1939 Returning by Pete Doherty

Album: Grace/Wastelands (2009)

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In this acoustic-based song set in Britain on the brink of the Second World War, Doherty pays tribute to his beloved grandmother. He explained to The Sun March 13, 2009: "It's my nanna. She was evacuated in the war and went out west. Three or four years ago, the council shipped her out west again to sheltered accommodation. I always said to her, 'When I make it, I'll get you a big house in the country' but she's so proud. She wouldn't take anything from me."
Doherty originally recorded this song as a duet with Amy Winehouse on his mobile phone, ahead of a recording session. He told the NME March 21, 2009, that the producer Stephen Street "didn't want to go for it." The former Libertine added: "Amy was up for it, but we probably couldn't have afforded it anyway."

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