Early career
The performing name Kramer was chosen at random from a telephone directory. It was John Lennon's suggestion that the "J" be added to the name to further distinguish him by adding a 'tougher edge'. Billy soon came to the attention of Brian Epstein, ever on the look-out for new talent to add to his expanding roster of local artists. Kramer turned professional but his then backing band, The Coasters, were less keen, so Epstein sought out the services of a Manchester based band, The Dakotas, a well-respected combo then backing Pete MacLaine.
Even then, The Dakotas would not join Kramer without a recording deal of their own. Once in place, the deal was set and both acts signed to Parlophone under George Martin. Collectively, they were named Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas to keep their own identities within the act. Once the Beatles broke through, the way was paved for a tide of "Merseybeat" and Kramer was offered the chance to cover a song first released by the Beatles on their own debut album, Please Please Me. The track had been allegedly turned down by Shane Fenton (later Alvin Stardust) who was looking for a career reviving hit.
Success
With record producer George Martin, the song "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" was a number two UK Singles Chart hit in 1963, and was backed by another tune otherwise unreleased by The Beatles, "I'll Be on My Way". After this impressive breakthrough another Lennon/McCartney pairing "Bad to Me" c/w "I Call Your Name" reached number one. "I'll Keep You Satisfied" ended the year with a respectable number four placing.
Billy was given a series of songs specially written for him by John Lennon and Paul McCartney which launched him into stardom and a proper place in the history of Rock and Roll. I'll Keep You Satisfied, From A Window, I Call Your Name and Bad to Me all became international million sellers for Billy, and won him appearances on the TV shows Shindig!, Hullabaloo and The Ed Sullivan Show.
The Dakotas , meanwhile, enjoyed Top 20 success in 1963 on their own with Mike Maxfield's composition "The Cruel Sea", an instrumental retitled "The Cruel Surf" in the U.S., which was subsequently covered by The Ventures. This was followed by a George Martin creation, "Magic Carpet", evoking a dreamy atmosphere with a subtle echo laden piano, playing the melody alongside Maxfield's guitar. But it missed out altogether and it was a year before their next release. All four tracks appeared on a highly-collectable EP later that year.
The three big hits penned by Lennon and McCartney meant that Kramer was always seemingly in the Beatles' shadow, unless he did tried something different. Despite being advised against it, he insisted on recording the Stateside chart hit "Little Children" - the lyrics were allegedly about getting his girlfriend's brothers and sisters out of the way so they could make love. It became his second chart topper and biggest hit. It was Kramer's only major hit outside of the UK. In the U.S., this was followed up with "Bad to Me" which reached number nine. Despite this success Kramer went backwards with his second and last UK single of 1964; another Lennon/McCartney cast-off "From A Window", which only just became a Top Ten hit.
After the peak
The year 1965 saw the end for the Merseybeat boom, and the next Kramer single was "It's Gotta Last Forever", which harked back to a ballad approach. In a year where mod-related music from the likes of The Who prevailed, the single missed completely. Kramer's cover of "Trains and Boats and Planes" saw off Anita Harris' cover version only to find itself in direct competition with its composer, Burt Bacharach's effort, which won the day. Kramer's effort still reached a respectable number 12, but was the group's swansong, as all future cuts missed the chart.
The Dakotas ranks were then strengthened by the inclusion of Mick Green, the ex-guitarist with the London band the Pirates who backed Johnny Kidd. This line-up cut a few tracks which were at odds with the balladeer's usual fare. These included a take on "When You Walk in the Room" and "Sneakin' Around". The Dakotas final outing whilst with Kramer was the blues driven "Oyeh!" - but this also flopped.
The final showing
After releasing "We're Doing Fine", it too missed the charts leaving singer and group to part company. Kramer had a brief solo career which took him eventually to live in America.
The Dakotas re-formed in the late 1980s and recruited vocalist Eddie Mooney and session musician Toni Baker. They still tour and record. Other latter-day members are drummer Pete Hilton and guitarist Alan Clare.
In 2005, Kramer recorded the song "Cow Planet" for Sandra Boynton's children's album, Dog Train. A long-time fan of Kramer's, Boynton had sought him out for her project: in 1964, at age 11, she had bought Little Children as the first album she ever owned.
