Sir Tom Jones headlined two nights at Cardiff Castle earlier this week, but the 85-year-old singer was left furious when it came to discussing the banning of one of his biggest hits
Sir Tom Jones faced a chorus of boos as he tackled the furore surrounding one of his most famous tracks on Wednesday evening.
The 85-year-old legend took centre stage at Cardiff Castle for two consecutive nights from 20 August, delivering beloved hits including What’s New Pussycat, I’m Growing Old and Sex Bomb to his adoring audience.
However, tensions flared when the conversation turned to Delilah, the tune that served as an unofficial Welsh rugby anthem for decades before the Welsh Rugby Union axed it in 2023. The prohibition stemmed from the song’s disturbing narrative, which depicts a man killing the eponymous Delilah upon discovering her infidelity.
A particularly chilling verse states: “I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door; she stood there laughing, I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more”, leading officials to conclude three years ago that the track shouldn’t feature at major Welsh sporting occasions due to concerns it celebrates violence against women, reports the Mirror.
Addressing the prohibition during his recent performance, Tom questioned the crowd: “Who’s that man who said we shouldn’t sing that song anymore? That used to make my day that on an international match.”
The Voice UK panellist previously relished hearing thousands belt out his composition before crucial matches, maintaining that the lyrics shouldn’t be interpreted ‘literally’. He continued: “I used to wait for it and then they said we can’t sing it anymore. Who is this man who said we can’t sing Delilah? They said it’s about a man killing his wife with a knife. Well it is, but you shouldn’t take it literally.”
The audience then voiced their disapproval in solidarity with Tom’s defence of the track.
Delilah made its debut in 1968 and climbed to become that year’s sixth biggest-selling single after peaking at number two.
The track subsequently evolved into one of Tom’s most recognisable anthems.
The song featured in the 1990 Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands starring Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, whilst the Welsh legend delivered a memorable rendition at Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.
However, concerns regarding the song’s violent themes began emerging as early as 2015, with the track’s official ban from the Principality Stadium occurring almost ten years later.
A Principality Stadium representative explained: “Delilah will not feature on the playlist for choirs for rugby internationals at Principality Stadium. The WRU removed the song from its half-time entertainment and music playlist during international matches in 2015. Guest choirs have also more recently been requested not to feature the song during their pre-match performances and throughout games.
“The WRU condemns domestic violence of any kind. We have previously sought advice from subject matter experts on the issue of censoring the song and we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter.”
The song’s usage had previously been slammed by Dafydd Iwan, whose rendition of Yma O Hyd has become a staple in Welsh football. He criticised it as “a song about murder and it does tend to trivialise the idea of murdering a woman.”
Rhondda MP Chris Bryant cited the increase in domestic abuse during live sport as a reason to cease its use.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
