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.
Chills
Gerry & The Pacemakers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Chilly, chilly, wah-wah-wah-wah)
Chills, runnin' up and down my spine
Well I get them every time
That I feel your lips on mine
(Chilly, chilly, wah-wah-wah-wah)
Chills, colder than the morning glow
Creepin' down inside my soul
Whoa, what a feelin'
It's like a roller-coaster ride
You say you love me
Then my heart starts a-poundin' inside
Let me tell you 'bout
Chills, colder than the morning glow
Creepin' down inside my soul
'Til I lose my self-control
Oh, what a feelin'
It's like a roller-coaster ride
You say you love me
Then my heart starts a-poundin' inside
Let me tell you 'bout
Chills, colder than the morning glow
Creepin' down inside my soul
'Til I lose my self-control
(Chilly, chilly, wah-wah-wah-wah)
Chills, runnin' up and down my spine
Whoa-oh-oh, Chills Whoa-whoa-whoa, I've got chills
The song "Chills" by Gerry & The Pacemakers talks about the feeling of chills that the singer gets whenever he feels the lips of his lover on his. The lyrics are essentially about how powerful and intense the sensation is for him, which he compares to a rollercoaster ride. The chills are described as cold, creeping down his soul until he loses self-control. The singer's heart starts to pound inside when he hears his lover say she loves him.
The lyrics of the song revolve around the idea of intense sensations and the power of love. The chills that the singer feels when he is with his lover are used to illustrate how deeply he feels for her. The rollercoaster ride is a metaphor for the emotional journey that he experiences whenever he is with her. The song is a classic love song that captures the power and intensity of romantic love.
Line by Line Meaning
(Chilly, chilly, wah-wah-wah-wah)
Repetitive interjection to emphasize the sensation of chills
Chills, runnin' up and down my spine
An uncontrollable feeling of shivers moving through the body
Well I get them every time
These chills happen every time a certain situation or person is present
That I feel your lips on mine
The trigger for these chills is the sensation of kissing
(Chilly, chilly, wah-wah-wah-wah)
Repetitive interjection to emphasize the sensation of chills
Chills, colder than the morning glow
These chills are stronger and colder than the feeling of the early morning sun
Creepin' down inside my soul
The feeling of chills is slowly penetrating the deepest part of the person
'Til I lose my self-control
The sensation of chills is so overwhelming that the person loses control over their body
Whoa, what a feeling'
The person is overcome with a strong and intense feeling
It's like a roller-coaster ride
The sensation of chills is like a thrilling and exciting ride
You say you love me
The cause of this feeling of chills is because of the person's partner saying "I love you"
Then my heart starts a-poundin' inside
The person's heartbeat becomes stronger and louder due to the emotional impact of hearing "I love you"
Let me tell you 'bout
The person is eager to share their experience of chills with others
Chills, colder than the morning glow
Reiteration of the intensity and coldness of the feeling of chills
Creepin' down inside my soul
Reiteration of the slow and deep penetration of the sensation of chills
'Til I lose my self-control
Reiteration of the overwhelming nature of the feeling of chills
Oh, what a feeling'
Reiteration of the strength and intensity of the sensation of chills
It's like a roller-coaster ride
Reiteration of the exciting and thrilling nature of the feeling of chills
You say you love me
Reiteration of the trigger for the feeling of chills
Then my heart starts a-poundin' inside
Reiteration of the physical response to hearing "I love you"
Let me tell you 'bout
Reiteration of the person's desire to share their experience of chills with others
Chills, runnin' up and down my spine
Reiteration of the sensation of chills moving throughout the body
Whoa-oh-oh, Chills
Repetitive interjection to emphasize the sensation of chills
Whoa-whoa-whoa, I've got chills
The person is acknowledging and confirming that they are currently experiencing chills
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: GERRY GOFFIN, JACK KELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind