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.
Dreams
Gerry & The Pacemakers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The dream I had the other night made me feel so bad
I saw my baby with a guy whose face I couldn't see
& when he turned around, it wasn't me
Dreams can be the answer to many people's prayer
But to me the other night, they only brought despair
If I could only see his face again
If dreams come true, as they sometimes do
Then I'll be afraid to dream again
In case she's with another & he's my friend
So I hope when I'd awake out of that dream I'd find
Nobody had taken her & I'd have peace of mind
But a dream last night I was out of luck again
So I suppose that everything's the same
Yes a dream last night I was out of luck again
So I suppose that everything's the same
The lyrics to Gerry & The Pacemakers' "Dreams" explore the complex and often confusing nature of dreams. The song opens with a recognition that dreams can be both funny and sad, depending on their content. The singer then recounts a particularly troubling dream in which he sees his partner with another man. He can't see the man's face, but is devastated nonetheless. The dream is a source of "despair" for the singer, who is at a loss as to what to do next.
As the song progresses, we learn that dreams can be both hopeful and frightening. The singer worries that if his dreams come true, he will be left alone and heartbroken. He hopes that when he wakes up, he will find that his partner is still with him and that he'll have "peace of mind." Yet, despite his best efforts, the singer is plagued by bad dreams night after night, which leaves him feeling helpless and frustrated.
Overall, "Dreams" is a poignant exploration of the human psyche and the power of the subconscious mind. The song highlights the many ways in which dreams can be a source of joy, hope, and comfort, but also of sadness, fear, and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Now dreams can be such funny things, they also can be sad
Dreams can be strange and unpredictable, and they can also bring sadness.
The dream I had the other night made me feel so bad
The dream that I had recently made me feel extremely unhappy.
I saw my baby with a guy whose face I couldn't see
I had a dream that my partner was with another man, but I couldn't see his face.
& when he turned around, it wasn't me
When the man turned around, I realized that it wasn't me he was seeing.
Dreams can be the answer to many people's prayer
Sometimes, dreams can provide people with the answers they are seeking.
But to me the other night, they only brought despair
However, in my case, the dream only made me feel hopeless and unhappy.
If I could only see his face again
If only I could see the man's face again.
I might've known where my baby could've been
Perhaps I would have been able to figure out where my partner might have been.
If dreams come true, as they sometimes do
Sometimes, dreams become reality.
Then I'll be afraid to dream again
However, in that case, I'll be hesitant to dream again.
In case she's with another & he's my friend
Because I'm worried that if I dream again, I might see my partner with someone who is close to me.
So I hope when I'd awake out of that dream I'd find
I hope that when I wake up from a dream, everything will be okay and back to normal.
Nobody had taken her & I'd have peace of mind
I want to find comfort in the idea that my partner is still with me and that nobody has taken her away from me.
But a dream last night I was out of luck again
Unfortunately, I had another bad dream last night.
So I suppose that everything's the same
So, I assume that everything is still the same and my situation hasn't changed.
Yes a dream last night I was out of luck again
Once again, I had a nightmare last night.
So I suppose that everything's the same
So, I assume that everything is still the same and my situation hasn't changed.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GERARD MARSDEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind