Billy J. Kramer (born William Howard Ashton, on August 19, 1943, in Bootle,… Read Full Bio ↴Billy J. Kramer (born William Howard Ashton, on August 19, 1943, in Bootle, Liverpool, England) was a British Invasion / Merseybeat singer who had a number of hits in the early 1960s as Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas (aka Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas). Kramer is known today primarily as the singer of various Lennon-McCartney compositions that The Beatles did not use.

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.

I'll Be Doggone
Billy J. Kramer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, I'll Be Doggone if I would work all day
And I'll Be Doggone if I would bring you my pay
But if I ever caught you running around,
blowing my money all over this town
Then I wouldn't be doggone
Hey, Hey! I'd be long gone.
Then I wouldn't be doggone (Baby!)
I'd be long gone. mm mm

Now, hey, hey, hey!

I'll be Doggone if you ain't a pretty thing
And I'll be Doggone if you ain't warm as a breath of spring
And if we live to be a hundred year old,
if you ever let that spring turn cold
Then I wouldn't be doggone
Hey, Hey, Hey! I'd be long gone.
Oh, I wouldn't be doggone (Baby)
I'd be long gone. mm mm
Now, did you hear me?
Well, now, what I say oh, believe me.

Well, ev'ry woman should try to be whatever her man wants her to be.
And I don't want much, all I want from you is for you to be true to me.

I'll be Doggone if love ain't a man's best friend
Oh, baby, And I'll Be Doggone if you ain't the loving end
Though I know you make me feel like nobody could,
if I ever found out that you're no good
Then I wouldn't be doggone
Well, I wouldn't be doggone (Baby!)
I'd be long gone.
I wouldn't be doggone
(gonna catch me a train)
Naw, baby, I wouldn't be doggone

I wouldn't be doggone
(gonna catch me a plane)

Overall Meaning

The song "I'll Be Doggone" by Billy J. Kramer is about a man who is expressing his dissatisfaction with his partner who spends all his money around town instead of contributing to their household. He opens the song by saying that he would not work all day or bring his pay to his partner if they continue to spend his money recklessly. He is saying that if he catches his partner running around the town with his money, he will not stick around. He asserts that he would be "long gone," indicating that he is not willing to stand up with that kind of bad behavior.

In the second verse, the man acknowledges the beauty of his partner and how great it feels to have her around. He expresses his desire to stay together with her for a lifetime. However, he warns her that she has to always be true to him and not let their relationship ever turn cold. In the third verse, the man sings about how women should be able to be what their men want them to be. Finally, he concludes the song by expressing how much he loves his partner and how he would be long gone if he found out she has been unfaithful.

Overall, the song is about the man expressing his anger and frustration with his partner's actions and warning her that he would leave if she does not change her behavior. It highlights the importance of trust, loyalty, and fidelity in a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, I'll Be Doggone if I would work all day
I refuse to work all day

And I'll Be Doggone if I would bring you my pay
And I refuse to give you my hard-earned money

But if I ever caught you running around, blowing my money all over this town
But if I caught you cheating on me and wasting my money

Then I wouldn't be doggone Hey, Hey! I'd be long gone.
Then I wouldn't stay with you, I'd leave you

Now, hey, hey, hey!
Now listen up!

I'll be Doggone if you ain't a pretty thing
You are undeniably beautiful

And I'll be Doggone if you ain't warm as a breath of spring
And you are as kind and loving as springtime

And if we live to be a hundred year old, if you ever let that spring turn cold
And if we grow old together, but you ever stop being loving

Then I wouldn't be doggone Hey, Hey, Hey! I'd be long gone.
Then I wouldn't stay with you, I'd leave you

Well, now, what I say oh, believe me.
Listen carefully to what I'm saying because it's the truth

I'll be Doggone if love ain't a man's best friend
Love is truly a man's best friend

Oh, baby, And I'll Be Doggone if you ain't the loving end
And you are the source of my love and affection

Though I know you make me feel like nobody could, if I ever found out that you're no good
Even though you make me feel amazing, if I ever discovered you were untrustworthy

Then I wouldn't be doggone Well, I wouldn't be doggone (Baby!) I'd be long gone.
Then I wouldn't stay with you, I'd leave you

I wouldn't be doggone (gonna catch me a train) Naw, baby, I wouldn't be doggone I wouldn't be doggone (gonna catch me a plane)
I would leave quickly and decisively, either by train or plane

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARVIN TARPLIN, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WARREN MOORE, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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