Wheel Vera Lynn, NewsRevue Lyric And Beyond, 24 April 1995

The following quickie formed part of a medley – well in the end several different medleys, but initially a VE Day Labour medley – click here.

But I’m writing this up today, 20 March 2017, on Vera Lynn’s 100th birthday.

It is strange re-reading this quickie today.

At the time, 1995, when Vera Lynn was a sprightly 78 year old, I think it was funny and it certainly went down very well. It was used/reused many times in NewsRevue – the VE Day and general 50th anniversary of the war ending stories ran and ran in the news and this was ideal material for that.

But now that Vera Lynn is 100, the song no longer has the same humour to it. Usually the passage of time makes material easier to laugh about, but in this case, the passage of time has the opposite effect.

Still, imagine the 50th anniversary of VE day; imagine wall-to-wall Vera Lynn on the radio and TV and you should still get the jokes.

Wheel Vera Lynn, out again, what a din,

Yes they’ll wheel out Vera Lynn despite her years;

Keeps crooning through, although she’s ninety two,

But they wheel out Vera Lynn to raise the tears.

 

That Vera still bangs the drum, for a six figure sum,

She will sing you a song;

You’ll be moved and be charmed, even ‘tho’ she’s embalmed

And her talent’s all gone.

 

Wheel Vera Lynn, out again, what a din,

And they’ll wheel out Vera Lynn each fifty years.

Ben Murphy used it on one of his albums – a wonderful rendition at the end of a medley, which included my VE Day Labour Medley – click here – and some of his own material.

Click here or below for a lyric-strewn YouTube of the original song, We’ll Meet Again, sung by Vera Lynn.