You'll Never Walk Alone is our song!

Martin Dillon

September 11, 2004

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DEDICATED: Jane Hrdwick

ONE of the most bitter rivalries in football has taken a new twist with the claim that Liverpool fans stole their famous You'll Never Walk Alone anthem from Manchester United supporters.

Grandmother Jane Hardwick says she was left seeing red after reading a letter in a newspaper which said the song, made famous by Gerry and the Pacemakers, was first belted out on the terraces of Anfield.

Jane, a lifelong Reds' supporter from this end of the East Lancs Road, claims it was originally sung by her and thousands of fans at Old Trafford long before it became associated with Liverpool.

Jane, 61, was a teenage opera singer when many of her footballing heroes were killed in the tragic Munich air crash in 1958.

And as her own special tribute to the Busby Babes, heartbroken Jane convinced her friends from New Mills Operatic Society in Derbyshire to join her in a rousing rendition of the song at one of the games following the tragedy.

The tune was written for the 1945 musical Carousel, which Jane and her friends were rehearsing at the time. The pals started the singing but soon You'll Never Walk Alone was being belted out by thousands of fans at Old Trafford.

However, during the 1960s the song was adopted by Liverpool fans.

Jane, who now runs a bed and breakfast in Leek, was first taken to Old Trafford at six weeks old by her father and grandfather.

She said: "It has annoyed me so much that people think the song was first sung by the Liverpool fans.

"The Munich crash was so horrible and everyone was feeling down and despondent and it just seemed an appropriate song to sing.

"It was an emotional time and I managed to persuade my friends to join in with me. Soon the whole ground was singing it and many people, including me, were in tears.

"I never dreamed it would become the anthem of our old rivals but I wanted to put the record straight about where the song originated from on the terraces."

A spokeswoman for Liverpool FC said: "As far as we are aware, it was first sung at Anfield in 1963 and not before Gerry Mardsen's recording of the song."

Manchester or Liverpool - who sang it first?

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Chris Roberts, Stretford, Manchester (11/09/2004 at 18:46)

Totally agree with Jane Hardwick, the way Looneypool have adopted this song as their 'own' is totally laughable. Maybe it is their way of trying to cling on to some form of footballing importance, but to say it was their own when it was a song dedicated to the fallen heroes at Munich is an absolute disgrace when they themselves (the majority anyway),actually rejoice in celebrating the Munich disaster. This only serves the purpose of showing the Scousers for the fickle low life they are.In fact it was originally a Celtic song, so how the mickeys think it is their own is totally beyond me and thousands of other Reds, when in fact they are the third team to adopt You'll Never Walk Alone. Enough said. MUFC

Barry, chorlton (12/09/2004 at 22:42)

If you want the song, sing it. It's fairly simple... It stopped being "your song" when you stopped singing it.

ian, liverpool (12/09/2004 at 23:10)

Total fabrication! Its a Liverpool song, end of. Find your own song ok?

Darren, Liverpool (13/09/2004 at 12:07)

it seems manchester utd fans are oh so bitter! there jealous of LIVERPOOL FC winning more trophies than them and being....BEING the most sucessful british team to this point, there now trying to rob our famous song which we started.... even celtic fans have the decency to ADMIT that they took it from us.

Sean, London (14/09/2004 at 16:11)

I dont know many Liverpool fans who would really celebrate the Munich disaster (if there are they are sick Chris - Stretford) and since I lost a friend at Hillsborough this has given the song more meaning

I'm sure like Liverpool/Celtic, Man Utd fans sang it as it was a popular song of the day pre: Gerry Marsden. However, we are proud to sing it on the kop and if you want to start singing it again on the Stretford End - it is up to you - its a free country.

Jane Hardwick, Leek (14/09/2004 at 21:09)

Re; Liverpool Supporters comments.
I have nothing to be jealous about and certainly nothing against Liverpool FC. However I KNOW what I sang and WHEN I sang it. The year was 1958 the song was 2 You'll never Walk alone". Manchester United DO NOT claim it as their song. But it STARTED at Old Trafford that's a fact because I started it.

Mark, Fallowfield (14/09/2004 at 22:29)

It will always be associated with Liverpool for me but who cares?

Craig, Heaton mersey (15/09/2004 at 10:06)

Well I persoanlly thought Rodgers and Hammerstein started it! But if that old bird reckons she did then I shall bow to her superior knowledge.

John Bailey, Cadishead (15/09/2004 at 10:06)

Oh come on this is embarrassing for us. We didn't sing it. There's no record of us singing it. It's not mentioned in papers, programmes, heard on radio or on TV at the time despite plenty of archive footage being available.

Why try to claim their song? No one else remembers singing it.

Get a grip on reality - you'll be claiming you were abducted by aliens next just after you saw the Loch Ness Monster.

Zappa, Cumbria (15/09/2004 at 11:00)

What a load of tripe. For evidence, see the (Manchester produced) documentary made in the early 60's about the phenomonem of the singing Kop. Which is where YNWA started.

Has her memory slipped so badly, or should I be more circumspect to one enjoying care in the community?

I don't know one Man U fan who supports her ridiculous claim.
(and I know dozens of them)
Stupid woman

Dave, Birmingham (15/09/2004 at 11:01)

No offense Jane, but are you sure that everyone joined in?

It just sounds a little far-fetched that no-one else has thought to point out that it was a Man U song before now. Is this one of those things where you actually dreamed it, but years later you can't tell the difference?

I bet you keep cats too....

Bobby, Cheshire (15/09/2004 at 16:08)

This story and the fact that Liverpool could never do the 'Real' treble like United must be winding them up?

kyle, merseyside (16/09/2004 at 11:43)

the real treble how about we have more real trophies and a real anthem with real fans not some crazy old cat loving hags that are trying to claim an anthem that everyone knows started on the kop if you had nothing against LFC if you wernt jealous you wouldnt of bought it up

Tony, Liverpool (17/09/2004 at 03:35)

Now, a mere 41 years after the first time it was sung at Anfield, she's come forward in shocked disbelief. Has she spent the last 4 decades in a cave? Did she watch Match of the Day this weekend and suddenly think "I recognise that tune those Liverpool fans are singing"?

liz mccabe, Northenden Manchester (17/09/2004 at 10:45)

The Year is 2004 and anyone with a sound mind KNOWS that You`ll Never Walk Alone is The song of the Koppites and Liverpool F.C the way man u are playing at the moment they need a little "Hope in your Heart" so feel free to sing The Scousers Song

Rob, Anfield Road (17/09/2004 at 20:49)

Sad. You've got no history so you try to steal ours.

I see the Stretford End Arising (13/10/2010 at 23:29)

No History Eh? Thats pretty rich. Busby had more history built up than most teams have to date even before Shankly arrived. So I don't know what your talking about you dipper.

Phil Kirwin, Toronto (17/09/2004 at 21:08)

Chris, get your head out of your a*** son. No disrespect to the Busby Babes, may they rest in peace, but to make that claim is pathetic and frankly laughable. Ms Hardwick's claim would of course mean that she was singing the operatic version of the song rather than that popularised by Gerry & The Pacemakers - can't see that happening at a any football ground and especially not Old Trafford.

lark, stockport (17/09/2004 at 21:38)

Tired of telling this - liverpool fc's first disc jockey favourite song was ynwa. He played the rogers & hammerstein version of the song for every single league and cup match played at anfield.

It became a fans favourite.

Mr pacemaker decided to do a cover version of it knowing how popular it was among kopites already.

Much to his delight it was popular with the rest of the nation and went to number .1 in the record charts.

Football fans first began singing songs/chants around this time.

Liverpool fans in particular began singing this song, beatles songs even cilla songs as a reflection of self.

Their are many fans that have in the past sung this song - not just in england but in italy too simply for the message the song conveys.

But the song is synonmous with liverpool supporters for we still to this day sing it and it's still a kop favourite since the day it was first played over the tannoy system by our first dj.

end of.

Old Trafford Devil, Mosside (18/09/2004 at 01:25)

What a load of rubbish! Things like this make me embarrassed to be a Red Devil. Let's all grow up, eh?

Peter Hammond, Dundee, Scotland (19/09/2004 at 00:32)

I think this article is the biggest lot of tripe I have ever heard, the Song, "You'll Never Walk Alone" was first adopted by Liverpool, because Gerry Marsden is one of Liverpool's famous sons, then the song travelled north of the border to Celtic FC, because of connections between the two sides. And when Liverpool play Celtic, either at Anfield or in Glasgow, it is a sound that sends shivers down your spine. It is fantastic. I have never heard "You'll Never Walk Alone" being played or had been played at Old Trafford.

Damian, Ireland (13/10/2004 at 16:18)

Celtic's were the first supporters to sing you will never walk alone

Paul Ramon, Liverpool (15/10/2004 at 13:27)

Could Ms Hardwick - who obviously recalls the day with such great clarity - possibly remember who United were playing that day, and what the date was?

charlie miller, finghall (16/05/2005 at 19:10)

that is a load of rubish by that old women livepool sing that licke they love there club were man u couldent sing as well as liverpool if they won the chamipons lege.I forgot its the song yourl never walck alone and the fans that got liverpool to the final wich was the best thing I ever sor as a young liverpool fan at the age of 11.

nathan, Coogee,Perth (18/05/2005 at 06:42)

i think liverpool is the best with the song because there crowd is the best

alex kishere, lincoln (12/06/2005 at 13:28)

did we hell steal the song from you! if gerry and the pacemakers started in liverpool and sang the song in liverpool who would of heard the song first it must be liverpool point proven.

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