Fields of Anfield Road sits just below You’ll Never Walk Alone in the pantheon of great Liverpool anthems, but it has only actually been sung at Anfield for less than 30 years.
Merseyside has long been a melting pot of musical creativity, something that has manifested itself at Anfield as fans took singing at the match mainstream in the 1960s.
The way Reds have come up with songs and shared new terrace chants has changed down the years, but the will to produce fresh tunes and serenade the team continues to flourish.
As has long been the case, away days are still the best breeding ground for new songs, and back in 1996 things were no different.
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As you may know, Fields of Anfield Road takes the chorus of the Irish folk ballad The Fields of Athenry, written in 1979 by Pete St. John, and converts the lyrics to herald Liverpool players of the past.
The song, set during the Irish famine which triggered mass emigration, was adapted in 1996 by a Red named Gary Ferguson.
Fergo, who came up with the Liverpool version, said: “We played at Celtic, in I think a testimonial, and it was getting belted out.
“I thought we should sing that without the religious undertones and one night I just had The Dubliners on and started to put words in for Liverpool.
“Bearing in mind that around 1995/96 Anfield was going through a patch in time when the atmosphere was, to be blunt, dreadful at times, I was hoping with the help of the lads, I could get it up and running.”
It did catch on and now Fields of Anfield Road is probably the most institutionalised song on the Kop after You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Celtic also claim You’ll Never Walk Alone as their anthem and the clubs’ sharing of songs is no coincidence.
Musical creativity with regard to terrace anthems is another one of the traits each set of supporters has in common.
This derives partly from a desire to dissociate from opposition fans who go to Celtic Park and sing songs of a sectarian nature or those who visit Anfield and chant about poverty.
Every club has its devoted supporters who ensure their figurative songbook is kept alive, but the numbers listed are largely a collection of the same short tunes with different words, depending on the club you support.
At Liverpool and Celtic, it is different. When a new player requires adoration, there has been resistance to go back to the same old tired old tunes.
Fields of Anfield Road chorus
All round the fields of Anfield RoadWhere once we watched the King Kenny play, and could he play!Stevie Heighway on the wingWe had dreams and songs to singOf the glory round the fields of Anfield Road
In an increasingly Eurosceptic society, Liverpool look to the continent for inspiration. Songs like Allez, Allez, Allez are usually started by young lads on European away trips.
While Fields of Anfield Road was taken from Glasgow and not the terraces of the Mediterranean, it remains a ferocious rallying cry when the chorus restarts and supporters reach a crescendo in tandem.
