The story behind the BVB anthem: You’ll Never Walk Alone” conquered the stadium

The story behind the BVB anthem: You’ll Never Walk Alone” conquered the stadium

In the heart of Dortmund football culture, the hymn "You’ll Never Walk Alone", which caught unmistakably through the Signal Iduna Park before the BVB's home game against FC Bayern on November 30th. Bruno "Günna" Knust, the legendary stadium spokesman who brought this anthem to the stadium, made a significant contribution to its popularity. He reported that the song originally dates from the musical "Carousel" from 1945, which is based on the Hungarian stage play "Liliom" by Ferenc Molnár. The cover version of the band Gerry and the Pacemakers from the 1960s made the song internationally popular and transformed it into a symbol of community and support among football fans.

"Günna", as it is called in the fan scene, played the melody for the first time in the Westfalen Stadium almost 30 years ago. This decision came after a phase in which stadium music was criticized as little inviting. "The hit parade of the Saturn sales strikers" was felt by the fans as inadequate, and there were severe complaints that the audience could not sing properly. The club reacted by initiating the search for "stadium-compatible songs" together with BVB archivist Gerd Kolbe and finally returning to the famous hymn.

a song with history

"You’ll Never Walk Alone" has much more than just a musical background. Jürgen Klopp, who was involved in the action as a coach of Borussia Dortmund, heard the song over 300 times before switching to Liverpool in 2015. The hymn has not only anchored in Dortmund, but also at other football clubs such as Celtic and Feyenoord. After the historic Cup Winner Cup victory of Dortmund against Liverpool in 1966, the symbolic power of the song was recognized and took it into your own fan culture.

Today the hymn is sung ten minutes before each home game and is deeply anchored among fans. It stimulates an immense community energy in the stadium with its imposing "yellow wall", which represents the largest standing area in Europe. The text of the song addresses hope and solidarity and becomes a powerful message for everyone who hears it.

from the roots to today's meaning

The hymn has not only become more important in Germany, but also in European football. Dortmund, Mainz, Celtic and Liverpool are the most prominent clubs that sing the song before the games. Other clubs such as St. Pauli, Kaiserslautern, Twente and even FC Tokyo have also integrated the melody into their stadium traditions. In Dortmund, the song is celebrated as unique and distinctive, and the conviction that the hymn is more than a song has firmly enrolled into the cultural identity of the association.

Bruno Knust and the fans have made the hymn the soul of Dortmund football. The tragic loss of Gerry Marsden, the singer of the original version, is put in the shade by the continuing love and the audience, which continues to sing "You’ll Never Walk Alone". Dortmund has made the hymn a symbol of cohesion that goes far beyond football and touches generations of fan hearts.