Sir Tom Jones' hit song and Welsh rugby anthem Delilah will no longer be a formal fixture at the Principality Stadium, not being played at the stadium or sung by choirs.
While the Welsh Rugby Union removed Delilah from its half-time entertainment and music playlist during international matches in 2015, while also requesting guest choirs not to sing it more recently, the ballad has now been officially removed from choirs' playlists.
The song, released in 1968 when it reached No. 2 in the charts, is about a jealous lover stabbing his unfaithful partner. 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.”
The ban of the song, one of Sir Tom's best-known hits, comes at a time of great change of review at the WRU in the wake of damning sexism, misogyny and racism allegations, which prompted the resignation of chief executive Steve Phillips and the promise of an external taskforce to review the governing body's culture and behaviours.
What has the WRU said?
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 play list 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.”
When was Delilah released?
Delilah was recorded by Sir Tom in 1968 and reached No. 2 in the charts before going on to become a Welsh favourite among the rugby-loving public. Written by Barry Mason and Sylvan Whittingham, with music by Les Reed, the song earned Reed and Mason the 1968 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.
Sir Tom performed the song at his summer 2022 gig at the Principality Stadium in his joint gig with Stereophonics.
Why Delilah is so controversial
There has long been a debate about the use of Delilah in modern society due to its portrayal, and some would argue "trivialising", of domestic violence.
Dafydd Iwan, whose Yma O Hyd ballad on the survival of the Welsh language and culture has become an anthem among Wales football fans, previously said, in 2014, that it was “a song about murder and it does tend to trivialise the idea of murdering a woman. It’s a pity these words now have been elevated to the status of a secondary national anthem.”
However, Delilah songwriter Whittingham defended it in 2015, saying: "Delilah is no more likely to cause domestic violence than listening to Mack the Knife would cause you to stab a prostitute. And what about all those great Shakespearean tragedies?”
Rhondda MP Chris Bryant also added to the chorus of disapproval in 2016. “It is a simple fact that when there are big international rugby matches on, and sometimes football matches as well, the number of domestic violence incidents rises dramatically,” he said. “I know that some people will say, ‘Oh, here we go, he’s a terrible spoilsport,’ but the truth is that that song is about the murder of a prostitute.” Adding that there were many other songs that could be sung instead, he said: “I have sung Delilah as well, everybody loves doing the ‘She stood there laughing’ moment, but if we are really going to take this issue seriously in Wales we have to change how we do things.”
What Sir Tom Jones has said about it
Almost a decade ago, Sir Tom spoke of his pride in the song being sung at rugby matches, and argued that people don't really think about the lyrics in a 2014 interview with The Independent.
“I love to hear it sung at rugby games," he is quoted as saying. "It makes me very proud to be Welsh. I think if they're looking into the lyric about a man killing a woman, it's not a political statement. It's just something that happens in life [and] he just loses it.
“The great thing about the song that everyone picks up on is the chorus. I don't think that they are really thinking about it. I wasn't thinking that I was the man that was killing the girl when I was singing the song, I was acting out the part and that's what the song is. If it's going to be taken literally like that then I think it takes the fun out of it. I think it takes the spirit out why it's being sung.”
Has rugby banned other songs?
In 2020, England’s Rugby Football Union reviewed the context of England’s rugby anthem — “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” — amid the Black Lives Matter protests. The song is believed to have its roots in American slavery, with its credited author being Wallace Willis — a freed slave from Oklahoma. The RFU didn’t ban the singing of the song but said it would “proactively” educate fans on the song’s history.
More recently, Gallagher Premiership side Exeter Chiefs dropped the use of the Tomahawk Chop following the club’s rebrand away from Native American imagery but the tune has made a return over the Tannoy in games at Sandy Park in 2023.
Tell us what you think:
Full lyrics to Sir Tom Jones' Delilah
I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window
I saw the flickering shadow of love on her blind
She was my woman
As she deceived me I watched and went out of my mind
My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why Delilah
I could see, that girl was no good for me
But I was lost like a slave that no man could free
At break of day when that man drove away I was waiting
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
My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why Delilah
So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me Delilah I just couldn't take anymore
She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more
My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why Delilah
So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me Delilah I just couldn't take anymore
Forgive me Delilah I just couldn't take anymore
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