Bye bye bye, Delilah: Tom Jones’ song banned from Welsh rugby stadium

Tom Jones‘ 1968 song ‘Delilah’ has been banned at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

• READ MORE: 10 songs that just aren’t OK any more

The hit track will no longer be sung at Wales national ground by choirs employed for entertainment at matches and has been struck off the Welsh Rugby Union’s (WRU) official playlists.

Although a Principality Stadium spokesperson told Sky News that the song was removed from its half-time entertainment and music playlist during international matches in 2015, they’ve now confirmed that it will no longer feature at all. There are no restrictions, however, on fans singing the song.

The lyrics of Jones’ ballad are the reason why it’s been pulled. In the song, “Delilah” is stabbed after her jealous husband discovers her flirting with another man, and the husband later pleads for forgiveness of her dead corpse.

The Principality Stadium’s spokesperson said: “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.”

Welsh singing legend Jones has responded to controversy over the lyrics, Sky News added, saying that people have taken the song too literally. He rejecting claims that it trivialised violence towards women.

In 2016, MP for Rhondda Chris Bryant defended the song ban: “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 [via The Guardian].

“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.”

Prior to that, Dafydd Iwan, whose Welsh anthem ‘Yma O Hyd’ is now sung around the stadium, said in the same newspaper: “A song about murder, 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, in a letter to The Guardian, he said: “Banning songs is not something I would ever advocate – even if it was possible.”

Meanwhile, Jones last released an album in 2021. ‘Surrounded By Time’, his 41st record, arrived in April of that year. The collection includes covers of songs by acts including Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and Bobby Cole.

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