4 Hit Ballads From 1965, Courtesy of the British Invasion

The British Invasion hit maximum infiltration levels in America in the year 1965. Once The Beatles established their dominance the previous year, it cleared the way for other artists to make the ’65 pop charts in the US seem like an extension of Great Britain.

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Many of the artists from England doing the most damage proved adept at churning out slow songs. These four British ballads that soared high in the charts in 1965 still bring the feels some 60 years after the fact.

“Downtown” by Petula Clark

We mostly associate the British Invasion with bands made up of all men. But one of the most consistent hitmakers from Great Britain at that time was the female solo singer Petula Clark. Tony Hatch, a songwriter/producer who helped craft many of Clark’s biggest hits, wrote “Downtown” after a visit to New York City. That might help explain why American audiences took to it so aggressively. Or it could just have been that they connected with Clark, who had a knack for bringing a kind of wide-eyed innocence to her material. The mix between her vocals and the supporting orchestration is just right. “Downtown”, released in late ’64, made it to the top of the US charts the following year.

“Ferry Cross The Mersey” by Gerry And The Pacemakers

Like “Downtown”, this song was released in late 1964, meaning that it made its biggest chart impact in 1965. What’s interesting here is how well American audiences took to a song referencing British geography. Gerry Marsden, lead singer for Gerry & The Pacemakers, wrote the song about the River Mersey and the ferry that would carry Liverpudlians over that river to other parts of the country. George Martin, who also produced The Beatles, fulfilled the same task with The Pacemakers. Martin brought his touch with orchestration to this song, right around the same time he was adding similar embellishments to The Beatles’ “Yesterday”.

“I Go To Pieces” by Peter And Gordon

Peter And Gordon first made their mark with “World Without Love”, a Lennon/McCartney song that The Beatles never recorded for their own albums. The connection came from Paul McCartney dating the sister of Peter Asher (the “Peter” of the duo). Meanwhile, they sourced “I Go To Pieces” from Del Shannon, who had written the song but was struggling to find the right home for it. Interestingly enough, “I Go To Pieces” didn’t fare well with British audiences. But the pair’s fluttery harmonies, deployed in service of a heart-rending composition by Shannon, certainly made their mark in the US. “I Go To Pieces” landed in the Top 10 in 1965.

“Tell Her No” by The Zombies

The Zombies possessed some distinguishing characteristics that set them apart from their British Invasion counterparts. Keyboardist Rod Argent tended to write songs that were jazzier than the normal fare, all the better to keyboard flourishes like the electric piano on this track. And Colin Blunstone could blow you away with the power of his lead vocals one second and then wow you with their tenderness a moment later. “Tell Her No” seemed to set the band up for continued success, following hot on the heels of the smash “She’s Not There”. Instead, The Zombies floundered for a few years after the song was released before breaking up. Only after that breakup would fans discover their true genius.

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