"Belfast" is the second single of the Euro disco band Boney M.'s 1977 album Love for Sale. "Belfast" was the first Boney M. single to feature lead vocals by Marcia Barrett and became their 4th consecutive German chart-topper. In the UK Singles Chart it peaked at No. 8.[1] It remained a popular track in the group's live shows over the years and was re-recorded by Marcia Barrett as a solo track on her album Come Into My Life (2005).
| "Belfast" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Boney M. | ||||
| from the album Love for Sale | ||||
| Released | 19 September 1977 | |||
| Recorded | March 1977 | |||
| Genre | Pop, Europop, Euro disco | |||
| Length | 3.30 | |||
| Label | Hansa Records (FRG) Atlantic Records (UK) Carrere (FR) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | James Robert Bilsbury, Drafi Franz Richard Deutscher, Joe Menke | |||
| Producer(s) | Frank Farian | |||
| Boney M. singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Belfast" (TopPop, 1977) on YouTube | ||||
Background and composition
"Belfast", written in 1971 by Drafi Deutscher and Jimmy Bilsbury, was originally entitled "Derry".[2] The lyrics refer to the divided city during the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Deutscher had written the song for Marcia Barrett when she was a solo artist in the early 1970s. Frank Farian also recorded a German version of "Belfast" with Gilla. Her version was included on the album Zieh mich aus which was released in June 1976.
Due to shortage of material when Boney M. performed their first live gigs in 1976, having only one album with eight songs, Marcia Barrett also performed "Belfast" which had been a popular live track for her. "Belfast" turned out to be as popular for Boney M. on stage as it had been for Barrett. The sound engineer of the group noticed the response at each gig where the song was performed. He told Frank Farian about it and Farian decided to record the track for the second Boney M. album, Love For Sale, in early 1977.
In the US and Canada, the song was never released and was replaced by "Daddy Cool" on the album due to the political context of the song.
The track
The single was backed with "Plantation Boy" in all territories.[2] In Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, the UK and Turkey, the singles featured the B-side fading 20 seconds earlier than the album version.