SIMPLE MINDS - BELFAST CHILD

Released: February 6, 1989

Charts: UK: #1 (2 weeks)

Released on 6 February 1989 as the lead track on the Ballad of the Streets EP, “Belfast Child” became one of Simple Minds’ most successful songs. The EP also featured “Mandela Day”. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, as well as in Ireland and the Netherlands, and secured top-ten positions in Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and West Germany. The music video, directed by Andy Morahan and edited by Mark Alchin, was filmed in black and white, depicting children and poverty in Belfast.

The idea for Simple Minds to record a folk song came from producer Trevor Horn during a visit to Loch Earn in late 1987. Inspired by the surroundings, the band explored traditional melodies, eventually settling on “She Moved Through the Fair”. Bassist John Giblin first played the tune at a band dinner, prompting Jim Kerr to develop the idea further, drawing inspiration from recent events in Northern Ireland, including the 1987 Enniskillen bombing.

The song evolved through multiple recording sessions, first at Glenstriven in Scotland, where various arrangements—including acoustic and symphonic versions—were tested. The band later attempted to record it at Sarm Studios in London, but the session didn’t work out. The final version was recorded back at Loch Earn, incorporating a drum machine and an atmospheric soundscape, which included an accidental door slam that Trevor Horn envisioned as the distant sound of a bomb.

The track’s length became a contentious issue, with producers and the record label pushing for a shorter version. After much debate, a radio edit was created, though it still remained over five minutes long. Belfast Child was the centerpiece of the “Ballad of the Streets EP”, which topped the UK charts in 1989. It became a major highlight of the “Street Fighting Years” tour and remained a key part of the band’s live set into the 2000s, though its presence waned in the 2010s.