Don't You Remember When

"Don't You Remember When" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, that was released as a single by Vera Lynn on 20 February 1976 on the EMI record label,[1][2][3] in the UK as well as in Europe.[4][5][6][7][8] The song was recorded at the Marquee Studios, London and was produced by de Paul and she also sang backing vocals on the track.[4][6] Ringo Starr, who was de Paul's boyfriend at the time,[9][10] played the tambourine on the song,[1][11][12][13][14] with Lynn recently recalling this in a 2019 interview in Saga Magazine.[15] De Paul also produced the B-side of the single, "That Old Feeling", written by Lew Brown and Sammy Fain.[16][6] The English keyboard player, pianist and composer Tony Hymas, who had worked with de Paul before on her Love Bomb album and who went on to be a member of the duo Ph.D., arranged the song.[6] The song received favourable reviews, with the Record Mirror writing that the song is "a perfect vehicle for her with a well-honed nostalgic lyrics and lots of big long notes".[17]

De Paul was interviewed about how she wrote the song with Barry Blue especially for Vera Lynn, after appearing on Lynn's TV show, as well as details about its recording in an article in the UK music magazine, Music Week.[18] Lynn and de Paul held a press reception at the Dorchester Hotel in February 1976 to announce the release of the single.[19][20] The two ladies had also met previously at the Dorchester Hotel when they were both recipients of Ivor Novello Awards on 22 May 1975; de Paul receiving the Best Television Theme award for the song "No, Honestly", and Lynn receiving a special award for services to the music industry.[21] Lynn performed the song on her TV show.[22]

The song appeared on CD for the first time in 2007 as a remastered track (with the shortened title "Don't You Remember") on the Vera Lynn compilation album, The Singles Collection, that was released worldwide to coincide for her 90th birthday on the EMI Gold record label[23][24][25] and on Parlophone in digital download format.[26] The extensive sleeve notes for the CD states "The last tracks not to appear on an album were issued in the same year and really are the diamonds among the collected pearls on this collection. Singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul wrote the song "Don't You Remember"... This was backed by yet another Sammy Fain classic "That Old Feeling"".[27][28] The French music site Purebreak charts mentions the song and album as of Lynn's most important releases.[29] The German radio station, Radio Rund Hamm, listed its release on its pop history site.[30]

In more recent years, the song has become popular at funerals and memorials due to the reminiscing tone and nostalgia of the lyrics.[31]

Lynn was interviewed by Saga magazine in 2019 and mentioned recording "Don't You Remember When"[32]. A more recent article also recalled the connection between Lynn, De Paul and Starr in the recording of the song and states "Decades after she became the darling of the troops’, Dame Lynn returned with a comeback single. Don’t You Remember When was well received by music critics when it was released in 1976".[33] When Lynn died in June 2020, most press obituaries mentioned the song.[34][3]

References
  1. The Beatles Again? by Harry Castleman, Walter J. Podrazik, Pierian Press, 1977, ISBN 9780876500897
  2. "Vera Lynn : Biography". Musicianbio.org. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  3. "Dame Vera Lynn, iconic voice of World War II Britain, has died at 103". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  4. "Don't You Remember When" at Discogs
  5. "Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  6. "Vera Lynn - Don't You Remember When / That Old Feeling - EMI - UK - EMI 2413". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  7. "Vera Lynn - Don't You Remember When". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  8. "Vera Lynn : Biography". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  9. The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles by Peter Brown, Steven Gaines, ISBN 0-330-28531-9
  10. Rock Stars Do The Dumbest Things by Margaret Moser and Bill Crawford, Renaissance Book 1998, ISBN 978-1580630238
  11. The George Harrison Encyclopedia, Virgin Books (2003) ISBN 978-0-7535-0822-0
  12. "Richard Starkey - Musician - Music database - Radio Swiss Pop". Radioswisspop.ch. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  13. "Beatles Solo Career - The History of Rock and Roll Radio Show". Thehistoryofrockandroll.net. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  14. "Ringo Starr". The Liverpool Beatles Tour. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  15. "Dame Vera Lynn - Saga". Saga.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  16. "Vera Lynn - Don't You Remember When". Discogs. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  17. Singles review by Sue Byrom, page 24, Record Mirror, 28 February 1976
  18. Music Week, 21 February 1976
  19. Record Mirror & Disc, 14 February 1976, p. 28
  20. p47, Billboard, 14 February 1976
  21. "The Ivors 1975 - The Ivors". Theivors.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  22. "The Vera Lynn Show". IMDb.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  23. Don't You Remember When at Discogs
  24. "The Singles Collection - Vera Lynn | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  25. "Vera Lynn - Singles Collection". Discogs. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  26. "The Singles Collection - Vera Lynn - Release Info - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  27. Dean Peirce-Hendriks, sleeve booklet, Vera Lynn The Singles Collection, 2018
  28. "Vera Lynn - Singles Collection". Discogs. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  29. "Vera Lynn - The Singles Collection". Chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  30. "PopHistory". Radiorundehamm.de. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  31. "Music evokes emotions, sensations and feeling. It can transport you to a familiar time and create new memories to treasure". Alifecelebrant.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  32. "Dame Vera Lynn - Saga". Saga.co.uk.
  33. Wright, Minnie (22 April 2020). "Dame Vera Lynn's intriguing connection to The Beatles' Ringo Starr - You'd never guess it". Express.co.uk.
  34. "Vera Lynn's songs, daughter and early life as We'll Meet Again singer dies". Metro.co.uk. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
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