Aussie son Sebastian captured a heartwarming moment on a walk with his mum, who has dementia, when she recognized him and burst into song. The pair then sang a merry duet of Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again”, which is really quite fitting given the context.
The interaction began as the pair walked down the footpath. Sebastian asked his mum Ingrid if she knew his name. She quickly piped up with “Sebastian!” but then mistook him for a “lovely carer”. She then reacted in disbelief when he said he was in fact her son. After a little back and forth, she was eventually convinced and then said, “I haven’t seen you for a long time, my son,” and then burst into “We’ll Meet Again”.
Ingrid cheekily reinterpreted the lyrics, replacing the word “you” with “Sebastian,” making the song about her and her son reuniting. She then paused for a moment and asked Sebastian what her name was. After being reminded of it, she added her own name into the lyrics and completed the tune about her and her son meeting again.
The spontaneous mother and son duet was very popular online, and 4.7 million viewers tuned in to the Daily Mail YouTube channel to watch. Another video that showed the healing power of music featured nursing home resident Henry, who is normally unable to converse, but lit right up when asked about music and then sang a soulful rendition of “I’ll be Home for Christmas”.
Many netizens praised Sebastian for his sweet and caring way of interacting with his dear mum, adding positive comments such as “You can tell she was a wonderful and caring mother to have raised such a kind son.”
Other viewers noted the incredible power of music to bring the pair together despite her illness, writing comments such as “She doesn’t recognize her son’s face but remembers the song they used to sing together. Music is really powerful.”
Researchers have studied the healing effects of music, and it has been shown to reduce agitation and improve behavioural issues associated with the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease, which is a form of dementia.
Ross Parker and Hughie Charles wrote “We’ll Meet Again”, and it was first released by English singer Vera Lynn in 1939. The jazz-tinged pop song is one of the most enduring songs from the Second World War era, and was particularly beloved by servicemen leaving to serve in the war, as well as their loved ones.
“We’ll Meet Again” was featured in the 1943 musical film of the same name, in which Lynn played the starring role. The song initially hit number 29 on the US charts. It has also found a chart revival in April 2020, where Katherine Jenkins’ version hit number 72 on the UK charts, as part of a National Health Service charity drive. Lynn’s original version also returned to the charts the following month, hitting number 55 on the UK chart.