Ferry Cross the Mersey explained

"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 of 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, which flows into the Irish Sea at Liverpool. The Mersey Ferry runs between Liverpool and Birkenhead and Seacombe on the Wirral Peninsula.

Cash Box described the song as "a touching, soft cha cha best sentimental opus that Gerry vocals with much sincerity."^[4]

Chart performance

"Ferry Cross the Mersey" became a Top 10 hit in the UK^[5] and also in the U.S., where it was a bigger hit. It did best in Chicago, where it reached number one on WLS-AM.^[6]

Weekly charts

Chart (1964–1965)	Peak position
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[7]	12
Sweden (Tio i Topp)[8]	7
UK Singles Chart	8
US Billboard Hot 100	6
US Cash Box Top 100[9]	4

Year-end charts

Chart (1965)	Rank
UK[10]	89
US Billboard Hot 100[11]	43
US Cash Box[12]	82

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 had claimed the lives of 95 Liverpool fans the previous month (a 96th, Tony Bland, died in 1993 as a consequence of that disaster and a 97th, Andrew Devine, in 2021). The song was recorded by Liverpool artists the Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney and Gerry Marsden, with producers Stock Aitken Waterman also credited. The single held the number one spot in the UK chart for three weeks^[13] and the Irish chart for two weeks.

Chart performance

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[14]	45
Austrian Singles Chart[15]	15
Dutch GfK chart[16]	21
Dutch Top 40[17]	20
German Singles Chart[18]	5
Irish Singles Chart[19]	1
Norwegian Singles Chart[20]	4
Swiss Singles Chart[21]	11
UK Singles Chart	1

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.^[22] It was subsequently included on their later compilations Bang!... The Greatest Hits of Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1993) and Maximum Joy (2000), as well as certain copies of their debut album Welcome to the Pleasuredome.
• Canadian popular musician 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 the song on his acoustic album One Quiet Night.
• The German-British punk rock band Die Toten Hosen released a cover version in 2020 on their album "Learning English Lesson 3 - Mersey Beat!". The album peaked at position 2 in the German album chart.
• Australian band The Jazz Kings included a cover version on their 2024 album Blue Jazz. It was arranged and sung by their pianist Jose McLaughlin, who was a former member of Gerry and the Pacemakers. The track went to No.1 on the Australian Independent Charts.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Gerry's Datebook . Britbands.bravepages.com . 28 March 2014 . 23 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180823000905/http://www.britbands.bravepages.com/gerrydiary.html . dead .
2. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4359|pure_url=yes}} Gerry & the Pacemakers > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles ]. . Unterberger . Richie . Richie Unterberger . 4 July 2009.
3. Web site: The Official Charts Company - Gerry And The Pacemakers - Ferry Cross The Mersey . . 4 July 2009.
4. CashBox Record Reviews . January 30, 1965 . 16 . 2022-01-12 . Cash Box.
5. Web site: ferry cross the mersey | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company. Officialcharts.com.
6. Web site: wls650312. Oldiesloon.com.
7. Book: Hallberg, Eric. Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 – 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. 193. 9163021404.
8. Book: Hallberg. Eric. Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Henningsson. Ulf. Premium Publishing. 1998. 919727125X.
9. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 3/20/65. cashboxmagazine.com.
10. Web site: Sixties City - Pop Music Charts - Every Week Of The Sixties. Sixtiescity.net.
11. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1965/Top 100 Songs of 1965. Musicoutfitters.com.
12. Web site: Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1965. tropicalglen.com.
13. Web site: The Official Charts Company - Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson And The Christians - Ferry Cross The Mersey . . 4 July 2009.
14. Web site: The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden & Stock Aitken Waterman - Ferry 'Cross The Mersey . australian-charts.com . 4 July 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091209014049/http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Christians%2C+Holly+Johnson%2C+Paul+McCartney%2C+Gerry+Marsden+%26+Stock+Aitken+Waterman&titel=Ferry+%27Cross+The+Mersey&cat=s . 9 December 2009.
15. Web site: The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden & Stock Aitken Waterman - Ferry 'Cross The Mersey . austriancharts.at . 4 July 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091208170054/http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Christians%2C+Holly+Johnson%2C+Paul+McCartney%2C+Gerry+Marsden+%26+Stock+Aitken+Waterman&titel=Ferry+%27Cross+The+Mersey&cat=s . 8 December 2009.
16. Web site: The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden & Stock Aitken Waterman - Ferry 'Cross The Mersey . dutchcharts.nl . 4 July 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091209012659/http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Christians%2C+Holly+Johnson%2C+Paul+McCartney%2C+Gerry+Marsden+%26+Stock+Aitken+Waterman&titel=Ferry+%27Cross+The+Mersey&cat=s . 9 December 2009.
17. Web site: Nederlandse Top 40 - week 26, 1989 . 4 July 2009.
18. Web site: charts.de . https://web.archive.org/web/20141222165006/http://www.officialcharts.de/song.asp?artist=The+Christians%2C+Holly+Johnson%2C+Paul+McCartney%2C+Gerry+Marsden+%26+Stock+Aitken+Waterman&title=Ferry+%27Cross+The+Mersey&cat=s&country=de . dead . 22 December 2014 . charts.de . 28 March 2014.
19. Web site: irishcharts.ie search results . 4 July 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090602061251/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement . 2 June 2009.
20. Web site: The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden & Stock Aitken Waterman - Ferry 'Cross The Mersey . norwegiancharts.com . 4 July 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091208170058/http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Christians%2C+Holly+Johnson%2C+Paul+McCartney%2C+Gerry+Marsden+%26+Stock+Aitken+Waterman&titel=Ferry+%27Cross+The+Mersey&cat=s . 8 December 2009.
21. Web site: The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden & Stock Aitken Waterman - Ferry 'Cross The Mersey . hitparade.ch . 4 July 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091204075144/http://www.hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Christians%2C+Holly+Johnson%2C+Paul+McCartney%2C+Gerry+Marsden+%26+Stock+Aitken+Waterman&titel=Ferry+%27Cross+The+Mersey&cat=s . 4 December 2009.
22. Web site: Catwoman . h2g2 - ZTT Records 1983-1988 Part 3: Remixes . Bbc.co.uk . 17 July 2002 . 28 March 2014.