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.
How Do You Do It?
Gerry & The Pacemakers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish I knew
If I knew how you do it to me
I'd do it to you
How do you do what you do to me?
I'm feeling blue
Wish I knew how you do it to me
You give me a feeling in my heart
Like an arrow passin' through it
Suppose that you think you're very smart
But won't you tell me how do you do it?
How do you do what you do to me?
If I only knew
Then perhaps you'd fall for me
Like I fell for you
You give me a feeling in my heart
Like an arrow passin' through it
Suppose that you think you're very smart
But won't you tell me how do you do it?
How do you do what you do to me?
If I only knew
Then perhaps you'd fall for me
Like I fell for you
When I do it to you
These lyrics to Gerry & The Pacemakers's song How Do You Do It? express the singer's confusion and fascination with someone who has a special power over them. The singer is desperate to know how this person can make them feel the way they do, and even wishes they could do the same thing back. The repetition of the question "How do you do what you do to me?" emphasizes the singer's confusion and desire for answers.
The lyrics suggest that there is a certain level of vulnerability in the singer's feelings, as they admit to feeling blue and not knowing how to replicate the feelings that the other person creates in them. The line "Suppose that you think you're very smart" suggests that the other person may be aware of their power over the singer, and might even be using it intentionally.
Overall, the lyrics capture the feeling of being captivated by someone, and the frustration and longing that can come with trying to understand and replicate the magic of their presence.
Line by Line Meaning
How do you do what you do to me?
I am curious about how you have the power to affect me in such a way that I don't understand.
I wish I knew
I desire to comprehend what you do to me.
If I knew how you do it to me
If I knew the secret to your ability to affect me, I would try to use the same tactic on you.
I'd do it to you
I want to have the same level of influence on you that you have on me.
I'm feeling blue
I am unhappy or sad.
But I haven't a clue
I have no idea how you are affecting me emotionally.
You give me a feeling in my heart
You create a particular emotion inside of me.
Like an arrow passin' through it
The emotion you create inside of me is strong and focused like an arrow.
Suppose that you think you're very smart
Perhaps you believe that you are clever or intelligent.
But won't you tell me how do you do it?
I request that you share your approach for affecting me so that I can better understand it.
If I only knew
If I had a better grasp of how you're affecting me, I could possibly use that information to my advantage.
Then perhaps you'd fall for me
If I could understand your tactics for affecting me, it could potentially cause you to develop feelings for me in return.
Like I fell for you
I am deeply emotionally invested in you.
When I do it to you
In the future, when I have gained the knowledge to influence you similarly, I will utilize it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Mitch Murray
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind