Performed by: Simple Minds
Written by: Charlie Burchill; D Forbes; Jim Kerr; B Mcgee
Credits: Burchill, Charlie (Songwriter); Forbes, D (Songwriter); Kerr, Jim (Songwriter); Mcgee, B (Songwriter); EMI VIRGIN MUSIC, INC (Publisher)
Belfast Child
| Lyrics: Belfast Child |
| 5min Related Video: Belfast Child |
| Wikipedia: Belfast Child |
| "Belfast Child" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Simple Minds | ||||
| from the album Street Fighting Years | ||||
| B-side | "Mandela Day" "Biko" |
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| Released | 18 January 1989 | |||
| Format | 5" CD, 3" CD, cassette, 7" vinyl | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, Irish folk | |||
| Length | 6:39 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Writer(s) | Music: traditional Lyrics: Simple Minds |
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| Producer | Trevor Horn, Stephen Lipson |
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| Simple Minds singles chronology | ||||
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"Belfast Child" is a 1989 Number 1 UK Charts [1] hit single by Simple Minds from their album Street Fighting Years. With a length of 6:39, at the time, it is the fourth-longest UK #1 ever, after Oasis "All Around the World" (9:38 mins in length), The Beatles' "Hey Jude" and USA for Africa's "We Are the World" (both around 7:08). The single is also known as the "Ballad of the Streets" EP.
Contents |
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 #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."
Reception
The song received rave reviews, receiving a rare five-star review in Q Magazine.
Music video
The video to the song was shot in black and white and displays poignant footage of children and the destruction of the bombing.
B-sides
The B-side of the single was "Mandela Day", a song which had its world premiere at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert on 11 June 1988[2]. The CD single and the 12" single included a cover of Peter Gabriel's "Biko" as well.
Track listings
7" vinyl
- UK, Germany: Virgin / SMX 3
- France: Virgin / 90496
| Side one | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Belfast Child" | Traditional music, lyrics by Simple Minds | 6:39 | ||||||
| Side two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 2. | "Mandela Day" | Simple Minds | 5:42 | ||||||
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 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Belfast Child" | Traditional music, lyrics by Simple Minds | 6:39 | ||||||
| Side two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 2. | "Mandela Day" | Simple Minds | 5:42 | ||||||
| 3. | "Biko" | Peter Gabriel | 7:31 | ||||||
CD
- UK: Virgin / SMX3CD (3")
- UK: Virgin / SMXCDT3 (5")
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Belfast Child" | Traditional music, lyrics by Simple Minds | 6:39 |
| 2. | "Mandela Day" | Simple Minds | 5:42 |
| 3. | "Biko" | Peter Gabriel | 7:31 |
Chart performance
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[1] | 1 |
| Australian Singles Chart[3] | 12 |
| Dutch GfK chart[4] | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40[5] | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart[7] | 9 |
| Preceded by "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" by Marc Almond featuring Gene Pitney |
UK Singles Chart number-one single 19 February 1989 – 26 February 1989 |
Succeeded by "Too Many Broken Hearts" by Jason Donovan |
| Preceded by "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry |
Dutch Top 40 number one single 11 March 1989 – 18 March 1989 |
Succeeded by "Alles kan een mens gelukkig maken" by René Froger |
| Preceded by "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" by Marc Almond featuring Gene Pitney |
Irish Top 40 number one single 16 February 1989 – 23 February 1989 |
Succeeded by "Leave Me Alone" by Michael Jackson |
References
- ^ a b "Chart Stats - Simple Minds - Belfast Child". http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=16147. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ Ketchum, Mike. "The Mandela Concert, Wembley 1988". African National Congress. http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/mandela/awards/wembley88.html. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "australian-charts.com - Simple Minds - Belfast Child". http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Simple+Minds&titel=Belfast+Child&cat=s. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Simple Minds - Belfast Child". http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Simple+Minds&titel=Belfast+Child&cat=s. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 10, 1989". http://www.radio538.nl/web/show/id=44685/chartid=4925. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "irishcharts.ie search results". http://www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com - Simple Minds - Belfast Child". http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Simple+Minds&titel=Belfast+Child&cat=s. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
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Mentioned in
- Street Fighting Years (1989 Album by Simple Minds)
- Kick It In
- Charlie Farren (Rock Artist, '90s, 2000s)
- Glittering Prize 81/92
