How did it become the official Liverpool song?

ONE OF SOCCER'S GREAT MYSTERIES...
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE


BY BRIAN MILLER
Jan 29, 2002

IT has always irked me. We all know that You'll Never Walk Alone is Liverpool's property. It is sung at every Liverpool match.

I've always liked the song and many a time, I've asked Liverpool fans how it became such a hit with the club.

Sad to say, even the most diehard fan didn't know.

So when I had the chance to interview Gerry Marsden, I decided to ask him.

After all, he has lived in Liverpool all his life, is a staunch Liverpool fan and, best of all, he fronted the group which gave the world that No 1 hit, You'll Never Walk Alone.

Marsden, 59, who will be performing in Singapore next month, sighed. "You've asked the right person," he said. "I was there. In a way I started it.

"It was way back in 1963," he said. "In those days, Liverpool officials felt that they needed to entertain fans before the start of the club's matches.

"A good way was to play the week's current No 1 hit from the UK charts over the stadium's speakers.

"It went down well. Then somehow, for five weeks straight - starting from October, 1963 - just one song kept coming over the stadium's speakers.

"It grew on them. They liked it and soon they began singing along."

For five weeks, the song that rang from the terraces at Anfield was You'll Never Walk Alone.

This song, with its hauntingly-simple title, was the runaway hit at that time and it gave the group, Gerry And The Pacemakers, a tremendous push into pop music's big-time league.

Marsden continued: "The song stayed at No 1 for five weeks and for five weeks, the Liverpool faithful sang along - their voices getting stronger by the day.

"We were thrilled. Then suddenly, at the beginning of the sixth week, fans noticed that a different song was coming over the stadium's giant speakers.

"It so happened that The Beatles had bumped us from the top spot and She Loves You was No 1.

INCENSED

"So, that was the song to sing - not You'll Never Walk Alone. But somehow, the fans would have none of it.

"They were incensed. They stamped the floor. They booed. They simply refused to sing the 'new song'.

"Instead, and in unison, they chanted: 'We want our song. We want our song. Bring back our song. We want our song'."

According to Marsden, the bigwigs at Anfield were taken aback by this spontaneous demonstration.

When they recovered, they decided: If that was what the fans wanted, that was what the fans would get.

Marsden went on: "So it was, from that day some 39 years ago, You'll Never Walk Alone has been Liverpool's official song.

"I know it doesn't sound as dramatic as some Liverpool fans make it out to be, but - believe me - my version is the truth.

"I should know. I helped make it happen."


For the record: You'll Never Walk Alone was composed by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein for the stage production of Carousel.

Rất cám ơn bạn đã post bài và chào mừng bạn tham gia LVFC!
whisper@