The narrator seems to be a veteran of war, and Waits gives the song his stereotypical Waits treatment, singing as though he had no vocal cords but plenty of nodes.
The appeal was supported by singer and World War II forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn who is famous for her wartime classic song (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover.
The cliffs were further embedded in the national psyche during World War II following the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk and Dame Vera Lynn's famous song, The White Cliffs of Dover.
No one involved in the creation of "Love Me Do" or "Dr. No" would have expected that either would be anything more than quick money spinners -- a throwaway two-minute pop song and a low-budget adaptation of a cheap paperback attempting to cash in on the Cold War appetite for espionage thrillers.