Florence + The Machine – “The White Cliffs Of Dover” (Vera Lynn Cover)
Last week, Jack Antonoff unveiled his soundtrack for The New Look, the upcoming Apple TV+ series from Damages/Bloodline co-creator Todd A. Kessler. The show is about the Paris fashion industry during World War II, and it’s got Ben Mendelsohn as Christian Dior and Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel. Antonoff curated and produced the soundtrack, and it’ll be the first release on his new Dirty Hit imprint Shadow Of The City. It’s got people like Lana Del Rey, the 1975, and Nick Cave covering songs from the middle of the 20th century, and the first single is Florence + The Machine doing “The White Cliffs Of Dover.”
“The White Cliffs Of Dover” is a song inspired by the air battles over England during World War II. Walter Kent and Nat Burton wrote the song, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded the first version in 1941, but it was popularized by the British singer Vera Lynn a year later. It’s all about the feeling that these troubles will end, that life will pick up once again.
With their version of “The White Cliffs Of Dover,” Florence Welch and Jack Antonoff don’t really do anything to update the song. Instead, it’s lushly orchestrated, with a big and emotive vocal from Florence. Below, listen to the Florence + The Machine and Vera Lynn versions of the song.
The first three episodes of The New Look will stream 2/14 on Apple TV+.