Yahoo News Dame Vera Lynn and Katherine Jenkins to release 'We'll Meet Again' in aid of NHS
Dame Vera Lynn and Katherine Jenkins are releasing a duet of wartime classic We’ll Meet Again to raise funds for the NHS.
The song – originally made famous by Dame Vera in 1942 as the forces’ sweetheart during the Second World War – has been rising up the streaming charts since it was referenced by The Queen in her speech responding to the coronavirus crisis.
Welsh opera star Jenkins, 39, said: “As Dame Vera herself has said, while the lyrics of We’ll Meet Again take us back to the time of WW2, the sentiment feels appropriate and meaningful today and relevant to the current crisis.
EXCLUSIVE: Dame Vera Lynn and @KathJenkins join forces to release the wartime ballad ‘We’ll Meet Again’ to help raise money for the NHS. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/v7RtZPNzov
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) April 8, 2020
“It is a song of hope and Dame Vera and I sing this in honour of (and in aid of) our superhero NHS workers and their families.
“They are putting themselves at risk to ensure we will meet our dearest again.”
Read more: Who is Dame Vera Lynn?
Lynn said: "The words ‘We'll meet again’ speak to the hope we should all have during these troubling times.”
Her daughter Virginia Lewis told Good Morning Britain Dame Vera had thought it was “quite funny” to hear The Queen close her speech with those words.
Lewis added: “She thinks the Queen is wonderful, and for her to make a point of saying that at the very end because they’re words that resonate now, as much as they did all those years ago and will continue to do so.
“The words are meaningful and very poignant and very important.”
All the proceeds from the duet will go to NHS Charities Together across England, Scotland and Wales.
Jenkins said: “It’s an amazing charity providing things like lunch, snacks, protein bars, paying for parking and helping with their mental health and support.”
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Following the Queen’s televised address to the nation on Suday night, We’ll Meet Again has reported a 209% rise in streams on Spotify and shot up hundreds of places on the iTunes chart to 22.
Jenkins performed the song at the Royal Albert Hall in 2014 at a concert to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. The pair also performed together at a concert in London’s Trafalgar Square to mark the 60th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe) in 2005.
The single will be released on Saturday 11 April.
