"There'll Always Be an England" is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

patriotic song, written and distributed in the summer of 1939, which became highly popular following the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. It was composed and written by Ross Parker and

Hughie Charles Hughie Charles (24 July 1907 – 6 October 1995), was an English songwriter and producer of musical theatre. Born Charles Hugh Owen Ferry in Manchester, he is best known for co-writing the songs "We'll Meet Again" and "There'll Always Be an Engla ...

. A popular version was sung by

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...

History

In its lyrics, the song invokes various clichés of English rural life, liberty, and the Empire. It is best known for its chorus: The song first appeared in '' Discoveries'', a 1939 film by

Carroll Levis Carroll Richard Levis (March 15, 1910 – October 17, 1968) was a Canadian talent scout, impresario and radio and television broadcaster, mainly working in Britain. Biography Born in Toronto and brought up in Vancouver, he grew up wanting to be ...

, where it was sung by the boy soprano Glyn Davies. After war broke out on 1 September, the song became a hit for

. Within the first two months of the war, 200,000 copies of the sheet music were sold.Seidenberg, Steven, Maurice Sellar and Lou Jones (1995). ''You Must Remember This: Songs at the Heart of the War''. Boxtree. . See pp. 28–29. The song was used to express British patriotic defiance in the finale of ''

Two Thousand Women ''Two Thousand Women'' is a 1944 British comedy-drama war film about a German internment camp in Occupied France which holds British women who have been resident in the country. Three RAF aircrewmen, whose bomber has been shot down, enter the ca ...

'', a successful 1944 film starring

Phyllis Calvert Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill (née Bickle; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as Phyllis Calvert, was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 1 ...

and

Patricia Roc Patricia Roc (born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold; 7 June 1915 – 30 December 2003) was an English film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as ''Madonna of the Seven Moons'' (1945) and '' The Wicked Lady'' (1945), though she only ...

about women interned by the Germans in occupied France. Versions of this song were sung by Tiny Tim and the 1970 England World Cup Squad. The punk band

The Sex Pistols ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

entered on stage to this tune in 2008.

References

External links

Modern history sourcebook
* * * {{YouTube, _qhLPWcm-0w, Vera Lynn – There'll Always Be an England (2016 reMaster) English patriotic songs 1939 songs 1939 in England Vera Lynn songs United Kingdom home front during World War II Songs written by Ross Parker (songwriter) Songs of World War II Songs about England