JDIZZY's 365 # 201: Ferry Cross The Mersey

Ferry Cross The Mersey - Gerry & The Pacemakers (1964)

The Beatles wrote many a song about their hometown's streets, fields and girls. Oddly enough, they never hit on the river that flows there, into the Irish Sea. It must have been because that geographical location was already well spoken for by late 1964. The Pacemakers were one of many Merseybeat bands that found success in the wake of Beatlemania. They just happened to pen the movement's anthem in the form of this ballad. It is a sentimental longing for home that pulls the right amount of heartstrings to make it universal. The Pacemakers' catalog has plenty of quality entries, but this piece is right up there with The Fab Four's best.



After The Hillsborough Tragedy in 1989, Paul McCartney himself sang on a tribute version of the song.