VERA LYNN – "My Son My Son"

Just what I’ve said on here too and she was also younger than Frank Sinatra and the same age as Dean Martin.

And this tracks appearance at No 1 could well have had something to do with it being sent overseas (possibly just in time for Christmas)to the tens of thousands of National Serviceman based all round the world and who in some caese didnt see Britain again for 2 years by their mothers.

Well yes, wichita, and there’s also the little matter of Two-Way Family Favourites, which was mainly aimed at families separated by National Service and which was perhaps the most listened-to music radio of all at the time going out as it did at Sunday lunchtime when most families still had a traditional sit-down Sunday dinner. I’d imagine that this would be exactly the sort of thing that would be heavily requested.

It always seemed to be the Three Degrees ‘When Will I See You Again?’ when I was old enough enough to remember – literally every week that was on (for obvious reasons)plus Peters and Lee ‘Welcome Home’. Actually when was probably even younger I also seem to remember ‘Dedicated to the one I love’ by the Mamas and Papas and ‘Morningtown Ride’ by the Sseekers being on quite a bit.

Light Entertainment Watch: Vera Lynn reamined a popular television attraction until the 1980s. Surviving appearances include;

BIG NIGHT OUT: with Mike and Bernie Winters (Hosts), Lionel Blair and his Dancers, David Hamilton (Voice Over Opening Credits), The ABC Television Showband, Vera Lynn, Dickie Valentine, Digby Wolfe, Jack Haig (1964)

CHRISTMAS NIGHT WITH THE STARS: Vera Lynn (1958)

DES O’CONNOR TONIGHT: with Marilyn Michaels, Kip Addotta, Vera Lynn (1980)

DES O’CONNOR TONIGHT: with Vera Lynn, Harry Secombe (1982)

DES O’CONNOR TONIGHT: with Vera Lynn, Engelbert Humperdinck, Henry Mancini, Gloria Gaynor (1987)

FIFTY YEARS OF MUSIC: with Henry Hall, Lulu, Vera Lynn, The New Seekers, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Cliff Richard, The Young Generation (1972)

THE GOOD OLD DAYS: with Vera Lynn, Sheila Steafel, Windsor Davies and Don Estelle, Lyn Kennington, Davy Kaye, Ray C. Davis (1975)

A JUBILEE OF MUSIC: with Vera Lynn, Acker Bilk, Max Bygraves, Petula Clark, Ken Dodd, Val Doonican, Rolf Harris, Kathy Kirby, Lulu, Matt Monro (1976)

LOOKS FAMILIAR: with Vera Lynn, Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise (1976)

LOOKS FAMILIAR: with Vera Lynn, Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise (1976)

THE MORECAMBE AND WISE SHOW: with Gordon Jackson, Jack Jones, Vera Lynn, Peter Murray, Shirley Bassey, André Previn (1972)

PARKINSON: with Vera Lynn, Sir Douglas Bader, Windsor Davies, Kenneth Williams (1981)

THE PAUL DANIELS MAGIC SHOW: with Donuta, Meir Yedid, Graham Fletcher, Vera Lynn, Wynford Vaughan Thomas (1985)

THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE: with Bruce Forsyth, The Crazy Gang, Russ Conway, Frankie Howerd, Diana Dors, Vera Lynn, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Bob Monkhouse, Norman Wisdom, Jimmy Edwards (1960)

THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE: with The cast of Billy, Harry Secombe, Count Basie and his Orchestra, Larry Parker, Dad’s Army, Charles Aznavour, Telly Savalas, Ronnie Dukes and Rikki Lee, Michael Crawford, Vera Lynn (1975)

RUSSELL HARTY: with Vera Lynn, Charles Pearce (1975)

SEASIDE SPECIAL: with Vera Lynn, Jim Davidson, The Wurzels, Tony Selby (1977)

SHOW OF THE WEEK: Vera Lynn (25 editions 1969-1974)

SUNDAY, SUNDAY: with Victoria Wood, Amanda Burton, Joe Loss, Vera Lynn, Wendy Richard, Anton Rodgers, Omar Sharif (1986)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE: Vera Lynn (1979)

THIS IS YOUR LUNCH: Dame Vera Lynn (1975)

THE VAL DOONICAN MUSIC SHOW: with Vera Lynn, George Hamilton IV, Lynsey De Paul (1977)

VAL PARNELL’S SPECTACULAR: The Vera Lynn Show (4 editions, 1960-1961)

WOGAN: with Angela Rippon, Roald Dahl, Vera Lynn, Kiki Dee (1984)

WOGAN: with Steve Guttenberg, Michael Hordern, Vera Lynn (1988)

