EVERY UK NUMBER ONE SONG: ‘My Son, My Son’ – Vera Lynn

What was the number one song in the UK on 5th November 1954?

By Hayley Beasley Dye

Dame Vera Lynn was at number one with this song for 2 weeks.

A sentimental tune from our Vera. It doesn’t really do it for me, but I can imagine lots of mothers at the time adored it and probably shed a tear listening to it. Can we please take a moment to appreciate that Dame Vera turned 102 years old in March. 102. She is quite possibly immortal.

Wikipedia

“My Son, My Son” is a traditional popular music song written by Gordon Melville Rees, Bob Howard and Eddie Calvert in 1954. A recording of the song by Vera Lynn reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in November that year. It was Lynn’s only number one hit, reached towards the end of her peak of activity. Earlier, in 1951, she had reached #1 in the U.S. Billboard chart with her recording of “Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart”. “My Son, My Son” was Lynn’s fifth chart hit in the UK, following on from “Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart”, “Forget-Me-Not”, “The Homing Waltz” (all 1952) and “The Windsor Waltz” (1953).

Lynn’s version of the song was produced by Frank Lee and released on Decca Records under the original catalogue number – F 10372. The full credit on Lynn’s record read ‘Vera Lynn with Frank Weir, his Saxophone, his Orchestra and Chorus’. When the song hit, co-writer Calvert became the second number-one recording star, after Mantovani, to write a number one hit for someone else.

Lyrics

“My son, my son
My son, my son
You’re everything to me
My son, my son
You’re all I hoped you’d be
My son, my son
My only pride and joy
God bless and keep you safe
My own, my precious boy
For all the care and heartache
Life has brought to me
One precious gift
Has made it all worthwhile
For heaven blessed
And with great joy rewarded me
For I can look
And see my own beloved son
My son, my son
Just do the best you can
Then in my heart I’m sure
You’ll face life like a man
My pride and joy
My life, my boy
My son, my son”