THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

49-Vera Lynn-(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover.

1942-It has never charted in the UK. There was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 2.20. If you’re waiting to see the Bluebirds, don’t hold your breath.

Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (see also best songs 172) was born Vera Margaret Welch on March 20th, 1917, in East Ham, Essex, England, she died on June 18th, 2020, at the age of 103. Vera Lynn was the proud holder of many UK, chart records. When the first UK chart was published on November 14th, 1952, she had three singles in the top 15. This longevity with the chart culminated in 2009, when at the age of 92 she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Album chart with ‘The Very Best of Vera Lynn,’ and then in 2017 in order to commemorate her centennial, she released The Album ‘Vera Lynn 100,’ which peaked at Number 3, making her the first centenarian to have an Album in the UK chart.

The discography of Dame Vera Lynn includes 24 studio Albums released between 1949-2010, and five compilation Albums issued between 1985-2017. In the UK, 10 of her singles have made the top 40, with ‘My Son, My Son,’ reaching Number 1 in 1954. While in America on their singles chart, she has had seven entries between 1948-1967, with the 1954 recording of ‘Auf Wiederseh’n, Sweetheart’ reaching Number 1, and making her the first ever foreign artist to have a Number 1 single in America.

(‘There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover’ was composed by Walter Kent, (1911-1994) (music) and Nat Burton (1901-1945) (lyrics.) Walter Kent wrote many songs for films and musicals, with perhaps his other best known composition being his 1943 co-write of ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas,’ which was first recorded by Bing Crosby. ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ was written in 1941, about a year after the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force and German Luftwaffe aircraft had been fighting over Southern England, including the White Cliffs of Dover, which is the region of English coastline in the county of Kent, in what was to become known as the ‘Battle of Britain.’ Nazi Germany had conquered much of Europe, and in 1941 was still bombing Britain. With neither America nor the Soviet Union having yet joined the war, Britain was the only major power fighting the Axis powers in Europe.

Nat Burton who wrote the lyrics was perhaps unaware that the ‘Bluebird’ is not indigenous to Britain, although the migrant ‘Swallow Bluebird’ is a well known British harbinger of Spring and Summer, (so I will give him the benefit of doubt) and say that he was possibly referencing that. Of course with not knowing the outcome of the war in 1941, the lyrics look forward to a time when the war would be over, and peace would rule over the iconic white cliffs, which is Britain’s symbolic border with the European mainland.

(‘There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover’ has been recorded by several artists over the years, and while many of the recordings (including this version) only sing four verses, Nat Burton in fact wrote a further two. The first recording was made by Glenn Miller (1904-1944) in 1941, but the first hit version was by the American contralto Kate Smith, (1907-1986) who took her recording to Number 9 in America in 1942. Other notable hit versions of the song are from ‘The Righteous Brothers’, who made Number 21 in 1966 in the UK, and the British Pop duo ‘Robson & Jerome,’ who spent seven weeks at Number 1 in the UK in 1995, with the song as part of a double ‘A’ side with ‘Unchained Melody,’ (see also best songs 91) which went on to sell in excess of one million copies. Incidentally when Robson & Jerome took the song to the top of the UK chart it made (‘There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover’ the longest song title ever to reach Number 1 in the UK.

‘The shepherd will tend his sheep, the valley will bloom again, and Jimmy will go to sleep in his own little room again. There’ll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover, tomorrow ,just you wait and see.’