Tom Jones was on stage at Cardiff Castle when he spoke out about the controversy surrounding one of his biggest hits that was banned from use in Welsh rugby matches
Sir Tom Jones was booed as he addressed the controversy surrounding one of his signature songs on Wednesday night. The singer, 85, headlined the Cardiff Castle for two nights from 20 August, and worked his way through classics like What’s New Pussycat, I’m Growing Old and Sex Bomb for the crowd.
But things became heated when it came to Delilah, which was adopted as the Welsh rugby national anthem for many years until it was banned by the Welsh Rugby Union in 2023. The banning came as a result of the song’s lyrical content, which describe a man murdering the titular Delilah after he discovers she has been unfaithful.
One line reads: “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”, and it was decided three years ago that the song should not be heard at major sporting events in Wales anymore as was thought to glorify violence against women.
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Speaking out about the banning, Tom told the crowds at his recent gig: “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 judge used to look forward to hearing his track performed by thousands ahead of a big game, and insisted that none of the lyrics should be ‘taken literally’.
He added: “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.” It was then that crowd booed in support of Tom’s backing of the song, reports WalesOnline.
Delilah was first released in 1968 and became the sixth-best-selling single of that year after it reached number two. It went on to become one of Tom’s signature hits. It featured in the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands that starred Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, and the crooner performed it at Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
But questions about the violent nature began to rise as far back as 2015, with the song’s official removal from the Principality Stadium taking place nearly a decade later.
A Principality Stadium spokesperson said: “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 use of the song had previously been criticised by Dafydd Iwan, whose version of Yma O Hyd has become synonymous with welsh football, after he said it was “a song about murder and it does tend to trivialise the idea of murdering a woman.” Rhondda MP Chris Bryant referenced the rise in domestic abuse during live sport as reason to stop playing it.
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