Billy J. Kramer (born William Howard Ashton, 19 August 1943, in Bootle, Liverpool, England) was a British Invasion / Merseybeat singer. He is known today primarily as the singer of various Lennon-McCartney compositions that The Beatles did not use.
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.
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 the 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 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 became a Top Ten hit.
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.
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 today. Drummer Pete Hilton joined the band in 1996 replacing Tony Bookbinder and after Mike maxfield sufferred a stroke in 2004 guitarist Alan Clare along. In January 2008 Eddie was asked to replace Rod Allen, the Fortunes frontman who had sadly died in Dec 2007. Another new face now fronts The Dakotas - Paul Rafferty.
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 Know
Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I do.
Do I love you?
You know I do.
I idolize you baby, baby, indeed I do.
Do I need you?
You know I do.
Yes I need you.
I'm crazy about you baby, love you, indeed I do.
I love you every day. I love you every night.
I need you pretty baby so I got to treat you right.
Do I love you?
You know I do.
I idolize you baby, baby, indeed I do.
You can make me laugh, you can make me cry. You can make me happy darling if you only try.
Do I love you?
You know I do.
The lyrics to Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas's song "I Know" are a declaration of love from the singer to his beloved. The lyrics are simple and repeated throughout the song, but their meaning is clear: the singer is deeply in love with the person he's singing to. He asks if he loves them repeatedly, and answers his own question every time with a resounding "You know I do."
The lyrics express the depth of the singer's feelings, as he goes on to say that he not only loves this person, but he also idolizes them and needs them. He promises to love them every day and every night, and to treat them right. He acknowledges that this person has the power to make him laugh or cry, and to make him happy if they only try.
Overall, the song is a simple but heartfelt expression of love and devotion. The repetition of the question and answer creates a sense of certainty and conviction, and the singer's promises to treat the person right and love them every day and night reinforce the depth of his feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Do I love you?
Asking if my love for you is true.
You know I do.
I am confirming that I do love you.
I idolize you baby, baby, indeed I do.
I hold you in high regard and admire you deeply.
Do I need you?
Asking if I require you in my life.
You know I do.
I can't live without you and need you by my side.
Yes I need you.
Reiterating that I cannot live without you.
You know it's true.
The fact that I need you is undeniable.
I'm crazy about you baby, love you, indeed I do.
I am wildly in love with you and care deeply for you.
I love you every day. I love you every night.
My love for you is constant and never-ending, every day and night.
I need you pretty baby so I got to treat you right.
Because I cannot live without you, I must treat you with respect and care.
You can make me laugh, you can make me cry. You can make me happy darling if you only try.
Your actions have a strong impact on my emotions and well-being, so please try to make me happy.
Do I love you?
Repeating the question to reinforce the depth of my love.
You know I do.
Confirming once again that my love for you is true and unwavering.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: J. Leslie McFarland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
OlRetro
Man, these guys were tight, and such a clear, good quality recording! Regards, The '62 Mathew St. Band (1 Man-Full Group Retro)
Carlos Manuel Reus
One of my favourite songs of Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas. Thanks for posting it.
mitzvy
Good song. My first time hearing it and like it a lot. Thank you!
sapphiretaurus
More British Invasion gold. Thanks for posting this.
jb7510
Awesome!!!
mark payne
awesome group
smitheree
The Dakotas were a Manchester beat group brought in by Epstein to back Billy and they did a very good job. Nice song thank you.
Ed Carriere
Dakotas are on soundclick.com.
tony00165
I'd never heard this track before....What a coincidence.....When bill left the we made records as 'Chick graham and the Coasters' and our first record was also called 'I know' written by gordon mills...he was a great songwriter but this was a Turkey..Tom Jones and Freddie and the dreamers also did it with the same result.....we told the record people that this would bomb but they wouldn't listen....we were 20 year olds and they thought they knew better....They didn't!
Grumburble
This was the B-side of I'll Keep You Satisfied which did rather well for BJK & TD in the UK in 1963