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.
Don't You Ever
Gerry & The Pacemakers Lyrics
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Don't you ever go away
Don't you ever take your love from me
'Cause it's with you I wanna stay
If you do, I know just what I'll do, I'll be ever blue
But if you stay and give your love to me, well, I'll be ever true
I've loved you from the very start
Why do you try to break my heart?
I'll be faithful, I'll be true, I'll never be blue
So if you stay and give your love to me, well, I'll be ever true
I've loved you from the very start
Why do you try to break my heart?
I'll be faithful, I'll be true, I'll never be blue
So if you stay and give your love to me, well, I'll be ever true
I'll be ever true, I'll be ever true
Gerry & The Pacemakers's song "Don't You Ever" is a heartfelt plea from a man to his lover to never leave. The song is composed of two verses and two choruses of the same lyrics, conveying a sense of desperation and vulnerability. The song opens with the lyrics "Don't you ever take your love from me, don't you ever go away." These lines express a deep-seated fear of abandonment and a desire for the person he loves to stay with him. The next lines, "If you do, I know just what I'll do, I'll be ever blue" show that the thought of losing his lover is almost intolerable to him.
In the second verse, the singer repeats that he has loved his lover from the very start, making it clear that his feelings for them are deep and long-lasting. He questions why his lover would try to break his heart, which suggests that they may be inclined to leave him or have done something that has hurt him. The singer then promises to be faithful, true, and never blue, meaning he will always stay loyal, committed, and never be sad if his lover stays with him.
Overall, the song is a deeply emotional and sincere plea to a lover to stay by his side. It highlights the vulnerability and anxiety that can come with being in love, and the lengths people will go to keep it.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you ever take your love from me
I am deeply in love with you and beg you not to leave me.
Don't you ever go away
Please stay with me because I cannot bear to be without you.
Don't you ever take your love from me
Your love means everything to me and I want to be with you forever.
'Cause it's with you I wanna stay
You are the one I want to be with for the rest of my life.
If you do, I know just what I'll do, I'll be ever blue
If you leave me, I will be heartbroken and sad.
But if you stay and give your love to me, well, I'll be ever true
If you stay with me and give me your love, I will be faithful and true to you always.
I've loved you from the very start
From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I loved you.
Why do you try to break my heart?
I don't understand why you would want to hurt me by leaving me.
I'll be faithful, I'll be true, I'll never be blue
I promise to always be faithful to you and never make you sad.
I'll be ever true, I'll be ever true
I will always love you and be true to you, no matter what.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GERARD MARSDEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind