Sir Tom Jones has doubled down on his commitment to keep singing his hit song Delilah, telling the crowd at his second Cardiff Castle gig this month: “I’ll be singing it to the day I drop”.
The Welsh Rugby Union announced in February this year that it was officially banning choirs at the Principality Stadium from singing the 1968 hit, with the song – about a jealous man murdering his female partner – first being removed from the choir’s playlist in 2015.
After referencing the WRU’s decision at his Cardiff Castle gig last Friday, Sir Tom doubled down on his commitment to keep performing the song on Monday at his second of two gigs in the Welsh capital.
After performing the song, he said to the crowd: “That feels great, doesn’t it? Who’s that fella who tried to stop us singing this song? What is his bloody name?” This prompted boos from some members of the crowd.
Sir Tom continued: “Well, he stopped the choir from singing it, but he didn’t stop the crowd from singing it. And he’s not going to stop us from singing it, either. And I’ll be singing it to the day I drop.”
The Welsh singing legend from Pontypridd will play another gig at Cardiff Castle on Saturday, August 5.
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, but its place in modern society has been debated in recent years. 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.”
A Principality Stadium spokesperson said at the time: “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.”