Talk:We'll Meet Again

Removed arcana related to HS class

For the second straight day, I just removed non-notable content, related to a high school class in Harrisburg, PA. I am going to leave a notice on Rempe's talk page, as well. Rolando (talk) 00:12, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

Novachord

there seem to be two widely known versions of this song, one featuring Arthur Young at the Hammond Novachord (which I believe is the recording played at Walt Disney World and Disney's California Adventure) and the other features a backing band and additional vocalists. does anyone know why the Novachord version exists, and can anyone find a source to support my claim? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.49.251.170 (talk) 10:31, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

i think i'm a reasonably smart guy, but i have no idea what is meant by #29us,1954, apparently referring to vera lynn. perhaps some explanation is in order.Toyokuni3 (talk) 04:59, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Vera Lynn: 40's original and 50's rerecording

Vera Lynn's original recording was from I believe 1940. It differs very much from the later rerecording she did of the song, with said later recording from sometime in the 1950s. The latter 50's rerecording is the one heard in "Dr. Strangelove" et al. The original is much simpler and lacks the chorus and orchestra and overall the jubilation of the later, and is more a somber song. Someone more knowledgeable of the era's music would likely know proper sources, but I do ask that this be edited into the article.--67.240.156.83 (talk) 05:17, 10 March 2013 (UTC)

German version

The other day I heard a snatch of this song with German lyrics and presume that it was a post WW2 version. Unfortunately, I didn't catch the title (the station was on the 49 metre SW band and there was a lot of noise) but it would be good to find out more and add to the article. I've tried Google but in vain. Does anyone know? Mikeo1938 (talk) 13:16, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

New performances

The D-Day Darlings uploaded this performance in November 2018. Does it warrant inclusion? -- SpareSimian (talk) 09:53, 25 July 2019 (UTC)

This page needs some corrections made: The original recording was made in 1939, featuring Mr. Arthur Young on the “Novachord” (Decca DR3884) The recording used at the end of Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" was recorded in January 1953, not 1943, (Decca DR17522) and featured the voices of “Sailors, Soldiers, and Airmen of Her Majesty’s Forces” (which was the part that puzzled me, because Elizabeth wasn’t crowned until 1953.) (The information about the song on the “Wikipedia” page incorrectly states that the recording was made in 1943.) There is another "Alternate Version" which was recorded in 1953, which seems to be a bit obscure, and I was not able to find much information about it. It can be found on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQt17HLaFvI It is interesting to note that the version most familiar to current day listener's is the 1953 recording Kubrick used in "Dr. Strangelove". There were more up-tempo versions performed by Ms. Lynn during the war years, such as this live recording of her performing for RAF troops in 1943: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5C4meGkNyc All of this information was pretty easy to find with some simple Google searches. 03/19/20 Skimohawk```` I will leave it to those more qualified to work this information into the page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Skimohawk (talk • contribs) 10:15, 19 March 2020 (UTC)

Queen E II

Queen Elizabeth just used the phrase in her speech about covid-19. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-52174772/the-queen-s-coronavirus-address-we-will-meet-again Kdammers (talk) 12:11, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

Comparison of 1939 Novachord and 1943 WW2 (orchestral) recordings.

The original 1939 recording is on YouTube, here: Vera Lynn - We'll Meet Again (1939 Novachord Version)

In the comment section, user Kim Damien Eriksen posted two comments providing interesting background, which someone with more time could usefully use to flesh out this article. (In particular, I was hoping to find the differences in the lyrics between original and later versions actually spelt out here.)

I know this comment might make me to be considered a total geek, but here goes anyway:

This specific recording is actually EARLIER than 1940's. Vera Lynn was signed with Decca Records in 1939 (when this recording were made). The only recording of "We'll meet again", that Decca Records made with Vera Lynn accompanied only by Arthur Young playing the Hammond Novachord (production of this first synthesizer in the world began in late 1938 but was halted in 1942 by the lack of production materials due to the 2ww effort).

When Very Lynn in 1942 re-recorded "We'll meet again", it was with a full symphonic orchestra for the Columbia (UK) Pictures Corp. movie by the same name as the song. Vera appeared, in a rather unassuming starring role as a jilted lover in a story inspired by the song. The orignal soundtrack came out later that year, recorded by Columbia Graphophone Company (Columbia had then merged with the American RCA label and formed the company Electrical and Musical Industries (EMI) ).