Bad to Me
Billy J. Kramer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be sad and blue
Don't you ever leave me
I'm so in love with you
The birds in the sky would be sad and lonely
If they knew that I'd lost my one and only
They'd be sad
The leaves on the trees would be softly sighin'
If they heard from the breeze that you left me cryin'
They'd be sad
Don't be bad to me
But I know you won't leave me 'cause you told me so
And I've no intention of lettin' you go
Just as long as you let me know
You won't be bad to me
So the birds in the sky won't be sad and lonely
'Cause they know that I got my one and only
They'll be glad
You're not bad to me
But I know you won't leave me 'cause you told me so
And I've no intention of lettin' you go
Just as long as you let me know
You won't be bad to me
So the birds in the sky won't be sad and lonely
'Cause they know that I got my one and only
They'll be glad
You're not bad to me
They'll be glad
You're not bad to me
To me
To me
The lyrics of "Bad to Me" by Billy J. Kramer are a plea for the singer's lover to never leave him, as he is deeply in love with them. He warns that if they were to leave, even the birds and leaves would feel his pain and be sad and lonely. The lyrics have a gentle, melancholic feel and are a testament to the depth of the singer's feelings.
The first verse of the song highlights the singer's vulnerability and need for his lover to stay with him. He expresses that he would be devastated if they ever left him and begs for them to never go. The second verse describes how even nature would feel his heartbreak if his lover were to leave him. The birds in the sky would be sad and lonely, while the leaves on the trees would softly sigh.
The chorus is a plea to his lover to not be bad to him and to let him know that they won't leave him. The repetition of this chorus emphasizes the singer's desperation for his lover to stay with him. The final verse concludes with the reassurance that the birds in the sky won't be sad and lonely because the singer has his one and only.
Overall, "Bad to Me" is a poignant and heartfelt song about the pain of potential loss and the desire to hold onto love.
Line by Line Meaning
If you ever leave me
In case you ever decide to depart from my life
I'll be sad and blue
I'll be heartbroken and miserable
Don't you ever leave me
I plead with you not to abandon me
I'm so in love with you
I have deep affection for you
The birds in the sky would be sad and lonely
The birds in the sky would also be disheartened and alone
If they knew that I'd lost my one and only
If they were aware that I lost my soulmate
They'd be sad
Their hearts would also be filled with sorrow
If you're bad to me
If you treat me unkindly
The leaves on the trees would be softly sighin'
The leaves on the trees would also express their sorrow
If they heard from the breeze that you left me cryin'
If they learned from the wind that you made me cry
They'd be sad
Their spirits would be low as well
Don't be bad to me
Please don't be cruel to me
But I know you won't leave me 'cause you told me so
But I'm confident that you won't abandon me because you promised me
And I've no intention of lettin' you go
And I have no plans to let you go
Just as long as you let me know
As long as you inform me
You won't be bad to me
That you will not hurt me
So the birds in the sky won't be sad and lonely
So the birds in the sky won't feel unhappy and alone
'Cause they know that I got my one and only
They understand that I have found my soulmate
They'll be glad
They will be just as pleased as I am
You're not bad to me
You treat me with kindness and consideration
To me
To me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jmrodas9
This song is still very good to hear. It has nice language in its lyrics and nothing vulgar or obscene. The rhythm is very good too. The Beatles were musical geniuses really.
@philbrown9764
I remember hearing this on the radio during the 60s, when I was a teen. It still sounds great in my 70s.
@fuzzlewit9
You still have great taste in your 70's.
@davidwinn721
72 here, and I can ditto that observation. We used to have the transistor radio in bed at night during the early to mid 60's, listening to a Top 40 charting 45's and of course the Beatles had like 6 sides in the top 5-10 slots.....plus all these other great British Invasion singers and artists like Billy J Kramer, Petula Clark, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Peter Noone, Peter & Gordon, etc. What complimented The Beatles back then on the radio was Terry Stafford and Suspicion which held a top 5 position at the same time, and was a great song. I still love all Beatles compositions including Bad To Me, and they never tire or get old. McCartney-Lennon-Harrison wrote some really tasty chord progressions, melodies and lyrics, didn't they?
@rodmcdonough6111
You captured it so well, I was there back then and still here today... with an even greater appreciation of all those British Invasion bands you mentioned, as well as the musicianship, chord structure and vocal quality. It never gets old!
@utubemusiccritic
Always loved this song. The fact that Lennon/McCartney wrote it is amazing. Was there nothing they couldn't do?
@ashith1297
Well, they couldn't make bad music.
@milesfromneworleans
Their best song was "Something".
@darrenringer9811
Damn. This song popped into my head and I was determined to figure out what it was that made it noteworthy. But that is almost a cop-out.
@ClassicAustralianTV
I had no idea that they wrote it but now you mention it I can hear a bit of Beatles in this song.