Dame Vera Lynn first rose to fame during World War II, but the Sussex singer has seen renewed interest in her music amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Widely known as the ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’, she has sung for troops all over the world, with the aim to raise their spirits during the war.
After a career spanning over 80 years, Vera no longer performs publicly (she deserves a break, we think) but she was immensely popular decades ago, appearing on TV in the UK and US, and has also done a lot of charity work over the years.
So how old is the singer and why has her 1939 hit reappeared on the UK charts in 2020?
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What age is Vera Lynn and what are her songs?
Vera Lynn was born 20 March 1917, making her the grand old age of 103.
Aside from her most famous hit, We’ll Meet Again, you’ll likely recognise her other ditties, including her English-language cover of Auf Wiederseh’n, Sweetheart, originally sung by Rudi Schuricke in German in 1950:
Big night in
Again
Auf Wiederseh’n, Sweetheart
Comment te dire adieu
Don’t You Remember When
The Faithful Hussar
Forget Me Not
Harbour Lights
The Homing Waltz
A House with Love in It
I Love This Land
I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles
It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow
The Little White Cloud That Cried
My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time
My Son, My Son
There’ll Always Be an England
We’ll Meet Again
You Can’t Be True, Dear
You’re in My Arms
Yours (Quiéreme Mucho)
Why is Vera Lynn’s song We’ll Meet Again trending?
It’s all thanks to the Queen and her speech to the nation.
In her address, watched by 24 million people, Queen Elizabeth II references one of Vera’s most well-known songs, ‘We’ll Meet Again’.
‘We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again,’ she said towards the end of her speech.
‘But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all,’ she added.
Since then, Vera’s wartime hit has soared through the charts on iTunes by 830 places to spot 22.
She’s also just announced a remake with soprano singer Katherine Jenkins, 39, and bookies are taking bets on whether it will be one of the top UK singles in 2020, with odds currently 6-4 on Coral.
‘After the Queen quoted the song in her address to the nation, and with proceeds on song sales going to the NHS, we think the re-release of We’ll Meet Again could do very well and even bag the number one spot in the UK singles charts,’ said Coral’s John Hill.
‘I watched The Queen’s speech with the rest of the country and indeed, the world, and it was wonderful,’ Vera told Middy and Express.
‘I didn’t know that Her Majesty was going to finish up with the words “We will meet again”, but I think those words speak to the hope we should all have during these troubling times.
‘I hope everyone will feel encouraged by Her Majesty’s words, and that we can all continue to work together to get through this.’
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