Tom Jones hits out at decision to ban ‘Delilah’ from Welsh rugby games

Tom Jones has hit out on the choice to ban “Delilah” from being sung throughout rugby video games.

In February, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) introduced the 1968 tune would no longer be performed by choirs on the Principality Stadium.

The choice stems from the actual fact the tune, wirrten by Barry Mason, contains a lyric describing a girl’s homicide by her boyfriend after she’s caught with one other man.

“‘Delilah’ is not going to characteristic on the playlist for choirs for rugby internationals at Principality Stadium,” a Principality Stadium assertion mentioned.

“The WRU eliminated the tune from its half-time leisure and music play listing throughout worldwide matches in 2015. Visitor choirs have additionally extra not too long ago been requested to not characteristic the tune throughout their pre-match performances and all through video games.”

They continued: “The WRU condemns home violence of any form. We now have beforehand sought recommendation from subject material specialists on the difficulty of censoring the tune and we’re respectfully conscious that it’s problematic and upsetting to some supporters due to its subject material.”

Throughout a gig at Cardiff citadel on Saturday (22 July), nonetheless, Jones carried out the tune.

Media together with the BBC and The Telegraph report that the 83-year-old instructed the group: “You may’t cease us singing ‘Delilah’. Are you able to think about? Who was the person who didn’t need us to sing ‘Delilah’?

He reportedly added: “They might cease the choir from singing it, however they haven’t stopped the group. Carry on singing it – and I’ll carry on singing it too.”

Jones beforehand defended the tune in 2014, amid calls to have it banned from being sung at rugby matches.

He mentioned: “I like to listen to it sung at rugby video games. It makes me very proud to be Welsh. I feel in the event that they’re trying into the lyric a few man killing a girl, it’s not a political assertion. It’s simply one thing that occurs in life that [a] girl was untrue to him and he simply loses it.”