Vera Lynn Has Left the Building

Vera Lynn, British, has stepped through the Big Window. She was 103 . Lynn was, along with the American Jo Stafford, the towering pop diva of World War II. 

What these two powerhouses sang about was how lonely they were with their men off at war--or killed in the war.  "I'll Be Seeing You" with Stafford, a lament for a lost lover, was probably the saddest song in this genre. That's according to my friend Lucy Jenson, who passed away a few years ago, having outlived three husbands. But  the more hopeful "We'll Meet Again" by Lynn was a close second.

Not to forget "I'll Walk Alone," "You Belong to Me" and "The White Cliffs of Dover." 

Before there were pop divas, the nation had pop divas.