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.
Pride
Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel
Open and closed within your eyes
I'll place the sky within your eyes
There's such a fooled heart
Beating so fast in search of new dreams
A love that will last within your heart
As the pain sweeps through
Makes no sense for you
Every thrill has gone
Wasn't too much fun at all
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo
As the world falls down
Falling
(As the world) falling down
Falling in love
I'll paint you mornings of gold
I'll spin you Valentine evenings
Though we're strangers till now
We're choosing the path between the stars
I'll leave my love between the stars
As the pain sweeps through
Makes no sense for you
Every thrill has gone
Wasn't too much fun at all
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo
As the world falls down
Falling (as the world)
Falling down
Falling
As the world falls down
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling in love
As the world falls down (down)
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling in love
As the world falls down
Falling
Falling
Falling
Makes no sense at all
Makes no sense to fall
Falling
As the world falls down
Falling
Falling
Falling in love
As the world falls down (down)
Falling
Falling
Falling in love
Falling in love (love)
Falling in love
Falling in love
Falling in love
The lyrics of Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas's "Pride" can be divided into two parts. The first part describes the singer's admiration for someone's eyes, which are described as a "pale jewel" and a vessel for the sky. The second part portrays someone with a "fooled heart," craving something new and long-lasting that will make sense of the pain they are feeling. The singer expresses their willingness to be there for this person as the world around them falls apart.
On one interpretation, the song could be about someone who has experienced a recent heartbreak, with the singer trying to console them by saying that they will be there with them no matter what. The repeated phrase "Falling in love" can be interpreted as the singer being willing to fall in love with this person no matter what they are going through, and showing them that there are still good things to be found in the world.
However, another interpretation could be that the song is about a person who is entering a new relationship, and the singer is showing them all the beauty that can be found in the world. The repeated phrase "Falling in love" could be interpreted as the singer expressing their eagerness to fall in love with this person as they explore the world together and find new experiences.
Overall, the lyrics of "Pride" are open to interpretation, but they describe someone who is experiencing pain and confusion, with the singer showing them kindness and offering to be there for them no matter what.
Line by Line Meaning
There's such a sad love
The love being spoken of has a sadness attached to it.
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel
The sadness of the love can be seen in the person's eyes, which appear as a pale but valuable jewel.
Open and closed within your eyes
The sadness is sometimes expressive and sometimes held back.
I'll place the sky within your eyes
The singer promises to bring brightness and hope to this sad love by making it as vast and beautiful as the sky.
There's such a fooled heart
The singer realizes that the love being spoken of is naive and vulnerable.
Beating so fast in search of new dreams
The heart is restless and eager for something new.
A love that will last within your heart
The singer promises to give this heart a love that will not fade or disappoint.
I'll place the moon within your heart
The singer promises to give a love that will inspire and fill the heart, just as the moon inspires and fills the night sky.
As the pain sweeps through / Makes no sense for you / Every thrill has gone / Wasn't too much fun at all / But I'll be there for you-oo-oo / As the world falls down
The singer acknowledges that the sadness that was seen in the person's eyes might come from past pain and disappointments. The world may feel like it's falling apart, but the singer promises to stick around and be a source of comfort.
Falling / (As the world) falling down / Falling in love
The singer is acknowledging that even though the world feels like it's falling apart, love can still happen and bring people together.
I'll paint you mornings of gold
The singer will bring a new brightness and positivity to this person's life, making every morning feel like it's made of gold.
I'll spin you Valentine evenings
The singer will create special, romantic moments for this person, like a Valentine's Day evening.
Though we're strangers till now
This person and the singer may have been strangers until this point, but now that they've come together, the singer promises to create intimacy and closeness.
We're choosing the path between the stars
The singer and this person are looking for a path forward that feels as vast and full of possibilities as the stars in the sky.
I'll leave my love between the stars
The singer promises that even if their time together is brief, their love will last forever and be felt in the stars above.
Makes no sense at all / Makes no sense to fall
The singer admits that sometimes love can feel senseless and irrational.
Falling / As the world falls down / Falling / Falling in love / As the world falls down
This chorus repeats the earlier point about how love can still happen even when everything else feels like it's falling apart.
Falling in love (love) / Falling in love / Falling in love / Falling in love
This repetition emphasizes that despite the difficulties and uncertainty, this song is about the hope and joy of falling in love.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK STEPHEN N CAMPBELL, STEVE JOHN N HUNTER, CHARLIE MIDNIGHT, JACK N WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MikeBlitzMag
The three albums that he released on Imperial in the States are full of such gems. This has always been one of the highlights, and the good news is that there is plenty more from where that came.
@SuperMikecarp
This was covered in Australia in 1965 by Ray Brown and the Whispers who had a big hit with it. Thanks to Youtube I'm finally hearing the original version.
@Rockage1960
This is a great track - by Bill & the Dakotas.
@fernald10
This is not in fact the original version. The first recording was by Brent Edwards. You can find it on You Tube.
@josebelindo1641
GUITAR SOLO 1:18
@darrenbennett1968
a ggod dance tune robin McDonald can play a mean guitar