The White Cliffs Of Dover by Vera Lynn

Album: We'll Meet Again (1940)

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The lyricist Nat Burton cobbled together the words, which were inspired by a poem by Alice Duer Miller and Walter Kent, and borrowed the tune from "Over The Rainbow." It became a dance band favorite in America and the song's emotions were ideal for the English singer Vera Lynn, whose version became a favorite for British soldiers serving abroad during WWII. Dover is an English port town and is famous for its white cliffs.
In 1966 the Righteous Brothers reached #21 in the UK with their cover, and in 1995 Robson Green and Jerome Flynn recorded this and released it as a double A-side single along with another Righteous Brothers track, "Unchained Melody." It became the top selling single of the year in the UK though, "Unchained Melody" was the side the radio stations played.
There is a factual inaccuracy in the lyrics: bluebirds are an American bird and can't be found in the vicinity of Dover. >>
Suggestion credit:
Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for all above
In late August 2009 92-year-old Dame Vera Lynn became the oldest living artist to make it into the top 20 of the UK albums chart when We'll Meet Again - The Very Best of Vera Lynn entered at #20. The force's sweetheart's CD was released to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the declaration of World War II. Two weeks later We'll Meet Again - The Very Best of Vera Lynn reached the top of the chart making Dame Vera the oldest living person in the entire world ever to have a #1 album. The wartime entertainer said: "I am extremely surprised and delighted, and a big 'thank you' to all my fans for putting me there."
Vera Lynn celebrated her 100th birthday on March 20, 2017. To celebrate the occasion, the centurion singer's label Decca had her image projected onto Dover's famous white cliffs.
Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine lent her powerful vocals to a cover of "White Cliffs of Dover." It's one of 10 reimagined tunes on the Jack Antonoff-produced soundtrack for Apple TV+'s 2024 historical drama The New Look. The 10-part series transports viewers to post-war Paris, witnessing the rise of fashion icons like Christian Dior amid the lingering shadows of World War II.

Comments: 4

Charles Scott from IndianaI was born in 1938 , two years before the United States entered WWII. I remember hearing Vera Lynn singing “Bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover” as my parents, Bob and Esther listened to it on their radio during World War II. The song was played so often that Esther sang it reverently as she listened. She prayed for the safe return of 3 of her brothers who served in the US airforce and army during the war years of the 1940's.
Butch from Belpre,ohiomusic was music back then
AnonymousHow many musical instruments are played in this song?
Wayne from Preston, United Kingdomsurely the bluebirds referred to in vera lynn's song white cliffs of dover are the spitfire and hurricanes of the raf.
the thinking behind this is that the underside of the aircraft was painted duck egg blue to match the sky from underneath, also the lyrics refere to braving those angry skys
the above is just my interpritation that the song is about the brave few who met the onslought of german aircraft crossing the channel

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