Coulter, a nationalist, drew on both his own experience and that of his father (a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary) to create a more nuanced lament for Derry, although he added that extreme unionists initially dismissed it as a "rebel song." The Town I Loved So Well was written against a backdrop of the Troubles in Derry, and released in 1973 on The Dubliners Plain and Simple album, which Coulter produced. Kelly had encouraged Coulter to contribute his opinions to the Irish conflict, but although his first attempt, Free the People, was successful in Ireland, Coulter felt it had too much sloganeering. While Phil Coulter had written several Top 10 pop songs in the late 1960s (including Eurovision entries Puppet on a String and Congratulations), collaborations as a producer with The Dubliners and Luke Kelly, led to him writing a number of folk songs with more "grown-up" themes including those with a political aspect. Stuart Bailie has described the song as one of the few "nuanced" songs during the Troubles that both Unionists and Republicans could sing. The final verse includes a message of hope for a "bright, brand new day", saying "They will not forget but their hearts are set / on tomorrow and peace once again". The first three verses are about the simple lifestyle he grew up with in Derry, while the final two deal with the Troubles, and lament how his placid hometown had become a major military outpost, plagued with violence. "The Town I Loved So Well" is a song written by Phil Coulter about his childhood in Derry, Northern Ireland. Problems playing this file? See media help.
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