Songfacts®:

• This sentimentally optimistic song was written in 1939 by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. The most popular version was recorded three years later by The Forces Sweetheart, Vera Lynn whose morale building ballads and concerts to British tours serving overseas made her the popular British singer during the Second World War. Her recording of this song captured the mood of the British nation as it faced up to its battle for survival during the war. She recalled to the September 2009 edition of Saga Magazine: "I always tried to choose cheerful songs, that soldiers missing their wives and sweethearts could relate to. We weren't psychologists, but we understood that it was important to express the right meaning, and we put a lot of effort into getting the songs right."
• Both this song and Vera Lynn herself are directly cited in Pink Floyd's 1979 song Vera from their album, The Wall.
• On September 13, 2009, Dame Vera Lynn reached the top of the UK albums chart with We'll Meet Again - The Very Best of Vera Lynn, a compilation released to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the declaration of World War II. This meant that the 92-year-old became the oldest living artist to make it to #1 on the chart.
  
  Lynn returned to the chart in March 2017 at age 100 when her greatest hits compilation 100 went to #3. In May 2020, that album reentered the tally at #30 following the 75th anniversary VE Day celebrations. She was 103 at the time.
  
  Dame Vera's chart history dates back to 1952, when she had three songs on the first-ever singles chart.
• On April 5, 2020, Queen Elizabeth II made a rare televised address to support the British people during the coronavirus pandemic. She expressed her gratitude for the efforts people are taking to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, adding that although self-isolation is difficult, better days will return and "we will meet again."
  
  The Queen's reference to the patriotic World War II song spurred several covers, including one by Mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins with Vera Lynn. They'd first sung the song together in London on the 60th Anniversary of VE Day in 2005. The pair released their version on iTunes as a benefit for the NHS Charities Together; it reached #55 on the UK singles chart.