Ferry Cross the Mersey
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"Ferry Cross the Mersey" (sometimes written Ferry 'Cross the Mersey) is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States[2] and number eight in the UK.[3] The song is from the film with the same name and was released on its soundtrack album. In the mid-1990s a musical theatre production also titled Ferry Cross the Mersey related Gerry Marsden's Merseybeat days; it premiered in Liverpool and played in the UK, Australia, and Canada.
Contents
Song title and lyrics
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"Mersey" refers to the River Mersey in northwest England, a river that flows into the Irish Sea at Liverpool.
The song is often misspelled as "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey", but according to the song's lyrics, the track is correctly titled "Ferry Cross the Mersey". "Cross" is not a contraction of the preposition "across" but rather an imperative verb - "Ferry, cross the Mersey." The Mersey Ferry runs between Liverpool and Birkenhead and Seacombe on the Wirral.
Chart performance
Chart (1965) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart[3] | 8 |
US Billboard Hot 100[2] | 6 |
Charity record for The Hillsborough Disaster Fund
In May 1989, a charity version of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" was released in aid of those affected by the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 95 Liverpool fans the previous month (a 96th died in 1993 as a consequence of that disaster). The song was recorded by Liverpool artists The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman. The single held the #1 spot in the UK chart for three weeks.[4]
Chart performance
Chart (1989) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart[4] | 1 |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[5] | 45 |
Austrian Singles Chart[6] | 15 |
Dutch GfK chart[7] | 21 |
Dutch Top 40[8] | 20 |
German Singles Chart[9] | 5 |
Irish Singles Chart[10] | 1 |
Norwegian Singles Chart[11] | 4 |
Swiss Singles Chart[12] | 11 |
Preceded by | UK number-one single 20 May 1989[4] (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Sealed With a Kiss" by Jason Donovan[15] |
Ireland number-one single 18 May 1989[14] (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Heart & Soul" by No Sweat[14] |
Other cover versions
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- Frankie Goes to Hollywood recorded a cover of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" for the B-side of the 12-inch single "Relax", released in October 1983.[16] This was subsequently included on their album Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984) and later compilations Bang!... The Greatest Hits of Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1993) and Maximum Joy (2000).
- Also in 1983 the Norwegian group Vazelina Bilopphøggers recorded a cover of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" in a Norwegian dialect, called "Ferje over Mjøsa", for the album På tur.
- Canadian popular musician Burton Cummings (of The Guess Who) recorded a solo version on his 1996 live album "Up Close and Alone."
- In 2003, Pat Metheny included an instrumental cover of this song on his acoustic album One Quiet Night.
- In 2008 Norwegian band Farmers Market recorded a Bulgarian version, titled "Lodtschitze Mini Maritza", for the album Surfin' USSR.
References
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- 1964 singles
- 1989 singles
- Gerry and the Pacemakers songs
- Paul McCartney songs
- The Christians (band) songs
- Holly Johnson songs
- Charity singles
- All-star recordings
- Song recordings produced by George Martin
- Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman
- UK Singles Chart number-one singles
- Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
- Songs about Liverpool
- Capitol Records singles
- Laurie Records singles
- 1964 songs
- Songs written by Gerry Marsden
- Columbia Graphophone Company singles