Boney M - Belfast

"Belfast" is the second single off 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 although it wasn't as successful in the UK as previous singles (it peaked at #8). 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).

The Song

Penned by Drafi Deutscher and originally entitled "Londonderry", "Belfast" had been written for Marcia Barrett from her time as a solo artist in the early 1970s. Due to shortage of own material when Boney M. did their first live gigs, Marcia Barrett performed the song which had been a popular live track for her and thereby gave Farian the idea to record it. Due to its rockier feel and political lyrics ("when the hate you have for one another's past"), Farian however wasn't intending to use it for Boney M. in the first place, and instead had his other artist Gilla record a version of it in German which was released on her album Zieh mich aus, December 1976. A German test pressing of Love for Sale excludes the track and indicates that it was only added to the album in the last hour due to Marcia Barrett's insistence. In the US and Canada, the song was never released and was replaced by "Daddy Cool" on the album.