We'll Meet Again
| "We'll Meet Again" | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music cover | |
| Song by Vera Lynn | |
| Released | 1939 |
| 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, and resonated with soldiers going off to fight as well as their families and loved ones.
The song was published by Michael Ross Limited, whose directors included Louis Carris, Ross Parker and Norman Keen. Keen, an English pianist also collaborated with Parker and Hughie Charles on "We'll Meet Again" and 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 Novachord (an early synthesizer), while a rerecording in 1953 featured a more lavish instrumentation and a chorus of British Armed Forces personnel.[1][2][3]
The song gave its name to the 1943 musical film We'll Meet Again in which Lynn played the lead role (see 1943 in music). 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. It was also used in the closing scenes of the 1986 BBC television serial The Singing Detective. British director John Schlesinger used the song in his 1979 World War II film Yanks, which is about British citizens and American soldiers during the military buildup in the UK as the Allies prepare for the Normandy landings.
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.[4] The song reached number 29 on the U.S. charts. Lynn sang the song in London on the 60th anniversary of VE Day in 2005.
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. In May 2020 following the 75th Anniversary celebrations of VE Day, the solo version by Lynn also reached number 55 in the UK chart.[5]
Covers
The song has been covered by a lot of different artists throughout history. Some popular artists who have covered the song include Frank Sinatra[6] and Johnny Cash.[7]
Cultural impact
- The song has been credited as one of the first to make use of the Hammond Novachord. The worlds first polyphonic synthesizer[8]
- The songs popularity resulted in a movie by the same name being made in 1943 loosely based on Vera Lynn's life.[8]
- Traditionally, this song is played on 5 May as a closure to the Liberation Day Concert in Amsterdam, to mark the end of World War II in the Netherlands, as the monarch leaves the concert on a canal boat.[9]
- On her last radio show, NPR host Liane Hansen quoted the song in her farewell address to listeners.[10]
- On 5 April 2020, Queen Elizabeth II referenced the song in a rare televised address that aired to Britain and the Commonwealth, where she expressed her gratitude for the efforts people are taking to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic virus and acknowledged the severe challenges being faced by families across the world.[11] The reference spurred covers by West End theatre stars with Lynn,[12] Katherine Jenkins with Lynn,[13] and by drag queens.[14] Jenkins' version was released on iTunes as a benefit for the NHS Charities Together.[13]
Appearances in film and other media
- On the final episode of The Colbert Report, the song was sung by Stephen Colbert in a more upbeat tempo with members of his family and an assembled crowd of many of his most prominent guests.[15][16]
- On the final episode of Gravity Falls, Bill Cipher is seen singing the opening verse upon unfreezing Stanford Pines in the Fearamid.
- References to the song are made in the song "Vera" by Pink Floyd. The song is also named after her.
- The song was sung by Alfie Boe and Katherine Jenkins during the final performance at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember at Horse Guards Parade in London in 2015.[17]
- On the film Kong: Skull Island, John C. Reilly's character starts singing the song to a picture of his wife whom he has not seen in decades, as he is on the way to be rescued. Vera Lynn's version then starts playing and is also featured in the soundtrack album.[18]
- The song is used in the TV show Westworld. In the last episode of season 2, "The passenger".[19] It is also used again in the shows 2020 Comic-Con trailer for their third season trailer.[20]
- In the ending of the 1964 Stanley Kubrick flick "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb", the song is played as nuclear bombs go off.[21]
- In the final episode to the animated series "Freakazoid!", "Normadeus", the episode ends with the entire cast coming out in a group rendition of the song.[22]
- The song can be heard during the end credits of The futurama episode "A Big Piece of Garbage" from season 1 of the show.[23] Some say this is a reference to the ending of Dr. Strangelove.
