Gerry and the Pacemakers were formed in 1959 (the same year I was born--coincidence? I think not...) in Liverpool, U.K. (hmm, seems some other band I know of was from there...) by Gerry Marsden. After being signed by Brian Epstein (of The Beatles fame), they recorded their first single in 1963 (produced by George Martin, who helped produce a song or two for The Beatles) which promptly went to #1 on the U.K. Charts, as did their next two singles, making them the first band ever in the U.K. to have their first three singles reach the top of the chart. Their fourth single release would just miss, reaching #2. Though for several years Gerry and the Pacemakers and their Merseybeat sound rivaled the Beatles in popularity in their native U.K., by 1966 they were finished, but they reunited off and on from 1972 through 2018 when Marsden announced his retirement. For their career they released a dozen albums (with a #2 and #19 in the U.K., a number 13 here in the U.S.), and 19 singles with six top ten hits in the United Kingdom and three here in the States. They also made a film (see below) which many consider, for better or worse, to be their A Hard Day's Night (and considering the plots are remarkably similar and they had the same management as the Beatles, it's not surprising). Other than its theatrical release, the movie has never been shown on TV or released on video.
"Ferry Cross the Mersey" was released in 1965 on the soundtrack for the film of the same name as noted above. The single would reach #6 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, and #8 on the U.K. chart. The soundtrack was their second highest charting album in the U.K. and their highest charting LP here in America.
Fun Fact: It's a lot funner for me, but as regular readers (both of you) know, I've mentioned the Chicago radio station WLS-AM 89 a time of two here before as being quite the influence on my musical tastes (a collective yawn is not taken personally!), and interestingly enough (or not) "Ferry Cross the Mersey" had its best sales in Chicago, where it reached #1 on...WLS-AM 89. Too cool for words....
In an odd confluence, as I was roaming about the house this week singing "Ferry Cross the Mersey" to my heart's content, it dawned on me that the song reminded me of (and I am in no way equating the two) The Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset"--and sure enough as I was doing my weekly half-assed research I checked out the Wikipedia entry for the the Kinks song in which Ray Davies noted that he was heavily influenced by the Merseybeat sound when he wrote the song, and that the song was originally called "Liverpool Sunset." For those not familiar, the Mersey is a river which runs through Liverpool and into Liverpool Bay. Much like "Waterloo Sunset," "Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a nice song about a moment in time in one's home city and the strong bond that many are lucky enough in life to develop to it. Marsden delivers an understated vocal that captures his bond with Liverpool, and the lyrics offer a beautiful slice of the life he loves there. The melody is the stuff dreams are made of--I've literally been singing it for the last three days and it just never gets old. Wondrous, artful, serene--I'm not sure there are enough adjectives to describe how much I love this slice of pop music pie, another in a long line of songs that have made every moment I've spent listening and learning about music more than worth the while.
Lyric Sheet: "People around every corner/They seem to smile and say/We don't care what your name is boy/We'll never turn you away..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
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