“Walk on, walk on, With hope in your heart, And you’ll never walk alone”
It is the anthem for Liverpool FC – a favourite amongst football fans all over the world. In the early sixties it was, 1963 to be exact, when Gerry & The Pacemakers’ 3rd Consecutive No.1 hit the charts. The band from Liverpool was the second to sign with Brian Epstein right after the Beatles. Liverpool F.C. adopted “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as its official motto on its coat of arms as the song became their football anthem.
So yes, indeed, one of the obvious clubs that sing it are Liverpool – where it’s ingrained in their blood. This summer during an Elton John concert they melted out surprisingly. This won’t be the last time that the popular anthem is sung with Liverpool Premier League season kicking off this weekend at Anfield as they try to fight for every competition again.
The odds clearly show that with Manchester City being the only ones ahead of them for the CL and PL. If you are new to betting there are many opportunities for free bets and bonuses. Here you can view the best free bet offers at Squawka.com available. Liverpool FC will kick off the campaign against Fulham FC as the Reds are one of the favourites to lift the Premier League trophy..
Who else embraced the song?
The song was actually written for the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, being a heartfelt and sorrowful ballad recognisable the world over. Still it is the 1963 version of the song, covered by Merseybeat cracks Gerry And The Pacemakers, that is arguably best known in the UK. Chronologically speaking, after it was adopted as the unofficial anthem of Gerry’s native Liverpool FC, it later spread northwards to be included in the footballing hymn sheets at Celtic, where it is traditionally sung by fans before and during matches. Actually, after a 1966 Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final against Liverpool at Anfield the Scottish team Celtic adopted the song for it to be sung now by Celtic fans, especially prior to every home European tie. One of the most charming entertainment occasions was when Celtic and Liverpool played in the quarterfinals of the 2002-03 UEFA Cup, Gerry Marsden performed the song at Celtic Park before both teams took the field and both sets of fans sang along.
Borussia Dortmund
Having Jürgen Klopp as manager isn’t the only thing shared by Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. When Liverpool went on to play in the cup final against Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, the Dortmund band Pur Harmony were asked to cover the song in 1996. The band adhered to the request, even though singer Matthias Kartner had doubts about covering a song so closely tied to Liverpool. The band, who are all Dortmund fans, had already covered ‘Go West’ for the club and did so anyway. Since then, the song has been regularly adopted by the Yellow Wall and is sung frequently on matchday.
In the Netherlands
The song has also been adopted by Dutch team FC Twente. It was officially given to them by the Anfield stadium speaker George Sephton. This happened during the last game in the Diekman stadium, before moving to the new Arke Stadion. Today, Twente fans sing the song before every home game. Elsewhere in the Netherlands, Feyenoord and SC Cambuur have adopted the song as well. It was 2019 when visiting Feyenoord fans claimed they’re planning to sing You’ll Never Walk Alone in memory of Fernando Ricksen in a game against the Rangers. Some supporters were more than happy for this “tribute” to go ahead and trust that it is genuine and not just an attempt to wind-up the club’s fans. Others again felt that there are more fitting tributes to Rangers legend Fernando Ricksen. Yet, the song remained since then within the club.
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