Dave Clark was more than just the drummer in the band bearing his name. He acted as manager, songwriter, publisher, and producer. Clark started the band to raise money for his soccer team to go to Holland. Team members played instruments, but no one played drums, so Clark bought a cheap drum set from a Salvation Army outlet and became the drummer. The band appeared regularly at the Tottenham Royal Mecca Ballroom in London and gained a rabid following. After reaching the charts with a cover of “Do You Love Me,” the band concentrated on writing original material. They topped the British charts and reached No. 6 in the U.S. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Glad All Over” by The Dave Clark Five.
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You say that you love me (say you love me)
All of the time (all of the time)
You say that you need me (say you need me)
You’ll always be mine (always be mine)
I’m feelin’ glad all over
Yes, I’m-a glad all over
Baby, I’m glad all over
So glad you’re mine
Dave Clark, the Manager
As record labels approached the group, it became clear they would dictate which songs the group recorded. If Clark paid for the sessions himself, he could control the repertoire. He then approached EMI Records, asking for a royalty rate three times the going rate and expecting a counteroffer. To Clark’s surprise, the label accepted his excessive rate as they didn’t have to pay for recording costs. The drummer also asked for the master recordings to revert back to his possession after 10 years. No one expected the songs to be worth anything a decade later, so the label agreed. Like Clark had captained his soccer team, he acted as the band’s manager, leading them through the paces.
I’ll make you happy (make you happy)
You’ll never be blue (never be blue)
You’ll have no sorrow (have no sorrow)
Cause I’ll always be true (always be true)
Dave Clark, the Songwriter and Publisher
The Dave Clark Five’s first chart success was “Do You Love Me,” which had been a hit for The Contours a year before. Brian Poole and the Tremeloes released a version a week earlier than the DC5, and it went all the way to No. 1, while Clark’s version peaked at No. 30. Clark saw how much money was generated for the songwriter and publisher and how it all went to somebody else. Clark began writing songs with his band members and started a publishing company. He teamed up with lead singer Mike Smith, who accepted the challenge of coming up with original material. He found a song by Carl Perkins called “Glad All Over,” and the pair worked up their own song with the same moniker. As Smith recounted in Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh’s book 1000 UK #1 Hits: “We had lost out on ‘Do You Love Me’ to Brian Poole, and so Dave thought we should do an original. He asked me to come up with something, and I looked through my record collection for a suitable title.”
Other girls may try to take me away (take me away)
But you know, it’s by your side. I will stay
I’ll stay
Our love will last now (our love will last)
Till the end of time (end of time)
Because this love now (because this love)
Is gonna be yours and mine (yours and mine)
Dave Clark, the Producer
The first few songs were produced by Adrian Clark. This was a pseudonym Dave Clark used out of fear others would view his overall interaction with every aspect of the group as being overbearing. Adrian Kerridges was the engineer on the sessions, and Clark utilized his first name. The band recorded at Landsdowne Studios, London’s first independent recording studio. Kerridges was a staff engineer who assisted Clark in achieving the unique sound of their recordings. They utilized four-track tape machines and reverb, placing a speaker and a microphone in the concrete stairwell at the rear of the studio to add a novel echo to the recordings. Fans at the Tottenham Royal Mecca Ballroom had begun a tradition of stamping their feet as the band played, and the group integrated the pounding beat into their songs. It is especially evident in their later hit “Bits and Pieces.”
Other girls may try to take me away (take me away)
But you know, it’s by your side. I will stay
I’ll stay
A British Invasion
“Glad All Over” was the song that knocked “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles out of the top spot on the UK chart. After The Beatles created a sensation in America by appearing for three consecutive weeks on The Ed Sullivan Show, the show’s producer wanted another British act to continue the wave of momentum. They reached out to Dave Clark, who initially declined their offer. The Ed Sullivan Show was not aired in the UK, so Clark had no idea how big of an impact it had on the record-buying public. The show’s producer sweetened the offer monetarily and convinced Clark to make the trip to the U.S. The DC5 went on to appear on the show 12 times and cemented the fact the U.S. was indeed experiencing a British Invasion.
All of our lives now (all of our lives)
Till the end of time (end of time)
Because this love now (because this love)
Is only yours and mine (yours and mine)
Dave Clark, the Drummer
Most drummers set up behind a band and are hidden behind a wall of percussion. Clark would often set up front and center. Clark told Uncut magazine, “I went to Alexander Palace once and saw a big band called The Eric Delaney Band. On the front of the stage, he had these timpanis. He came off the drums at the back and played these timpanis, and it was quite amazing. It was showmanship. That’s always stuck in my mind. It wasn’t very clever, what he was doing, but it was dynamite. The crowd loved it. That was a big influence.”
I’m so glad you’re mine now
I’m so, I’m so glad you’re mine
I’m-a so glad you’re mine now
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Photo by Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock
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