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Belfast Child

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"Belfast Child"
Song
B-side"Mandela Day"
"Biko"

"Belfast Child" is a song by Simple Minds, first released as the lead track on the "Ballad of the Streets" EP on 6 February 1989.[1] The EP also included "Mandela Day" (originally its B-side). The record reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]

Style and influence

The song uses the music from the Irish folk song "She Moved Through the Fair", but has completely different words.

Jim Kerr recalled in 1000 UK Number 1 Hits why he used the melody, "I first heard the melody (of She Moved Through The Fair) a few days after the Enniskillen bombing (when a bomb planted by the IRA exploded during a Remembrance Day service at Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, killing 12 people and injuring at least 63), and like everybody when you see the images I was sick. In the second part of the song, I'm trying to relate to people in Northern Ireland who lost loved ones. I'm trying to talk about the madness, the sadness and the emptiness. I'm not saying I have any pearls of wisdom, but I have a few questions to ask".[3]

Reception

The song received rave reviews, receiving a five-star review in Q magazine. In a retrospective review of the single, AllMusic journalist Dave Thompson described "Belfast Child" as being "an epic, heartstring-tugging song. The piece gains even more power in its second half, when the drums and guitar kick in, and the arrangement billows out with instrumentation."[4]

Nonetheless the song has also received bad press. In a run-down of each UK number one single ever, Tom Ewing of FreakyTrigger gave the song 1/10, saying it "takes the grubby, botched, intractable brutality of the Troubles and makes them sound grand and mythic."[5]

A cover of Sydney Wayser was used for the trailer of the 2014 film Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Music video

The music video to the song was shot in black and white and displays poignant footage of children and deprivation in Belfast. It was directed by Andy Morahan and edited by Mark Alchin.[6]

B-sides

The B-side of the single was "Mandela Day", a song recorded to commemorate and performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert on 11 June 1988 though not released commercially until its inclusion on this single. The CD single and the 12" editions added a cover of Peter Gabriel's "Biko"

Track listings

7" vinyl

  • UK, Germany: Virgin / SMX 3
  • France: Virgin / 90496

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Belfast Child"Traditional music, lyrics by Simple Minds6:39
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
2."Mandela Day"Simple Minds5:42

12" vinyl

  • UK: Virgin / SMXT 3
  • UK: Virgin / SMX BS (limited edition box set, including 4 black-and-white photographs from the music video)
  • France: Virgin / 80432
  • Germany: Virgin / 611 998
  • Yugoslavia: Jugoton /MXSVIRG 18016

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Belfast Child"Traditional music, lyrics by Simple Minds6:39
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
2."Mandela Day"Simple Minds5:42
3."Biko"Peter Gabriel7:31

CD

  • UK: Virgin / SMXCD3 (3")
  • UK: Virgin / SMXCDT3 (5")

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Belfast Child"Traditional music, lyrics by Simple Minds6:39
2."Mandela Day"Simple Minds5:42
3."Biko"Peter Gabriel7:31

Chart performance

Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 12
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 1
Ireland[9] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[10] 9
Spain (AFYVE)[11] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 1
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
19 February 1989 (1989-02-19) – 26 February 1989 (1989-02-26) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Dutch Top 40 number one single
11 March 1989 (1989-03-11) – 18 March 1989 (1989-03-18) 		Succeeded by
"Alles kan een mens gelukkig maken" by René Froger
Preceded by Irish Top 40 number one single
16 February 1989 (1989-02-16) – 23 February 1989 (1989-02-23) 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ "Never Mind". Record Mirror. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 4. 21 January 1989.
  2. ^ "1989 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive – 25th February 1989". Official Chart Company. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  3. ^ Kutner, Jon; Leigh, Spencer (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-8444-9283-1.
  4. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Belfast Child - Simple Minds : Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  5. ^ SIMPLE MINDS – “Belfast Child” | FreakyTrigger
  6. ^ "Simple Minds Belfast Child on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales, Australia: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 978-0-6461-1917-5.
  8. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Simple Minds" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  9. ^ "irishcharts.ie search results". Archived from the original on 1 February 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Simple Minds – Belfast Child". VG-lista.
  11. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
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