About the band: Simple Minds are a British rock band formed in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for their 1985 hit Don't You (Forget About Me), from the soundtrack of the film The Breakfast Club. So far they have released 19 studio albums. Simple Minds currently have one song in my list of about 200 best pop/rock songs of all time.
About the song: Belfast child is an impressive rock ballad from the 1989 album Street fighting years. Based on the old Irish folksong She moved through the fair, recorded for instance by Loreena McKennit, this is one of a number of classics inspired by the tragic situation in Northern Ireland ("and the war is raging in this Emerald isle"). It does end on a more hopeful note though ("The streets are empty, life goes on - One day we'll return here, when the Belfast Child sings again"). Run time 6:41.
