Delilah isn’t Appropriate for Kids to Sing

[Wenfy]

Tom Jones is apparently complaining about a kids’ choir being banned from singing it at the Rugby, but it’s a horrible, horrible song that glorifies female violence.

So the real question is why do people sing it at the Rugby in the first place!!

That's the first time I've ever read the lyrics and I'm horrified tbh! No, kids absolutely shouldn't be singing it. I don't understand why pop music seems to get a pass for exposing young children to violence, sex and misogyny just because some people like the melody. Bizarre.

I was about to type that I remember Weetabix using the song in their advert, 1980s.
Withabix.
Personally, I can't get excited about it, it's just a song and there's been much worse songs since.

@ErrolTheDragon , yes, it was quite appropriate, all adult audience, murders, etc etc. And the character called Delilah turned out to be the murderer. Even then when learning the lyrics I could feel part of me enjoying it and part of me feeling it was horrendous. We ended up learning 'Its not unusual' instead, not nearly as join-in friendly.

I live next to a pub and they do karaoke every week, I can guarantee that it's sung at least once. Fortunately I have nouse cancelling head phones.

Nouse? Noise

It's not real life though, is it?
It's loosely based on Carmen, do we ban that?
It's no different to murder stories and novels, films etc.
it's depicting, but is it glorifying?

it's depicting, but is it glorifying?

No, it's trivialising, turning it into a singalong with a fairly jolly tune. If you couldn't make out the words it'd sound like some sort of comedic song.

Celebrating femicide in a song is beyond the pale.

Do you know the history of that vile expression “beyond the pale “.
Do your research. Before posting here.

I’ve read a few different theories of where it came from and none seem to be that offensive.

@Riapia the expression was in use for about 100 years before the "pale" you're thinking about. So cool your jets!

The earliest I’ve found is in Russia and the “pales” referenced stakes put in the ground to mark safe territory.

It's earlier than that. It's from "palus" meaning fence. It means beyond acceptable behaviour because if you lived beyond the area you were barbarian. It was used in Ireland. Also other areas.

It is Roman, but earliest references in the British Isles are Elizabethan.

I find it weird that people think singing a song is somehow an endorsement of its lyrics. It’s not. Singing Delilah is no different from a child playing a villain in a school play.

Songs, books, poems etc don’t have to be about nice people with impeccable morals. And kids are not stupid.

FWIW I grew up learning a lot of folk songs, which are full of murder. One of the ones we used to sing at primary school around 1981 was about a knight who murders an old woman, and it’s a LOT more gruesome than Delilah.

Of course singing a song is an endorsement of it's lyrics. Would you sing something racist? Homophobic? Or would you think "it's only a song"?!

It may be about a historical event, and we should not ignore such events, but I am with the Welsh RFU in not playing it.

Is it really though? Me and my friends used to listen to rap and I personally still do. I am yet to become a pimp, drug dealer or gangster! I'm only 33 so there's still time but not looking likely as of yet.

It's loosely based on Carmen, do we ban that?
It's no different to murder stories and novels, films etc.

But we aren't talking about banning the song.
We are asking if it is appropriate to teach it to a children's choir and to get them to perform it.
I personally don't think stalking, and murder are the best choice of subject for a children's choir to be singing about.

What is the general consensus of children performing Oliver in school productions?

I don’t have strong feelings either way on this so I’m finding this an interesting and thought provoking thread.

It's about other social factors as well. Although you could still turn to a life of crime.

It's a story, the same as other thousands of stories. It should not be banned.

Or Othello? This thread made me think of the fact that a performance of Othello was what kicked off a real love of Shakespeare for me. I was 12, gripped from start to finish, went home and asked my mum to buy me a copy so I could read it.

My generation sang sex bomb.

Not sure a few years back shout out to my ex was better butI love LM

Off topic, Bea sings a wonderful song called Born to be Alive that mentions Delilah, her gran. Stunning tune.

Wait until OP hears smack my bitch up lol.