Remembering Vera Lynn (1917-2020)

Greetings, music lovers! This is Peter, the audio video materials librarian. In this 75th anniversary year of the end of World War II, it was especially poignant to learn of the death of Vera Lynn at age 103, one of the most popular British singers of that era. Her two best loved recordings, “We’ll Meet Again” and “The White Cliffs of Dover” were as popular in the United States as they were in her homeland, and remained powerful reminders of the period, with lyrics that evoked the yearning of loved ones parted by the war to be reunited before long.

“We’ll Meet Again” was re-released earlier this year to raise funds for the care of coronavirus victims and its lyric was quoted by Queen Elizabeth II as she addressed the nation in lockdown. The monarch served as an ambulance driver during the war and evoked the song’s promise that loved ones would be reunited, this time after being separated by the virus.

Lynn was ranked No. 1 in a 1939 poll of servicemen who named their favorite singers, earning her the nickname “The Forces’ Sweetheart.” She even appeared in several British musical films during the war. In 2009, a collection of her hit records reached No. 1 in the British album charts.

Although Lynn retired from performing some years back, she remained active with media interviews and charity work in support of veterans’ causes as well as cancer and cystic fibrosis research. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1975. Movie fans will recall her recording of “We’ll Meet Again” played ironically over the final scene of Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove.”

“Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? Remember how she said that We would meet again Some sunny day? Vera, Vera, What has become of you? Does anybody else in here Feel the way I do?” – Pink Floyd – “Vera” from “The Wall.”

The Lindenhurst Memorial Library is proud to present a comprehensive and excellent offering of every music genre via the digital service Hoopla, which can be easily accessed on the home page of our website. Downloads are immediate with no waiting time, and are automatically returned after seven days.

The following link will bring you directly to the many recordings of Vera Lynn available from Hoopla. Please give her unforgettable music a listen, and enjoy!

https://www.hoopladigital.com/search?page=1&q=vera+lynn&scope=everything&type=direct

To sign up for a Hoopla account through the Library, you will need to enter the email and password connected to your library card, select your home library of Lindenhurst from a drop-down list, and enter your library card barcode. Click here for your library account. If your card has expired, you may click here for a temporary Library card while the Library is closed. For any other issues that arise, please email the Library at info@lindenhurstlibrary.org for help.