Dame Vera battles the Beatles to top charts

Published on Saturday 12 September 2009 19:47

DAME Vera Lynn spoke of her astonishment yesterday at being in the midst of a chart battle with the Beatles for top spot in the album charts.

The nation will discover today whether the 92-year-old has pipped the Fab Four to the number-one spot with her greatest hits album, We'll Meet Again.

The nonagenarian's album was at number two in the chart last week and is understood to be ahead of the Beatles in sales.

The wartime forces sweetheart is also believed to be close behind Jamie T, who currently leads the field.

Dame Vera attained national treasure status after her distinctive voice and bittersweet songs kept spirits up during the stresses and strains of the war.

Speaking from France, where she is on holiday, she said she had treated her recent chart success with "astonishment after all these years".

If she gains the top spot she will be the oldest artist to take the coveted position. It would also be the first number one of her career.

Until now, the oldest artist to achieve the top spot was Bob Dylan, aged 68, with his album Together Through Life, released last April.

The Beatles' back catalogue has been remastered and was released last week on 14 CDs plus a pair of stereo and mono box sets.

Dame Vera could be denied by Jamie T's album Kings And Queens but sales patterns suggest she has a strong chance of topping the list today.

Her career enjoyed a resurgence in the early 1950s when she became the first UK artist to top the US charts with Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart, on which she was joined by a chorus of soldiers, sailors and airmen.

This month marks the 70th anniversary of the declaration of war and it is also 70 years to the month since the then 22-year-old visited the Decca studios and recorded We'll Meet Again.