After the 2ww, the production of the Hammond Novachord was seen as absolete and oldfashioned, hence no new records were made with Vera Lynn and Arthur Young on the Novachord.

Sorry that I'm such a nerd - and thanks for sharing this great recording, Mr. Bickle

— Kim Damien Eriksen, YouTube Comment #1, November 2014

A little later, Kim replied to his own comment with some more information (also adding credibility to him as a source):

Sorry for the very late reply, but yes I do know why the lyrics are different in the two versions.

And this will forever haunt me, for now there's no doubt that I must be a geek [ :-) ] for knowing this:

The song "We'll Meet Again" was written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles in September 1939 and recorded in October the same year, in the Decca Records version with Arthur Young and Very Lynn heard in this YouTube video.

As a result of Germany's attack on Poland, England and France declared war on Germany the 3rd of September 1939. The common belief was then, that the Germans would be halted at the French Maginot Line or in Belgian Flandern by the French/Belgian border. Therefore, Englands (then) Prime Minister, Richard Chamberlain, had Englands soldiers to guard and stand ground at this border.

Most English thought that the war would be brief and would be ended soon after beginning, but in May 1940, Germany took everyone by surprise by going into France through the Ardenne Forrest, which was the weakest fortified stretch of the defence line. German forces poured into France and quickly forced the English forces to withdraw to the port of Dunkirk where they evacuated for the English coast, leaving most of their warmaterial behind in France.

So when the innitial recording was made in 1939, the belief was that the forces would win the "short war" in France. And thus the lyrics weren't censored and much more a love song of "the soldier going away from the lass singing".

And so the Ministry of Information thought the lyrics in the later version should be changed, so that it was the "singing lass going away from the soldier", and not the opposite way around, in order to boost the morale for both the forces and their relatives and loved ones at home.

And if you listen carefully to the two recordings, then you can hear that some of the tunes original bridges (written in minor) have changed into major. This was done, as well of the orchestration, for boost in the morale with the forces. It should not be a sad song, but a cheerful song as the forces now were in the war for the duration.

I interviewed Dame Vera Lynch a couple of years back (yes, just to all of you who think's she's dead, to this november 2014 she is still alive and kicking), she pointed out to me, that one of her finest duties during 2ww was to make sure that the morale was kept high by the forces and later also the Allied troops. And so both she and her colleagues at the Entertainments National Service Association, went to a great lenght to ensure that they always sang the songs in the correct manner.

In order to understand why the two versions are so different I think you should put yourself in the time and situation they people were in then. And I really tried keeping it short, but it's such a vast subject.

— Kim Damien Eriksen, YouTube Comment #2, November 2014

There you go. You can possibly imagine my disappointment to find that the Wikipedia article on the song was shorter and less informative than Kim's YouTube comment!

Update -- lyrics differences.

The main difference to the lyrics is in this verse:

Original

And I will just say hello
To the folks that you know
Tell them you won't be long
They'll be happy to know
That as I saw you go
You were singing this song

Later:

So, will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them I won't be long
They'll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singing this song

There may be other differences too, but work calls...!

-- EdJogg (talk) 08:17, 19 June 2020 (UTC) (Flying visit. Message me if you need a response!)

We'll meet again?

Why on earth are you hellbent on removing the part on the songs appearances on tv shows? a few weeks ago I visited the songs page to figure out where i had heard it before, and found the information i was looking for in that section. And it made me happy. Wikipedia is about the end user experience. and you are not adding to it, you are ruining it. 02:37, 19 July 2022 (UTC) kind regards, your friendly neighbourhood Wabadoodel Wabadoodel (talk) 02:37, 19 July 2022 (UTC)

Please read MOS:POPCULT. SImple reference are not enough. Also please see WP:IMDB and WP:RSDISCOGS. They just are not reliable sources are they are user generated.--Egghead06 (talk) 04:36, 19 July 2022 (UTC)

I wholly agree with your sentiment. 25galepley (talk) 13:27, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

Public Domain Info

This composition will be public domain in 2035, which is 96 years after 1939, since its copyright was renewed under R393552. The 1953 recording by Lynn will be public domain in 2064, which is 111 years after publication, under the Music Modernization Act. SDudley (talk) 00:43, 9 May 2024 (UTC)