“I’ll Be There” (Gerry and the Pacemakers)

Today’s classic song of the day was a big hit for a certain musical quartet from Liverpool. No, I’m not talking about John, Paul, George and Ringo, but rather another local group known as Gerry and the Pacemakers. The song is “I’ll Be There” and it was released in March of 1965. This single went all the way to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #15 on the UK charts; it was also a #1 hit in Canada.

While “I’ll Be There” rode the wave of the mid-60s British Invasion, the version you know wasn’t the first recording of the song. “I’ll Be There” was written by singer Bobby Darin and released by him in 1960 as the B-side of his “Bill Bailey” single. Darin’s single was often played as the final song at closing time at Liverpool’s The Cavern Club, where Gerry Marsden and his band used to play and where they probably heard it. (You may remember The Cavern Club as the joint where the Beatles played a lot when they were first starting out.)

Musically, “I’ll Be There” is fairly typical of pop songs of the time. The chords in the verse are fairly standard I – II – IV – I (although that major II chord is interesting), then go I – vi – ii – V. The chords move relatively quickly, one a measure or so, which helps to create a nicely flowing melody driven by that fast-moving chord progression. Again, this was fairly typical of songs of the time and fit right in with the British Invasion sound—even if it was written by an American crooner a few years before the Brits arrived on our shores.

Not only did Gerry and the Pacemakers hail from the same hometown as the Beatles, they were also managed by the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein. In addition, the Beatles’ ace producer, George Martin (sometimes called the fifth Beatle), produced the recording of “I’ll Be There.” It’s no wonder the record sounded so Beatles-like.

Gerry and the Pacemakers did well but never hit the real big time like their fellow Liverpudlians. They had five top twenty hits in the U.S. (“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying,” “How Do You Do It?,” “I Like It,” “I’ll Be There,” and “Ferry Cross the Mersey“) and seven in their native UK. Gerry Marsden led the group on and off until 2018, when he retired. He passed away three years later, in 2021, aged 78.

And here’s an interesting little clip for your daily bonus video of the day. It’s Gerry and the Pacemakers performing “I’ll Be There” on the very first episode of Hullabaloo on January 12, 1965. The audience seemed to like them.