Hi Dilly

I watched it on youtube yesterday and although they're not the greatest choir I've ever heard I suggest you keep some tissues handy on Sunday as it is very moving

PS: If you watch it on youtube DON'T go wandering round looking at the vids of various soldiers coming home on leave and surprising their families. You'll end up like this if you do

Let me see, SCD is about zlebs learning a new skill of performing dance routines. Military Wives Choir is about Military Wives learning a new skill of singing in a choir. Seems a perfect choice to me. Certainly better than some of the professional singers we've had foisted on us.

Oh no! That's one I'll definitely give a miss. I'm sick of all this patriotism propaganda crap.

You put it so politely! I appreciate we all have our own views on things, but a bit of respect for those who are patriotic and/or who have family/friends fighting abroad. I'm neither, just a person who loves the tune.

Good luck to the choir ladies!

But I don't respect them.

How can you say that?

That is so horribly unkind.

They are just women. Living on an army camp, whose husbands were serving in a war zone, and who were brought together by Gareth Malone and tv to sing at the Festival of Remembrance.

They made an excellent job of it, and surely deserve some respect for that and for the thousands of pounds they are likely to raise for injured soldiers and their families.

^^This. I wrote a heated reply to the negative posters and then deleted it, having vented my spleen in the privacy of my own home rather than on the forum!

I have already pre-ordered the single and instructed my family that, if they don't know what to get me for Christmas, I don't mind how many copies I get. It's not available on iTunes yet, but I'll get it on there as well as soon as it is.

Let's make it a Christmas number one, because:[LIST][*]I ♥ Gareth Malone and want to adopt him. [*]The Royal British Legion is a great charity that I'm happy to support[*]The programme was marvellous, uplifting and heart-warming[*]It's a lovely song and deserves to be more widely heard[*]Anything that p1$$es off Simon Cowell is okay by me[/LIST]

Thanks for posting the clip.

It is a lovely song and I know the background, so I will buy it to show my support. But I wish they had chosen something that would be sung by choirs for years to come, rather than a song for one special occasion or one special purpose. I know getting that balance right isn't easy, but I'd love it to have a longer life than I suspect it will have. Hope this makes sense.

Yes, you do make sense, Buddy.

It must have made very good sense to Gareth and the choir at the time to do an original song that meant an awful lot to them personally, because its impact was that much greater than if they'd sung an established song with similar emotions (like when they sang 'To Make You Feel My Love' in the first programme).

I would guess that they have been surprised at the reaction. Gareth seems overwhelmed by it all, judging by what he has said on Facebook, so I'm guessing the release of a single wasn't originally planned when they made the programme and sang at the Remembrance Day concert.

Ditto! I want a song at No 1 that has been written and sung with real feeling and emotion, and is actually doing something positive like raising money for the British Legion, rather than the manufactured XXXX churned out by the X Factor ad nauseam every year.

For the record, I don't agree with our troops being in Afghanistan and it grieves me every time I see another young face in a news bulletin that tells me of another death. But the troops don't have a choice - they operate under orders and they have to go there whether they like it or not. So they deserve our respect and support, as do their families for the stress they go though.

As I said earlier, for those who don't like the song or who are uncomfortable with the emotions expressed, fine - but that doesn't mean the song or its singers deserve to be treated with derision.

I think you are probably right. I don't think Gareth has any idea what an impact his TV programmes have on the viewers. He should know by now that literally millions of people love his transformations, but it's just one of his many quirks that he doesn't!

I totally agree with all of the above.

Gareth is simply marvellous. I love his shows, I love what he does. He is genuine...and that, for me, is the secret. He totally kicks all the rubbish, which Cowell peddles, into touch.

Let's have a genuine, original, credible Christmas Number 1 this year for a change...and raise money for worthy charities at the same time. I have already ordered my second copy!

The Military Wives Choir & Gareth Malone for Christmas Number 1 2011.

I disagree. I think the song does cross boundaries and reaches and touches everyone. I lost my father two years ago, and the lyrics made me think of him...I was in floods.

I have a feeling it will be around for years because it is so anthemic.

Don't be surprised if it get's to Number 1 and raises lots of money for charity.

...and that is his challenge. To remain grounded and to keep it genuine. I would hate to see him go all BBC1 or X Factor.

I haven't heard it but it sounds rather maudlin from what people are saying.

I love Gareth Malone. Pity funds couldn't be raised with something cheerful. We never had this sort of sentimentality in WWII. It would have been considered unseemly.

For those who have not heard the track...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/mpd/perma...ef=ent_fb_link

Get ordering guys...

Vera Lynn's songs weren't sentimental?

ESPIONdansant, I wasn't around in WW2 but as far as I know there are a number of "sentimental" songs linked to that time, e.g. 'White Cliffs of Dover', 'We'll Meet Again'. All expressing sentiment, but in a different way.

But those songs don't elicit tears. And a lot of these posts seem to say that the MW song produces floods of tears. Now that's what I call.... undignified.

I was thinking also of the lyrics of 'When the lights go on again' which are unashamedly sentimental...edit and I've no doubt those songs would have provoked a tear or two then. Why not. Apparently Gracie Fields had whole theatres in tears when she sang Ave Maria.

Couldn't agree more Peeve.

This song is so beautiful - regardless of the context or who's singing it - that it deserves a wider audience. The fact that it was created with a good heart (or hearts) and is sung by women who have a profound understanding of the lyrics makes it all the more moving.

I don't quite understand how anyone can react negatively about this...but it's a sad old world sometimes. *shrugs*


If you heard Gareth on Chris Evans programme you could tell that releasing the song wasn't considered until there was such a positive reaction by the tv viewers. I'm not sure why no one on the production team didn't hear the song and immediately thought it deserved to be released.

I'm looking forward to buying it.

Nearly - it's Paul Mealor. I must admit I loved the idea but didn't really like the song when I first heard it. I have since watched the video and now am completely sold and love it.

So anyone who isn't impressed watch the video as I think you'll change your mind.

What a silly thing to say. The song is raising money for the Royal British Legion which was founded in 1921 (long before World War 2). The Poppy Appeal stems from a sentimental poem written in 1915 called In Flanders' Field.

As others have said there were many sentimental songs around during World War 2 and even if there weren't what is the relevance of that? Both my grandads fought and survived that war and my great grandad fought and was severely injured in The Great war. My nan and grandad looked after him for the last years of his life (after my great nan died) and I can assure you that there was a great deal of sentimentality in that household for anything to do with The Poppy or veterans in general.

<snipped> because I don't actually like the song itself Otherwise, all excellent reasons: I plan to buy it and give it to my mum.

Lots of things in the 1940;s were considered unseemly , that doesnt mean we should still think it We have moved on and times are changed.