friday 8th May, just after 9.00pm, throughout the country, people will be joining together to sing We’ll Meet Again. The song will be played on BBC1, so why not watch and join in? Before the song, at 9.00pm, Her Majesty The Queen will speak to the country about the VE Day anniversary.