Saturday, October 20, 2012

At the Music Hall: Till We Meet Again, 1918




When the clouds roll by I'll come to you,
Then the skies will see more blue,
Down in lovers lane my dearie,
Wedding bells will ring so merrily,
Every tear will be a memory,
So wait and pray each night for me,
Till we meet again. 


With music by Richard A. Whiting and lyrics by Raymond B. Egan, “Till We Meet Again,” was a popular American song of the First World War. The sentimental piece chronicles the parting of a young lady with her soldier love.

Whiting had originally written the song so that he could enter it into a Detroit, Michigan song contest in 1918. He hated the finished product so intensely that he threw the draft away. Whiting’s secretary rescued the manuscript and, through Whiting’s publisher, Jerome Remick, had the song entered into the contest after all. There, it received rave reviews and won the highest honors. By 1919, “Till We Meet Again” was the Number 1 song in the U.S.




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