Friday, May 08, 2020

VE Day and "We'll Meet Again"

It's Friday, May 8, 2020, and the 75th Victory in Europe (VE) Day, marking the date the Allies accepted Germany's unconditional surrender. Although the war in Asia would continue until Japan's surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, World War II was effectively over.

It's a date celebrated across Europe, but not so much in the United States, where we have shorter memories and less interest in the world around us.

One of the iconic voices of that war was that of Dame Vera Lynn, who celebrated her 103rd birthday on March 20; and one of her most popular songs, "We'll Meet Again."

Here's a version of that song featuring a greeting from Dame Vera. It was recorded by stars of London musical theater as an encouragement when lights were dimmed, then extinguished, by the COVOID-19 lockdown during a 21st century war of another sort.

1 comment:

Charles Wright said...

Thanks for this, Frank. Battling covid-19 in Polk County along with a nephew and his wife (a nurse) who most recently has been helping test employees at the meat packing plant in Perry, I found this wonderful old WWII British classic uplifting.
It was a great way to begin yet another day in self-quarantine.