My Son, My Son

"My Son, My Son"
Single by Vera Lynn
Released	October 1954
Recorded	1954
Genre	Traditional popular music
Label	Decca Records - F 10372
Writer(s)	Gordon Melville Rees, Bob Howard and Eddie Calvert
Producer(s)	Frank Lee
Vera Lynn singles chronology
"The Windsor Waltz" (1953) "My Son, My Son" (1954) "Who Are We" (1956)

"My Son, My Son" is a traditional popular music song written by Gordon Melville Rees, Bob Howard and Eddie Calvert in 1954.^[1] 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).^[2]

Lynn's version of the song was produced by Frank Lee and released on Decca Records under the original catalogue number - F 10372.^[1] The full credit on Lynn's record read 'Vera Lynn with Frank Weir, his Saxophone, his Orchestra and Chorus'.^[2] 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.^[1]

A recording by Frankie Vaughan and Vocal Group with Geoff Love and his orchestra was made in London on September 19, 1954. It was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10766.

See also

• List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK)

References

1. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 14. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 334. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.