"When the Lights Go On Again (All Over the World)" is a popular song composed during

World War II 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 opposin ...

. It was written by

Bennie Benjamin Claude August "Bennie" Benjamin (November 4, 1907 – May 2, 1989) was a Virgin Islands-born American songwriter. He had particularly successful songwriting partnerships with Sol Marcus, with whom he wrote "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fi ...

Sol Marcus Sol Marcus (October 1, 1912 – February 5, 1976) was an American songwriter and pianist. Born in New York, he began working as a songwriter with Bennie Benjamin and Eddie Seiler (1911–1952) in the mid-1930s.Eddie Seiler. The first recording, by

Vaughn Monroe Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter, big band leader, actor, and businessman, who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for rec ...

, reached number one on the charts in 1943. The song expresses the hopes for an end to the war. The title is from the refrain found throughout the song as is found in the first verse: The reference to "lights going on again" alludes to the remark "''

The lamps are going out all over Europe "The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time", United Kingdom, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Foreign Secretary Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, Sir Edwar ...

. We shall not see them lit again in our life-time''", attributed to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

statesman

Sir Edward Grey Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, (25 April 1862 – 7 September 1933), better known as Sir Edward Grey, was a British Liberal statesman and the main force behind British foreign policy in the era of the First World War. An adhe ...

on the eve of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The title of the song may also refer to the longed-for end to the blackout restrictions imposed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and elsewhere during 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 opposin ...

Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing and rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical ...

's version reached number twelve on the pop charts and reached number one on the R&B charts for two non consecutive weeks.

Background

Music was a large part of culture during

. During the war, music served as a uniting factor among people around the world; “When the Lights Go On Again” was one of the songs that helped keep up the spirits of those who were struggling. Famous singer Vera Lynn was best known for her music during the war, including popular songs such as “

Lili Marlene "Lili Marleen" (also spelled "Lili Marlen'", "Lilli Marlene", "Lily Marlene", "Lili Marlène" among others; ) is a German love song that became popular during World War II throughout Europe and the Mediterranean among both Axis and Allied troop ...

” and “ Yours.” She “will always be remembered by all who endured the Hell of Hitler’s Blitz, she will always be remembered by the troops.” Music has long been used to fight conflict and to help further the resolution of conflicts, as well as to fuel the fires of anger in some situations. In the case of “When the Lights Go On Again,” the song was written to give people a sense of hope and calm. Most agree that the lyrics were inspired heavily by the London blackout, which were imposed to combat the bombing raids by the Germans, called the Blitz, which lasted from September 1940 to May 1941. The blackouts lasted through to the end of the war. It was a bleak time for Londoners and the rest of the British people, as it wasn’t only London that fell under attack during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. Any city in Britain could be bombed at any time, resulting in a general sense of fear throughout the nation. It was an incredibly anxious time, as Osbert Lancaster says in his book All Done from Memory: “During the “blitz” so long as I remained indoors I was ceaselessly assaulted by what psychiatrists so unfeelingly describe as “irrational fears,” but on escape into the wide open spaces they were promptly transformed by the patter of shrapnel into anxieties to which my reason accorded every justification.”Bell, Amy. “Landscapes of Fear: Wartime London, 1939-1945.” Journal of British Studies 48, no. 1 (January 1, 2009): 153–75. This war was called “The People’s War” for a reason – it was brought directly to the people of Britain, forcing them to flee the city or face a city of fear. Because of all the anxiety and fear caused during this time, the people needed an outlet, and that outlet came often in the form of hopeful songs. “When the Lights Go On Again” speaks of what the world will be like after the war, something that would seem far away at the time to people who were undergoing the stresses of being under attack.

Lyrics analysis

Most people have interpreted these lyrics as being a reference to both the quote by Sir Edward Grey, as well as a reference to the blackout restrictions in England. The lyrics repeated the most are “When the lights go on again all over the world,” which united people from every corner of the earth during what was truly a global war. Within the repetition are hidden the lyrics “We’ll have time for things like wedding rings and free hearts will sing,” and “A kiss won’t mean goodbye but hello to love.” These were intended to paint a picture in the minds of listeners about how the world would begin again with the conclusion of the war.

Musical

The musical ''When the Lights Go On Again'' gets its name from the song. Written by Roy Sault for modern performance, it tells the story of a family, the Parkers, living in England during World War II, and ends in a VE/VJ Day party. The music in the show consists of 28 well-loved songs from the 1940s, including “The White Cliffs of Dover,” “We’ll Meet Again,” “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,” and “When the Lights Go On Again.”

Recordings

The song has been recorded by several artists including: *

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

* Joan Edwards *

Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...

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 ...

(later sampled and remixed by

Boogie Belgique Boogie Belgique is a Belgian experimental hip hop and electro swing band (self-described as swing hop) started by Oswald Cromheecke in 2012. Members * Oswald Cromheecke (2012–present) * Cedric Van Overstraeten: trumpet * Aiko Devriendt: keys ...

) *

Kay Starr Katherine Laverne Starks (July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016), known professionally as Kay Starr, was an American singer who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1940s and 1950s. She was of Iroquois and Irish heritage. Starr performed multip ...

* Dick Todd

Compilation albums

This song was included on the 2002 pro-America

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

Flag Waver A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

'' as part its collection of patriotic anthems, and was also included on the 2005

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

collection ''Songs That Won the War: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

References

{{Authority control 1942 songs Songs of World War II Songs written by Sol Marcus Songs written by Bennie Benjamin Vaughn Monroe songs