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.
I'm The One
Gerry & The Pacemakers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm the one who'll always be true
'Cause I know, yes I know-oh-oh
That I, I love you so
I'm the one who'll be by your side
I'm the one with arms open wide
'Cause I know, yes I know-oh-oh
That I, I love you so
You're the reason I'm livin'
Please don't break my heart in two
'Cause the love that I am givin'
Will always be with you
I'm the one who needs your tender touch
I'm the one who needs your love so much
'Cause I know, yes I know-oh-oh
That I, I love you so
You're the reason I'm livin'
Please don't break my heart in two
'Cause the love that I am givin'
Will always be with you
I'm the one who needs your tender touch
I'm the one who needs your love so much
And so, so I know-oh-oh
That I, I love you so
The lyrics of Gerry & The Pacemakersβ song βIβm The Oneβ express the singer's passionate declaration of love towards their beloved. The singer asserts themselves as the one who cares, loves, and is always true to their partner. They claim that their love is so strong that they will always be by their side with arms open wide, in need of their tender touch and love. The singer pleads with their beloved not to break their heart because the love they are giving will always be with them. Overall, the lyrics convey a powerful message of unconditional love and devotion.
Through the use of repetition, the lyrics communicate the intensity of the singer's love. The words "I'm the one" are repeated throughout the song to emphasize the singer's feelings of exclusivity towards their beloved. The phrases "I know" and "I love you so" are also repeated, adding to the emphasis on the singer's unwavering commitment to their partner. Additionally, the lyrics express vulnerability as the singer confesses that their reason for living is their beloved and they need their love so much. Overall, the lyrics of "I'm The One" encapsulate the depth of love and commitment towards a romantic partner.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the one who cares about you
I am the person who genuinely cares for you
I'm the one who'll always be true
I will remain faithful to you
'Cause I know, yes I know-oh-oh
I am certain and confident
That I, I love you so
I have a deep affection for you
I'm the one who'll be by your side
I will support you and be there for you
I'm the one with arms open wide
I will welcome you with open arms
You're the reason I'm livin'
You are the purpose behind my existence
Please don't break my heart in two
Please don't hurt me emotionally
'Cause the love that I am givin'
The love I give to you
Will always be with you
Will remain with you forever
I'm the one who needs your tender touch
I long for your gentle touch
I'm the one who needs your love so much
I crave your love deeply
And so, so I know-oh-oh
Hence, I am sure
That I, I love you so
That my love for you is genuine
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GLENN DANZIG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1964 {February 6th} "I'm The One" by Gerry and the Pacemakers peaked at #2 {for 2 weeks} the United Kingdom's Official Top 50 Singles* chart, for the two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Needles and Pins" by the Searchers...
Three months later on May 25th, 1964 "I'm The One" reached #1 {for 2 weeks} on the Canadian CHUM Singles chart...
The group's three prior releases to "I'm The One" all peaked at #1 in the U.K., "How Do You Do It?" for three weeks in April of 1963, "I Like It" for four weeks in June of 1963, and "You'll Never Walk Alone" for four weeks in October of 1963...
Between 1963 and 1965 the Liverpool quartet had nine records on the U.K. Singles chart, six made the Top 10 with three reaching #1...
Besides "I'm The One and their three #1 records, their other two Top 10 records were "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin'" {#6 for one week in May of 1964} and "Ferry Cross The Mersey" {#8 for one week in January of 1965}...
Sadly, two members have passed away, the group's original bassist John Leslie Chadwick passed away at the age of 76 on December 26th, 2019 {cancer} and group leader Gerry Marsden on January 3rd, 2021 at 78...
May they both R.I.P.
* And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the U.K. Singles Top 10 on February 6th, 1964:
At #3. "Hippy Hippy Shake" by the Swinging Blue Jeans
#4. "Glad All Over" by the Dave Clark Five
#5. "As Usual" by Brenda Lee
#6. "Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa" by Gene Pitney
#7. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles
#8. "Diane" by the Bachelors
#9. "5-4-3-2-1" by Manfred Mann
#10. "Don't Blame Me" by Frank Ifield
rafael1207
I was born in 1988, but they were one of the bands I most heard in my childhood because of my Dad. Great times!!! And that all happened in Brazil, where absolutely no one knows them (unfortunately).
National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics
Probably my favorite hit of Gerry's
Cockney Rebel
R.I.P. Gerry. Another sad loss for the world of music.
Tommy Thomason
Maybe their best tune and certainly the most uplifting, IMHO. Listen to that drumming! Wow!
Lorenzo Mastromarino
Entre 1960 et 1964 des chansons dans ce style "mersey" π se comptent par milliers avec diffΓ©rents artistes, y compris les fameux Beatles πππ
DJ Kelly
I was just a kid when this came about, but I loved it, and still do.
Chris Visser
What a great band
Cockney Rebel
I performed this number onstage last night. β€οΈπππ
FirstandFourmost
Loved this song then and still love it now.
Brian McLellan
One of the best Mersey Beat groups ever