This is the first and biggest US hit for Gerry and the Pacemakers, which peaked at No. 4. This was produced by Beatles producer George Martin, another example of his lush, melancholy string arrangements.

The songwriting on this song is credited to Gerry Marsden and the other band members, Freddie Marsden, Les Chadwick and Les Maguire. It was first recorded by Louise Cordet, who had previously toured with the group, as well as with The Beatles and Roy Orbison. Gerry Marsden is said to have initially written the song for Louise, although they released their own version almost simultaneously in April 1964.

Gerry Marsden was a deliveryman for British Rail when he formed Gerry and the Pacemakers in 1959 with his older brother, Freddie, on drums. (Freddie now works for British Telecom); pianist Les Maguire (in the navy); and bassist Les Chadwick (lives in Australia). They are a prime example of a genre known as the Merseybeat scene. The group’s original name was Gerry Marsden and the Mars Bars, but they were forced to change this when the Mars Company, producers of the chocolate Mars Bar, complained.

In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. A few other artists from that same scene were Billy J. Kramer (Bad To Me), The Mindbenders (Game Of Love), and The Searchers (Needles and Pins).

Gerry and the Pacemakers are most remembered in England for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with their first three single releases: “How Do You Do It?”, “I Like It” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

Merseybeat, aka Beat music and British Beat, was named after the areas beside the River Mersey which runs alongside Liverpool. It developed in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll (mainly Chuck Berry guitar style and the midtempo beat of artists like Buddy Holly), doo-wop, skiffle and R&B. The genre provided many of the bands responsible for the British Invasion of the American pop charts starting in 1964, and provided the model for many important developments in pop and rock music, including the format of the rock group around lead, rhythm and bass guitars with drums.

The band starred in its own feature film, “Ferry Cross the Mersey” (sometimes referred to as “Gerry and the Pacemakers’ version of A Hard Day’s Night”) of their song of the same name, in 1965.

After the hits petered out, Marsden disbanded the Pacemakers in 1969 and headed for London’s West End, where he played a handyman in a long-running romantic comedy, Charlie Girl. He also regularly appeared in comedy sketches on television variety shows. In 1973, he left acting and hit the road again with a new set of Pacemakers.