- In episode 4 of the third season of the Netflix original series "Stranger Things" this song can be heard in the final moments of the episode over some dialogue and as the credits roll. [24]
- During the beginning of episode 1 season 5 of "Gotham", "Year Zero". the song can be heard played on a record player.[25]
- In the 2019 series "Why Women Kill" the episode ends with the song being played.[26]
- In the trailer for the 2022 revival of Jackass, "Jackass forever" the Johnny cash version of the song is played.[27]
- The song appears in the 2019 Robin Bissell feature debut "The best of enemies", when C. P. Ellis' kid is moved to a single room at the mental insitution in which the kid resides.[28]
- The forsaken ending of Call of duty: Black ops Cold war Zombies mode, plays this song as a part of the ending cutscene.[29]
- In the fifth installment of the far cry series, the protagonist aims to take down a cult-like movement spearheaded by a man named Joseph Seed[30]. At the end of the game, if the player picks the so called "nuclear ending" a cutscene will play alongside the song.[31]
- In the american crime/drama "Castle" season 6 episode 9 "Disciple", the song can be heard on a tape left for the series main character Castle.[32]
References
- ^ "Cover versions of We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn with Arthur Young on the Novachord". Secondhandsongs.com.
- ^ "Vera Lynn – We'll Meet Again / I'm Praying To St. Christopher". Discogs.com.
- ^ Savage, Mark. "We'll Meet Again: The story of Dame Vera Lynn's wartime classic". BBC. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Hellen, Nicholas (11 July 1999). "Julie Andrews to sing to Brits during nuclear attack". The Sunday Times. London.
- ^ "Vera Lynn | full Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com.
- ^ "Frank Sinatra's 'We'll Meet Again' - Discover the Original Song". WhoSampled. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ Johnny Cash - We'll Meet Again, retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ a b "We'll Meet Again: The story of Dame Vera Lynn's wartime classic". BBC News. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ "May 4 and 5 2017 Amsterdam (Commemoration Day and Liberation Day)". Simplyamsterdam.nl. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ Hansen, Liane (29 May 2011). "Farewell From Host Liane Hansen". NPR. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "The Queen's coronavirus address: 'We will meet again'". BBC News. 5 April 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ Hewitt, Phil (24 April 2020). "Dame Vera Lynn promises UK theatre will thrive again "some sunny day" – VIDEO". Littlehampton Gazette. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ Hudson, David. "WATCH: Drag queens perform powerful 'We'll Meet Again' to help elders". Queerty.com. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ "Stephen & Friends: "We'll Meet Again"". Thecolbertreport.cc.com. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ^ Thompson, Catherine (19 December 2014). "Here's Every Cameo In The Epic Finale Of 'The Colbert Report'". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ^ de Peyer, Robin (9 May 2015). "VE Day Concert Katherine Jenkins, Pixie Lott, Status Quo Lead Party". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Fane Saunders, Tristram (18 June 2020). "We'll Meet Again: how Vera Lynn's song inspired everyone from Kubrick to the Queen". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Ramin Djawadi - Westworld: Season 2 (Music From The HBO® Series), retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ WESTWORLD Season 3 Comic-Con Trailer (2020), retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ Various - Dr. Strangelove... Music From The Films Of Stanley Kubrick, retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ "Freakazoid!" Normadeus (TV Episode 1997) - IMDb, retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ "Futurama" A Big Piece of Garbage (TV Episode 1999) - IMDb, retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ "Stranger Things" Chapter Four: The Sauna Test (TV Episode 2019) - IMDb, retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ "Gotham" Legend of the Dark Knight: Year Zero (TV Episode 2019) - IMDb, retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ "Every song from S2E3 - Why Women Kill, "Lady in the Lake"". WhatSong. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ jackass forever | Official Trailer (2022 Movie), retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ The Best of Enemies (2019) - IMDb, retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ "FORSAKEN" EASTER EGG ENDING CUTSCENE (Cold War Zombies Ending), retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ "Far Cry 5", Wikipedia, 2 July 2022, retrieved 18 July 2022
- ^ "Radio Song and Soundtrack List for Far Cry 5". Shacknews. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ "Castle" Disciple (TV Episode 2013) - IMDb, retrieved 18 July 2022
