Beryl Marsden was one of the undeservedly neglected singers to come out of … Read Full Bio ↴Beryl Marsden was one of the undeservedly neglected singers to come out of the Liverpool beat boom. A powerful vocalist with a fine sense of style, she was a precocious talent similar to Lulu in that she could bring her own style and stamp to American R&B and soul standards from her mid-teens onward. Born Beryl Hogg (and no relation to Gerry Marsden of Gerry & the Pacemakers) in Liverpool, she began her professional career backed by a band called the Crew and was signed to Decca Records in 1963. She released a pair of singles on the label that somehow failed to click, the first ("I Know") rather inexplicably and the second, a cover of "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," when the Supremes' version eclipsed it. Beryl had the distinction of being one of the earliest performers to be managed by Tony Stratton-Smith, a sports journalist turned music maven who later founded Charisma Records and managed such acts as the Nice, Genesis, and Lindisfarne.

Beryl jumped to EMI's Columbia label in 1965 and lasted there for two singles, of which "Break-A-Way" -- arranged and conducted by Ivor Raymonde, outdoing his work with Dusty Springfield -- was a British pop-soul jewel.

After the failure of her single "What's She Got" in 1966, Beryl changed her approach to music. Her solo career having failed to ignite sales, Beryl joined Rod Stewart in Shotgun Express and after that moved on to a stint with an all-girl band called She Trinity before linking up with Paddy Chambers (of Paddy, Klaus & Gibson) in a group called Sinbad. During the 1970s she recorded solo under the name Lynn Jackson and also performed as a member of a group called the Gamblers.

Beryl was most visible on record as a session vocalist and resumed her work as a solo act in the 1980s. Perhaps her high point as a singer -- and the highest tribute ever paid this underrated talent -- was her stint performing as a member of the latter-day Martha & the Vandellas alongside Martha Reeves. In 2007 She released the single "Baby It's You".

Beryl never recorded enough during the 1960s to support a compilation album, much less a CD of her work, which has reappeared as part of anthologies such as Deram Records' The Girls' Scene ("When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes"), EMI's Beat at Abbey Road 1963-1965 ("Break-A-Way"), and her rendition of the Shirelles' "Everybody Loves a Lover" appeared on See for Miles' 1985 compilation LP At the Cavern.

Breakaway
Beryl Marsden Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I made my reservation, I'm leaving town tomorrow
I'll find somebody new and there'll be no more sorrow
That's what I do each time, but I can't follow through
I can't breakaway, though you make me cry
I can't breakaway, I can't say goodbye
No I'll never never breakaway from you, no, no
No, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no

No, no, no, no, no

I'll make that vow to myself, you and I are through
Nothing can change my mind; I'm sorry won't do
That's what I'll say each time, but I can't follow through
I can't breakaway, though you make me cry
I can't breakaway, I can't say goodbye
No I'll never never breakaway from you, no, no
No, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no

Even though you treat me bad and many cruel words are spoken
You have got a spell on me that just can't be broken, no, no

I'll take your picture down and throw it away
There'll be no baby now, for you to call each day
That's what I'll say each time, but I can't follow through
I can't breakaway, though you make me cry
I can't breakaway, I can't say goodbye
No I'll never never breakaway from you, no, no
No, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no

I can't breakaway, though you make me cry
I can't breakaway, I can't say goodbye
No I'll never never breakaway from you, no, no
No, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no

I can't breakaway, I can't breakaway, I can't breakaway

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Beryl Marsden's song "Breakaway" tell a story of a relationship where one person feels trapped and suffocated but can't seem to break free. The singer of the song has made a reservation to leave town in hopes of finding someone new and freeing themselves from the sadness and pain of their current relationship. However, they struggle to follow through with their plan when they realize they can't say goodbye and never break away from their partner.

Despite being mistreated and subjected to cruel words, the singer is still under the spell of their partner and cannot seem to break free from their hold. They try to convince themselves that they are over the relationship and even take actions like throwing away the partner's picture and denying them a child, but they cannot seem to follow through.

Line by Line Meaning

I made my reservation, I'm leaving town tomorrow
I have booked my travel tickets and I am leaving this place tomorrow.

I'll find somebody new and there'll be no more sorrow
I hope to find a new person and forget all my grief and sadness associated with you.

That's what I do each time, but I can't follow through
I have tried this before, but I couldn't go through with it.

I can't breakaway, though you make me cry
Even though you make me cry, I cannot escape from you.

I can't breakaway, I can't say goodbye
It's hard for me to leave you and say goodbye.

No I'll never never breakaway from you, no, no
I know I can't escape from you, no matter how hard I try.

I'll make that vow to myself, you and I are through
I will make a promise to myself that I am done with you forever.

Nothing can change my mind; I'm sorry won't do
I have made up my mind, and apologies will not change it.

Even though you treat me bad and many cruel words are spoken
Despite all the bad treatment and harsh words, I still can't break free from you.

You have got a spell on me that just can't be broken, no, no
You have an inexplicable hold on me that I can't break no matter what.

I'll take your picture down and throw it away
I plan to remove your picture and discard it.

There'll be no baby now, for you to call each day
I will make sure that there is no child for you to call and remind me of you.

I can't breakaway, I can't say goodbye
Leaving you and saying goodbye is harder than it seems.

No I'll never never breakaway from you, no, no
No matter what I do, I know I can never break free from you.

I can't breakaway, I can't breakaway, I can't breakaway
No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to break away from this toxic relationship.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jackie De Shannon, Shari K Sheeley

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Comments from YouTube:

@wizardari

5y↑3

This is so out of it's time kind of punk rock . I like it

@SPECKLES49

12y↑3

love this song from our days!

@billmm79

15y↑4

Thanks Zeb. A good take from Beryl.

@AGGeiger

11y↑2

When I first heard this, I couldn't believe that this girl was English. Magnificent!

@dennisleecleven3209

6y↑1

What a great shame she didn't record more. She's great'

@petegriffin

15y↑2

Good tune Mate

@TheKarsino

11y↑4

The original was by Irma Thomas in 1964 then 1965 by Beryl Marsden plus there were 60s versions by Gerri Diamond and Piccola Pupa then in the 80s by Tracey Ullman and more recently the Detroit Cobras. Irma Thomes also re-record it in the late 70s.