We'll Meet Again
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"We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song made famous by British singer Vera Lynn (#29 (US, 1954)) with music and lyrics written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles (born Charles Hugh Owen Ferry, 24 Jul 1907 in Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire).
The song is one of the most famous songs of the Second World War era, and resonated with soldiers going off to fight and their families and sweethearts. The assertion that "we'll meet again" is optimistic, as many soldiers did not survive to see their loved ones again. Indeed, the meeting place at some unspecified time in the future would have been seen by many who lost loved ones to be heaven.
The song gave its name to the 1943 musical film We'll Meet Again in which Vera Lynn played the lead role (see 1943 in music). Lynn's recording is featured in the final scene of Stanley Kubrick's 1964 movie Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and was also used in the closing scenes of the 1986 BBC television serial The Singing Detective.
During the Cold War, Vera 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[1]. Mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins reprised the song at her appearance alongside Lynn in London on the 60th Anniversary of VE Day in 2005, and has retained it as an occasional item in her repertoire.
In popular culture
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- The Byrds recorded the song as the closing track on their debut album Mr. Tambourine Man in 1965, inspired by the song's use in the film Dr. Strangelove.
- Pink Floyd makes reference to this song and the performer in "Vera," in a song from their album The Wall: "Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn?/Remember how she said that we would meet again some sunny day?". A short clip of "We'll Meet Again" can also be heard at the beginning of the first track on the Pink Floyd album Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-81.
- Johnny Cash covered this song in his 2002 album American IV: The Man Comes Around.
- The Turtles released a cover of this song as a single.
- The Chordettes covered the song.
- In 1972, P. J. Proby recorded a power-ballad rendition of the song. It was released by the EMI Group as Proby's last single for his recording contract that ran between 1961 and 1972.
- The band Bomb the Music Industry!'s song "Future 86" is partly based on "We'll Meet Again."
- In 2002 Peter Doherty and Carl Barat of The Libertines covered "We'll Meet Again" as part of Radio 1's Live Lounge with Jo Whiley.
- Peter Doherty famously performed this song in intimate surroundings in one of his favourite Parisian cafes [1]
- The song can be heard in the 2004 film Hellboy directed by Guillermo del Toro.
- Barry Manilow covered this song on his Barry Live in Britain album.
- The final scene of the last episode of the 1997 animated superhero comedy Freakazoid! features the cast singing this song at the Hollywood Bowl.
- The song is featured on the seventh episode (shore leave) of the popular series Salad Fingers by David Firth.
- The song appears in the 1955 Ealing Studios film The Ship That Died of Shame.
- The song appears as part of the exit music for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, more commonly known as Tower of Terror; a drop tower thrill ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's California Adventure Park, Tokyo DisneySea and Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris.
References
- ^ Hellen, Nicholas (1999-07-11). "Julie Andrews to sing to Brits during nuclear attack". Sunday Times.