大象传媒

Starting life as a song from a musical, You鈥檒l Never Walk Alone, has made the transition from a terrace chant to an anthem for a city.

As part of 大象传媒 Radio 2鈥檚 Liverpool season, actress Sue Johnston has traced the story of You鈥檒l Never Walk Alone.

She asks why a Broadway show tune should have such a connection with Liverpool.

Sue Johnston, was nine years old, and living in Whiston when she fell in love with You鈥檒l Never Walk Alone.

Since then she says the song has worn itself in to many of her happiest days as well as some of the most terrible.

The definitive Liverpool version was a number one hit for Gerry and the Pacemakers in 1963.

Magic of the musicals

Written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, for the musical Carousel, You鈥檒l Never Walk Alone has been recorded in all styles of music over six decades by artists including Patti La Belle, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Placido Domingo and Tammy Wynette.

Sue Johnston

It was through musicals that Sue Johnston first heard the song, 鈥淢y mum adored the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, and she鈥檇 make me play it on the piano.

鈥淢usicals were a big part of both my parent鈥檚 lives and a feature of their record collection.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 just Sue鈥檚 family in Whiston who loved the song, music journalist Paul Du Noyer says You鈥檒l Never Walk Alone was popular in Liverpool long before Gerry and the Pacemakers committed it to vinyl.

鈥淭he LP of Carousel was an extremely popular one locally.

鈥淚 can certainly remember my grandparents having a copy and my parents playing it as well.

鈥淭he big splashy Broadway tunes were always enormously popular within the city, and they were the staples of the pub sing-alongs and neighbourhood get togethers.鈥�

However it took the explosion of Merseybeat, and a band managed by Beatles boss Brian Epstein, for You鈥檒l Never Walk Alone to really catch fire.

The third of Gerry and the Pacemakers singles, the band had been playing the song live for several years before it was released.

鈥淚 went to see the film Carousel one afternoon,鈥� says Gerry Marsden.

鈥淲e鈥檇 played the Cavern and it was raining, a horrible day, this would have been about 1959.鈥�

The Kop in full voice

Marsden was particularly impressed by one song from Carousel and seeking out the sheet music he embarked on persuading his fellow band members to play the tune, 鈥淲e鈥檇 also heard that people like Frank Sinatra had done it, so we listened and thought we鈥檒l do that and put it in the act.

鈥淪o we played it for years and then we got the chance to record it.鈥�

Managed by Brian Epstein, Gerry and the Pacemaker also shared a producer, George Martin, with The Beatles.

Gerry and the Pacemakers were the first performers to have their first three singles all reach number one; it was an achievement that wouldn鈥檛 be matched until another Liverpool group Frankie Goes to Hollywood did the same in the 1980鈥檚.

You鈥檒l Never Walk Alone was the third of the singles after How Do You Do It and I Like It.

Both Epstein and George Martin thought the song was too slow to be a hit, but Marsden persuaded them, 鈥淲e put it out and within a month it was number one,鈥� says Gerry.

At around the same time a public address system had been newly installed at Anfield and before the game kicked off the current top ten would be played culminating with the number one record.

After You鈥檒l Never Walk Alone fell down the charts it was picked up by the Kop choir, and continued to be sung as the players took to the pitch slowly working its way in to Liverpool society.

鈥淧eople who don鈥檛 even know Liverpool hear it and they think of Liverpool,鈥� says Gerry Marsden.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 think of America.

鈥淭hey think of Liverpool and Gerry and the Pacemakers, its crazy.鈥