With such a wealth of material, perhaps the lost status of these shows is easier for us to take;

BIG NIGHT OUT: with Mike and Bernie Winters (Hosts), Lionel Blair and his Dancers, Vera Lynn, Alfred Marks, Gerry And The Pacemakers, Don Arrol (1963)

COMEDY BANDBOX: with Vera Lynn, Clive Dunn, The Dallas Boys, Joan Turner, Hope and Keen, Lynton Boys (1963)

THE HARRY SECOMBE SHOW: with Vera Lynn, Ronnie Barker, The New Seekers, George Hamilton IV, Julian Orchard (1971)

INTERNATIONAL CABARET: with Kenneth Williams, Alyn Ainsworth and his Orchestra, Vera Lynn, Winifred Atwell, Robby Royal (1968)

MEANWHILE ON BBC 2: with Vera Lynn, The Dancing Devils (1971)

THE ROLF HARRIS SHOW: with Vera Lynn, David Nixon, Jim Ale, Cheryl Gray, The Young Generation (1969)

THE VAL DOONICAN SHOW: with The Gojos, The Adam Singers, Vera Lynn, John Williams, Des Shawn (1968)

VERA LYNN:with The Young Generation, Vince Hill, Labi Siffre, Roger Webb (1972)

VERA LYNN SINGS (1977)

WHACK-O!: Vera Lynn (1959)

Yes one of a select few people from the world of popular music who made it into generally accepted rhyming slang…along with Ruby Murray, Pete Tong, Gary Glitter, Nelson Eddy, Nelson Riddle, – are there any more?

New generation ? Good heavens. Sometimes there are such disparities between pre-rock & roll music and post that it is difficult to assess the two alongside one another. The Forces sweetheart here rams home a sentimental journey into parenthood – an ode to loved ones stationed abroad. It’s difficult to argue with the sentiment but it’s a staid affair which strangely seems to stray into Russian folk song territory in the middle (replete with humming male voices) before returning from whence it began for no good reason at all.

You could make a truly horrific family-based mixtape if you combined this with ‘Grandad”Grandma’ and ‘Mama’.

As this appears to have been her only UK number one single this is surely the place for Popular to doff its cap and congratulate the Forces Sweetheart on her centenary. A ‘new CD’ out, as she seems to have every other week, but I suspect we won’t meet her again inn these parts.

Is she the first UK number one hitmaker to celebrate a centenary? I have to admit that I’m struggling to think of another one offhand.

Incidentally with Jimmy’s mention of rhyming slang, I’m immediately reminded of the line “has anybody got any Veras? Luuuuuvely” on ‘Ebeneezer Goode’ but I suspect I’m way off the mark there!

We’ve already established elsewhere, have we not, that Sally Sweetland, co-credited on Eddie Fisher’s I’m Walking Behind You, completed a fine ton before holing out at long on trying to hit over the pavilion clock.

I do hate that term ‘hitmaker’. It’s almost as bad as that pervasive neologism ‘showrunner’ for what we used to call a producer. But Sally was, as voice-coach and vocal filler-in, a genuine maker of hits for others.

A little harsh on the marking, although perhaps I’m not harsh enough. But I’d happily give this and the previous two songs all a 5. I’ve only really dipped below a 5 when a song has actively annoyed me, as I’m treating 5 as average, so something that’s competent, but nothing special.

I’m very curious what is going to warrant 10s. I guess in my case, for the 50s that will be if there is anything from The Drifters, along with some of the other 50s big guns that even I’ve heard of (like Elvis, Sinatra, Dean Martin etc). Unless jazz ever made it onto the singles chart? I’m assuming not, but obviously loads of top notch jazz at the time.

That appears to be the case. Perhaps even more notably Tony Bennett is the last surviving pre Rock Around The Clock chart topper and also the last of his particular `class` – all the other surviving chart topping artists of the 1950s; Pat Boone, Tommy Steele, Paul Anka, Jerry Lee Lewis, Connie Francis, Don Everly, Shirley Bassey, Cliff Richard, Jerry Keller all appear to belong to the next wave, even those who can’t really be classed as rock and roll.

Before I get pounced on the list above does possibly contain a few omissions; one or both of the Dreamweavers could still be alive and there are a few members of credited backing bands (notably the Shadows) who are still around.

The national service angle put forward by other posters is probably quite accurate. It’s an interesting (and very niche) subgenre of #1s… ‘You Belong to Me’, this, ‘Lay Down Your Arms’, all of course completely resigned to history. This record just sounds very old-fashioned, both in terms of sound and sentiment, and I’d say a 3/10 is about the highest it deserves.