The Liverpool anthem song “You'll Never Walk Alone” was a show song from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.
In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings “You'll Never Walk Alone” to comfort and encourage Julie when her husband, Billy Bigelow, the male lead, stabs himself with a knife whilst trying to run away after attempting a robbery with his mate Jigger and dies in her arms.
The song was then reprised in the final scene to encourage a graduation class of which Louise (Billy and Julie's daughter) was a member.
The now invisible Billy, who has been granted the chance to return to Earth for one day in order to redeem himself, watches the ceremony and is able to silently motivate Louise and Julie to join in with the song.
Why do Liverpool Fans sing “You'll Never Walk Alone?”
In 1964, the band ‘Gerry and the Pacemakers' recorded a cover version of the song and it reached number one in the UK. Liverpool fans were known for singing the then-current pop tunes on the terraces back in the 1960s, as Anfield was one of the first UK grounds to have its own DJ.
Fans would thus sing along to a pre-match chart of the latest top ten hits, many of whom happened to be part of the Liverpool takeover of pop, such as The Beatles, Cilla Black and Gerry and the Pacemakers.
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” reached the top 10 just before a home match against West Brom on October 19, 1963. While it can't be known for sure, it is likely that this was the very first time fans sang along to the tune at Anfield.
The song spent four weeks at number one and ten weeks inside the top ten, but fans kept on singing it long after it fell out of the chart altogether.
By 1965, Liverpool fans can be heard singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone' at Wembley at their FA Cup Final win over Leeds, with TV commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme describing it as “Liverpool’s signature tune” and it became theirs since then onwards.
What other teams sing “You'll Never Walk Alone?”
The Liverpool anthem song was later adopted by Celtic after a 1966 Cup Winners Cup semi-final against Liverpool at Anfield. It is now sung by Celtic fans before every home European game.
It has also been adopted by Dutch team FC Twente, after it was officially given to them by former Anfield stadium speaker George Septhon during the last game in the Diekman stadium.
Also in the Netherlands, Feyenoord and SC Cambuur have adopted the Liverpool anthem as well, as have Germany's Borussia Dortmund, 1 FSV Mainz 05, TSV 1860 Munich, Japan's FC Tokyo, Spain's CD Lugo, and Indonesia's Bali United. In ice hockey, it is used by Germany's Krefeld Pinguine and Croatia's Medveščak Zagreb.
Let’s now see the “You'll Never Walk Alone” Liverpool Anthem lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein below:
Liverpool 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 the 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 hearts
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your hearts
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
Download You'll Never Walk Alone Liverpool FC song
You can listen or do a free MP3 download of Liverpool's You’ll Never Walk Alone ringtone below:
Other times the Liverpool Anthem was used
In some areas of the United Kingdom and Europe, “You'll Never Walk Alone” became the anthem of support for medical staff, first responders, and those in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The composition is sometimes treated by performers as a religious song, such as with the 1967 version by Elvis Presley, which has featured on several of his gospel albums.
This article was most recently revised and updated 7 months ago
