"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, resonating with servicemen going off to fight as well as their families and loved ones.

Background

The song was published by Michael Ross Limited, whose directors included Louis Carris, Ross Parker and Norman Keen. Keen, an English pianist, collaborated with Parker and Hughie Charles on "We'll Meet Again", as well as 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 Hammond Novachord (an early electronic keyboard), while a rerecording in 1953 featured a more lavish instrumentation and a chorus of British Armed Forces personnel.

Composition

The song was originally written in the key of D major, set to a tempo of 92 BPM.

Legacy after World War II

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. 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 alongside Petula Clark and Bruce Forsyth. 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.

Use in media

The song inspired and gave its name to the 1943 musical film We'll Meet Again, where Lynn stars in a loose adaptation of her life as a Forces' Sweetheart during the war. 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. British director John Schlesinger used the song in his 1979 film Yanks. The film focuses on British citizens and American soldiers during the military buildup in the UK as the Allies prepare for the Normandy landings. The 1982 ITV period drama We'll Meet Again took its name from the song. The song is used in the closing scenes of the 1986 BBC television serial The Singing Detective.

Cultural impact