When the Lights Go On Again

"When The Lights Go on Again"
Song by Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra
Released1942
GenrePopular music
Songwriter(s)Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus, Bennie Benjamin

"When the Lights Go On Again (All Over the World)" is a popular song composed during World War II. It was written by Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus and Eddie Seiler.[1] The first recording, by Vaughn Monroe, reached number one on the charts in 1943.[2]

The song expresses the hopes for an end to the war. The title is from the refrain found throughout the song as is found in the first verse:

When the lights go on again all over the world
And the boys are home again all over the world
And rain or snow is all that may fall from the skies above
A kiss won't mean "Goodbye" but "Hello to love"[3]

The reference to "lights going on again" alludes to the remark "The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our life-time", attributed to British statesman Sir Edward Grey on the eve of the First World War.[4] The title of the song may also refer to the longed-for end to the blackout restrictions imposed in London and elsewhere during the Second World War.

Lucky Millinder's version reached number twelve on the pop charts and reached number one on the R&B charts for two non consecutive weeks.[5]

  1. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries. Library of Congress. 1971. p. 2306. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Big Band Library: Vaughn Monroe "There, I've Said It Again"". www.bigbandlibrary.com.
  3. ^ "When The Lights Go On Again Lyrics Vaughn Monroe". Mojim.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Life, Journalism and Politics". Retrieved Aug 10, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 401.