The song You’ll Never Walk Alone is synonymous with Liverpool Football Club.
The Premier League side, set to play Real Madrid in the 2022 Champions League final on May 28, is one of the most well-known football clubs in the world, and its fans are world-renowned for their tradition of singing the famous song.
The tune, and its message of support, unity, and camaraderie, are an emotional symbol of the club and its history. It became even more embedded within the fabric of Liverpool’s history after the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989, and it’s also a reminder of those who perished in the tragedy.
With the song displayed proudly before and after every Liverpool match at Anfield, and often those away from home as well, here’s a full rundown of the song’s evolution into an iconic tradition for one of the most famous football clubs across the globe.
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You’ll Never Walk Alone history & singer
Originally a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, the song You’ll Never Walk Alone has become synonymous with showing support and solidarity, including for individuals or groups who are mourning, isolated, or otherwise feeling down.
Since its inception on Broadway, the song has been remade by various artists. It was recorded by Gerry & The Pacemakers in 1963, which to this day remains the most successful cover of the song, peaking at No. 1 on the UK singles chart for four consecutive weeks, and also finding success abroad as well.
Other artists to record covers of the song include Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Lana Del Rey, and Doris Day, among many others. The song was also recorded by Marcus Mumford, lead signer of the band Mumford & Sons, for the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso.
The song’s lyrics are particularly symbolic, as they display support, comfort, solidarity, and togetherness during difficult times, something almost anyone can relate to and find warmth in.
You’ll Never Walk Alone lyrics
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
Liverpool and You’ll Never Walk Alone
Getty Images
The 1963 cover done by Gerry and the Pacemakers still remains the most popular version of the song, and it was almost immediately adopted by Liverpool fans.
Former player Tommy Smith stated that the band’s lead singer, Liverpool-born Gerry Marsden, presented Liverpool manager Bill Shankly with a recording of the song for the 1963 preseason trip, a story which Marsden has corroborated.
From there, it stuck. Shankly was a guest on the BBC show Desert Island Discs before the 1965 FA Cup final, and selected the song as one of his eight choices, and after the match — which Liverpool won, defeating Leeds United — commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme called it “Liverpool’s signature tune.”
Eventually, the song’s title officially became the club’s motto when the words “You’ll Never Walk Alone” were added to the club’s crest in 1992. The new crest was unveiled to mark the club’s 100th anniversary, and since, the motto has remained through three more crest redesigns.
Marsden has been welcomed at Anfield to perform the song in the past, pictured above before a Premier League game against Blackburn Rovers in 2010. Marsden passed away in January 2021.
You’ll Never Walk Alone and the Hillsborough Disaster
The song was already adopted by the club well before the 1989 tragedy, but in the aftermath of the 97 deaths at Hillsborough Stadium, it became further embedded in the club’s lore.
During an FA Cup match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, 97 fans, mostly Liverpool fans, were killed in a crush that resulted from crowd control failures by police and local officials. The event became a point of collective suffering for Reds supporters and permanently marked the history of the club.
The lyrics of the tune, those of condolence and support in times of individual sorrow, became an even greater rallying cry during a time of catastrophe. It has since become a symbol of remembrance when sung before matches, and fans see any interruptions of the tradition as a sign of disrespect towards those who died in the disaster.
Hillsborough families emerge from the Unlawful Killing verdict and outside court sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. pic.twitter.com/pGLvhb4xuU
— David Conn (@david_conn) April 26, 2016
You’ll Never Walk Alone at Anfield
Through the decades, the singing of You’ll Never Walk Alone has become a matchday tradition for fans, who come together in song before every game. The Gerry and the Pacemakers version is played over the PA system, and fans sing the lyrics together.
It’s unclear when the club officially adopted the song, playing it before matches by tradition, but it certainly didn’t take long. The band Pink Floyd sampled a recording of Liverpool fans singing the song during a game for the 1971 song “Fearless” at the beginning and end of the song, superimposed over music.
“There’s not one club in Europe with an anthem like ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,'” legendary Dutch player and manager Johan Cruyff famously said. “There’s not one club in the world so united with the fans. I sat there watching the Liverpool fans and they sent shivers down my spine. A mass of 40,000 people became one force behind their team.”
The singing of the anthem at Anfield has become world famous. “It never stops creating goosebumps,” said current Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “It never stops feeling really special.” Television broadcasts of Liverpool matches at Anfield often forgo a pre-kickoff commercial break in favor of televising the singing of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
You’ll Never Walk Alone rings out around Anfield…
The Liverpool supporters know just how important this one is ? pic.twitter.com/UUK52HmR0F
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 7, 2022
What other clubs sing You’ll Never Walk Alone?
The most famous club to also adopt the song as a matchday tradition is Scottish side Celtic, which according to most stories, adopted it just a few years after Liverpool did.
According to reports, Celtic fans brought the song home after a 1966 match at Anfield in the semifinals of the Cup Winner’s Cup. Liverpool won the match 2-0 to advance to the final, but Celtic fans still didn’t go home empty-handed.
Other clubs with fans who are world-renowned for singing the song include Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Feyenoord (Netherlands), and even FC Tokyo in Japan.
Dortmund fans in particular became famous for a rendition done in sync with Liverpool fans during the 2015-16 Europa League quarterfinals.
With the first leg finishing 1-1 in Germany, the two sides met at Anfield for the second leg, and both sets of fans came together to have the entire stadium singing in unison. Liverpool would go on to win the match 4-3 in thrilling fashion thanks to a 91st minute header by Dejan Lovren.