Ferry Cross the Mersey

"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.

Song title and lyrics

"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 "Across", rather, it is a request of the ferry: "Ferry, cross the Mersey." The ferry is the Mersey Ferry, which still runs to Liverpool from Birkenhead and Seacombe on the Wirral.

Chart performance

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). 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

Other cover versions

• 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 muscian Burton Cummings (of The Guess Who) recorded a solo version on his 1997 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.

Notes