Tags

, , , , , ,

To see what’s happening back at A to Z Headquarters, click the letter above!

`
Our visit with Bobby Darin was SO great. And that song made me feel awfully sentimental. But in the next few years I would grow up even more and actually start paying attention to the words of the songs I liked. (Doesn’t mean I ALWAYS got them right, however. Like Iron Butterfly’s “In A Gadda Da Vida”. Or as I USED to sing along with it, “In the Garden of Eden…” Now don’t you dare tell me you’ve never miss-heard the words to your favorite songs like that and sang them wrong for 30 years!!! LOL)

Anyhoo… One of the first 60’s songs I fell in love with during the “British Invasion” was sung by Gerry and the Pacemakers. And look whose name is on the mailbox at House #F next door!

*****************************

Gerry and the Pacemakers was an English beat group prominent in the 1960’s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin.

They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with their first three single releases: “How Do You Do It?”, “I Like It” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. This record was not equaled for 20 years, until the mid-1980’s success of fellow Liverpool band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Consequently, they stand as the second most successful pop group originating in Liverpool. Another of their most famous songs, “Ferry Cross the Mersey”, refers to the River Mersey that flows past Liverpool.

I was familiar with the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” because already at 12 I was interested in musicals. So I was impressed to find that on the back of one of their 45’s. As it turns out, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” had been a favorite of Gerry Marsden’s since seeing “Carousel” growing up. It quickly became the signature tune of Liverpool Football Club and, later, other sports teams around the world. The song remains a football anthem. No how’s THAT for a bit odd, eh?

The band also starred in an early 1965 film, “Ferry Cross the Mersey” (sometimes referred to as “Gerry and the Pacemakers’ version of A Hard Day’s Night”), for which Marsden wrote much of the soundtrack.

On 15 March 2017 Gerry Marsden collapsed on stage at a Gerry and the Pacemakers concert in Newport, South Wales, UK, and was helped offstage after telling the audience he was scheduled to undergo knee surgery the next week. Marsden did not return, and a spokesperson said only that he was “ill”.

Though not my VERY favorite Pacemakers song (that would be “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying“) “Ferry Cross the Mersey” written by Marsden was one of those songs that made me get in touch with my feelings. It was first recorded by his band and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six on charts in the US and number eight in the UK. The song is from the film of the same name and was released on its soundtrack album. In the mid-1990’s a musical theater production also titled “Ferry Cross the Mersey” related Gerry Marsden’s Merseybeat days; it premiered in Liverpool and played in the UK, Australia, and Canada.

“Mersey” refers to the River Mersey in northwest England, a river that flows into the Irish Sea at Liverpool and runs between Liverpool and Birkenhead and Seacombe on the Wirral.

`

`

`
Picture Source:
A to Z Challenge Badge — A to Z Challenge
Gerry and the Pacemakers — Last.fm