And Now Congregation We’ll Sing Hymn Number 324-’You’ll Never Walk Alone’

By: Ryan | April 5th, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38Oz-xv2Ag

I remember when I lived in Sevilla a few years back, a friend and I were talking on the way home from a disco at about 8am when a car went screaming by playing Sevilla’s Himno Centenario. It was an early Sunday morning and Sevilla had the first leg of their annual La Liga derby against Betis that night. All of the sevillistas begin to sing and sway to the music, while Betis fans whistled to their hearts content, until a car went by playing ‘Olé Olé Beti Olé’ to which all of the beticos started swaying to the music.

After the impromptu American Idol ended, my friend said to me ‘You know, when I die they’ll play the Sevilla hymn at my funeral’ I laughed and said, sure they will, but he was intent on this happening. ‘No Ryan, they will, you know what they say, Sevillista hasta la muerte (literally Sevilla until death).

These songs really are hymns. Some argue that a hymn is what you sing in church, but isn’t football really like a church? Football is a religion right? Right?

To an American, this was a pretty crazy sight. In the states, we don’t have songs that unite entire teams like football hymns do. But apart from the uniting factor, people go crazy when their hear their specific anthem/hymn. It’s something that we’ve struggled to get across to the fans for our local team, Queen City FC. We tried to get the fans to elect a hymn, and they chose ‘You Never Walk Alone’ (yes it may be cheesy, but we needed one that people could actually know how to sing). Anyway, it really just doesn’t fly here like it does in other places. So I literally send out youtube videos showing how the Kop sing it at Liverpool.

And its not as if these are rock ballads with a great riff in the middle. Most of the time they are these cheesy, 1970’s songs that people wouldn’t be caught dead listening to now. But, put on a hymn, and people start singing instantly. Crazy.

So, that brings me to my question. What is the best football hymn out there? Regardless of the club you support, I’m sure that a certain hymn just strikes a cord in your heart, for whatever reason. My personal favorite is Barcelona’s hymn ‘Cant del Barça’ I don’t know why, but it just is amazing to hear it sung by 80,000 in the Camp Nou.

But other than that, and a bit more far reaching, the ‘Champions Hymn’ gets me every time.

Also, what’s the deal with your team’s hymn? Where does it come from? Do people actually sing it? Let us know!