Gerry Marsden (1942-2021) formed Gerry & The Pacemakers in the late 1950s with his brother, Fred Marsden (died 2006), Les Chadwick (1943-2019) and Arthur Mack. They rivalled The Beatles early in their career, playing in the same areas of Hamburg, Germany, and Liverpool, England, and being from Liverpool, managed by Brian Epstein, and recorded by George Martin. Mack was replaced on piano by Les Maguire ()born 1941) around 1961. They are known to have rehearsed at Camell Laird shipping yard at Birkenhead.
They began recording in early 1963 with "How Do You Do It?", a Mitch Murray written song that both Adam Faith and The Beatles had turned down (in the latter case because they wanted to record their own material, specifically "Please Please Me"). The song became a number one hit, until being replaced at the top by The Beatles' third single, "From Me to You".
Gerry & the Pacemakers next two singles, Murray's "I Like It" and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone", both also reached number one in the UK Singles Chart. Never before had the first three singles by a performer all reached the top spot (the feat would not be duplicated until Frankie Goes to Hollywood did it in the 1980s).
Despite this early success, Gerry & the Pacemakers never had another number one single in the U.S. Gerry Marsden began writing most of their own songs, including "It's All Right", "I'm the One", and "Ferry Cross the Mersey", as well as their first and biggest U.S. hit, "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying". All of these represented the band's light, poppy, enjoyable sound. They also starred in a moderately successful early 1965 film called Ferry Cross the Mersey, for which Marsden wrote much of the soundtrack.
By later in 1965, though, their popularity was rapidly declining on both sides of the Atlantic. They lacked the innovation of the Beatles and did not have the rawer musical and visual edge of some of the other British Invasion groups, and they soon seemed un-hip. They disbanded in October 1966 with much of their latter recorded material never released in the UK.
Gerry Marsden became a popular cabaret and children's TV entertainer. He reformed the band in 1972 with prominent Liverpool musicians Jose McLaughlin, Billy Kinsley and Pete Clarke. In April 1973, this second version of the group became the only Merseybeat band to ever record for the John Peel Show on BBC Radio. The tracks from that show have now been included on the album Gerry & the Pacemakers Live at the BBC, released on Parlophone Records in October 2018. Subsequently, Marsden occasionally toured with various line-ups of the band on the oldies circuit. Gerry Marsden announced his retirement on 29 November 2018.
The band is probably best remembered for their version of "You'll Never Walk Alone," which has become the anthem for Liverpool Football Club in England. Liverpool's fans sing the song before every match at Anfield, their home stadium.
A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues
Gerry & The Pacemakers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and a little bit of blues now
and now the swinging bass guitar one time
and now you got cold ryhthm and blues
Well, if your hands start a-clapping and your fingers start a-popping
And your feet start a-moving around
And if you start to swing and sway when the band start to play
A real cool and way-out sound
You feel like you gotta move around
You get a shot of rhythm and blues
With just a little rock and roll on the side
Just for good measure
You get a pair of dancing shoes
Well, with your lover by your side
Don't you know you're gonna have a lot of pleasure?
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, when you start to dance and sing
Until bumps come up on you
And if the rhythm finally gets you and the beat gets her, too
Well, here's the thing for you to do
Get a shot of rhythm and blues
With just a little rock and roll on the side
Just for good measure
Get a pair of dancing shoes
Well, with your lover by your side
Don't you know you're gonna have a lot of pleasure?
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, when you start to dance and sing
Until bumps come up on you
And if the rhythm finally gets you and the beat gets her, too
Well, here's the thing for you to do
Get a shot of rhythm and blues
Get a pair of dancing shoes
Get a shot of rhythm and blues
Well, with your lover by your side
Don't you know you're gonna have a lot of pleasure?
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, when you start to dance and sing
Until bumps come up on you
And if the rhythm finally gets you and the beat gets her, too
Well, here's the thing for you to do
Well, here's the thing for you to do
Well, here's the thing for you to do
The lyrics to Gerry & The Pacemakers's song A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues are about the joy and excitement of dancing to rhythm and blues music with someone you love. The song encourages the listener to let go and feel the rhythm, with lines like "if your hands start a-clapping and your fingers start a-popping" and "if you start to swing and sway when the band start to play." The song suggests that dancing to rhythm and blues can be a transformative experience, so much so that "if the rhythm finally gets you and the beat gets her, too / Well, here's the thing for you to do / Get a shot of rhythm and blues."
The lyrics use imagery to convey the energy and feeling of the music, such as "swinging bass guitar" and "real cool and way-out sound." The song suggests that dancing to rhythm and blues can be a release from worries and stress, encouraging the listener to "don't you worry 'bout a thing, when you start to dance and sing / Until bumps come up on you." Overall, the lyrics celebrate the power of music to bring people together and lift their spirits, and the importance of letting go and surrendering to the rhythm.
Line by Line Meaning
let's have a little bit of rhythm
Let's get started with some rhythmic music.
and a little bit of blues now
And let's mix it up by adding a bit of blues to the rhythm.
and now the swinging bass guitar one time
Let's add a swaying bass guitar to the mix.
and now you got cold rhythm and blues
Now you have a cool and amazing blend of rhythm and blues.
if your hands start a-clapping and your fingers start a-popping
If you start clapping your hands and popping your fingers in response to the music.
and your feet start a-moving around
And your feet start to move around in response to the beat.
And if you start to swing and sway when the band start to play
If you start swaying and swinging when the band starts to play.
a real cool and way-out sound
An awesome and amazing sound that's completely different and unique.
And if you get the Can't Help It, when you can't sit down
And if you can't help but get up and dance when you hear the music.
You feel like you gotta move around
You feel like you have to move your body in response to the music.
You get a shot of rhythm and blues
You get a perfect dose of rhythm and blues music.
With just a little rock and roll on the side
And a bit of rock and roll music to complement the rhythm and blues.
Just for good measure
Just for the sake of completeness and making it perfect.
You get a pair of dancing shoes
You need some comfortable and appropriate shoes to dance in.
Well, with your lover by your side
Well, you have the added bonus of having your romantic partner by your side.
Don't you know you're gonna have a lot of pleasure?
Don't you know that you're going to have a lot of fun and enjoyment together?
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, when you start to dance and sing
Don't worry about anything when you start to dance and sing along.
Until bumps come up on you
Until you start getting goosebumps from the amazing music and dancing.
And if the rhythm finally gets you and the beat gets her, too
And if you and your partner also start to feel the rhythm and beat of the music.
Well, here's the thing for you to do
Here is what you need to do to keep enjoying the music and dancing.
Get a shot of rhythm and blues
Take another dose of the amazing rhythm and blues music.
Get a pair of dancing shoes
Make sure to have the right shoes to dance in.
Well, with your lover by your side
Well, you have your loving partner with you to enjoy the experience.
Don't you know you're gonna have a lot of pleasure?
You're going to have a lot of fun and pleasure together, don't you know?
Well, here's the thing for you to do
Here is what you need to do to keep enjoying the music and dancing.
Well, here's the thing for you to do
Here is what you need to do to keep enjoying the music and dancing.
Well, here's the thing for you to do
Here is what you need to do to keep enjoying the music and dancing.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TERRY THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind