Charles Jackson
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Gerry and the Pacemakers may be a staple at Anfield, but even without Liverpool participating in the UEFA Champions League this season, the song will not go unnoticed in Europe’s premier club competition.
Borussia Dortmund fans have been singing the song at home games since 1996 and are no doubt ready to do so again on Wednesday when the team plays its first Champions League semi-final in 11 years and hosts Paris Saint-Germain at Signal Iduna Park for the occasion. Dortmund’s decades-long milestone in games came about thanks to a once-skeptical cover band, a request from a friend and a connection with the local club.
Here’s a look at the story behind “You’ll Never Walk Alone” becoming an iconic anthem for Dortmund fans.
Please tick the sign up box to confirm you would like to sign up.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
An error occurred while processing your subscription.
One cover band covers another
Matthias Kartne, lead singer of Dortmund cover band Pur Harmony, responded to a good friend’s request in 1996: a cover of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Kartne received the question with hesitation, simply saying in a tone interview with Liverpool’s official website“Oh no!”
The group responded a week later and sold 50,000 copies of the cover. The Dortmund fan then shared the recording with the club’s stadium announcer, who one day played it and won over the fans in the process. The club’s fans also quickly preferred Gerry and the Pacemakers’ iconic version.
“Norbert Dickel [Dortmund’s stadium announcer] I tried to use the Gerry and the Pacemakers version but the fans liked our song [better]” said Kartne.
The football legacy of music
The most famous version of the song was released in 1963 by Liverpool band Gerry and the Pacemakers, who covered a song from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Carousel. In the musical, a character sings to comfort the protagonist Julie after her husband stabs himself following an attempted robbery and the emotional weight of the song, even outside the context of the musical, clearly resonated with football fans in several countries.
Gerry and the Pacemakers’ version reached number one for four consecutive weeks in the UK singles chart and was quickly adopted by Liverpool fans as their anthem. Several other clubs in Europe adopted the song as their own, including Celtic in 1966 and Bundesliga club Mainz.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, May 1st | Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Signal Iduna Park – Dortmund, Germany
- To attend: Paramount+
- Chances: Dortmund +175; Draw +260; PSG +138
TV semi-final schedule
All times US/East
