"Belfast Child" is a song by the Scottish band Simple Minds, first released as the lead track on the ''Ballad of the Streets'' EP on 6 February 1989. The EP also included " Mandela Day". The record reached number one on the UK Singles Chart as well as in Ireland and the Netherlands, and it became a top-ten hit in Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and West Germany.

Style and influence

The song uses the music from the Irish folk song " She Moved Through the Fair", with different words.

Jim Kerr James Kerr (born 9 July 1959) is a Scottish musician and lead singer of the rock band Simple Minds. Commercially successful singles released by Simple Minds include " Don't You (Forget About Me)", " Glittering Prize" (1982), " Someone Somewh ...

recalled in ''1000 UK Number 1 Hits'' why he used the melody, "I first heard the melody f She Moved Through The Faira few days after the Enniskillen bombing, 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".

Critical reception

The song received rave reviews, receiving a five-star review in '' Q'' magazine. In a retrospective review of the single,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

journalist Dave Thompson described "Belfast Child" as being "an epic, heartstring-tugging song. The piece gains even more power in its second half, when the drums and guitar kick in, and the arrangement billows out with instrumentation."

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

to the song was shot in black and white and displays footage of children and deprivation in Belfast. It was directed by Andy Morahan and edited by Mark Alchin.

B-sides

The B-side of the single was " Mandela Day", a song recorded to commemorate and performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert on 11 June 1988 though not released commercially until its inclusion on this single. The CD single and the 12" editions added a cover of

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

's " Biko". All three tracks appeared on the band's '' Street Fighting Years'' album, released three months later.

Track listings

7" vinyl 12" vinyl CD

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1989 singles 1989 songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Andy Morahan Simple Minds songs Song recordings produced by Stephen Lipson Song recordings produced by Trevor Horn Songs about The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Songs about children Songs about cities Songs written by Charlie Burchill Songs written by Jim Kerr Songs written by Mick MacNeil UK singles chart number-one singles Virgin Records singles