Frogtoon Music

Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat

Artist Biography For Bronski Beat

Bronski Beat Was A Very Popular Scottish Synth Pop Trio Of The 1980s.

At Their Height The Band Comprised Distinctive And Diminutive Scottish Singer Jimmy Somerville Backed By Fellow Scot Steve Bronski And Londoner Larry Steinbacheck Both Of Whom Played Keyboards And Percussion.

Formed In 1983 Their Debut Hit Came The Following Year - The Striking Tale Of A Boy Who Was Cast Away By His Family And Neighbours For Being Gay. Called Smalltown Boy It Peaked At Number 3 In The UK And Was Accompanied By A Memorable Video Of Somerville Leaving Home Forlornly Eating An Apple On A Train Being Attacked By A Homophobic Gang And Being Returned To His Family By The Police.

The Song Quickly Established The Trio As An Outlet For Gay Issues – All Three Members Were Homosexual – And The Follow-Up Single Why? Pursued The Same Energetic And Electronic Formula Musically While The Lyrics Focussed More Centrally And Darkly On Anti-Gay Prejudice. Again It Made The Top 10 In The UK.

At The End Of 1984 The Trio Released An Album Which Was Provocatively Titled The Age Of Consent. The Sleeve Inside Listed The Varying Ages Of Consent For Homosexual Sex In Different Nations Around The World. At The Time The Age Of Consent For Gay Men In The UK Was 21.

A Third Single Was Released From It Again Causing Controversy. It Ain't Necessarily So The George And Ira Gershwin Classic From Porgy And Bess Which Questions The Authenticity Of Biblical Tales Reached The UK Top 20. Playing The Clarinet Solos In The Song Was Richard Coles With Whom Somerville Would Later Team Up To Form The Communards.

In 1985 The Trio Joined Up With Marc Almond To Record A Version Of The Donna Summer Classic I Feel Love. The Full Version Was Actually A Medley Also Incorporating Snippets Of "Love To Love You Baby" And "Johnny Remember Me." It Reached Number 3 In The UK Charts Equaling The Feats Of "Smalltown Boy " And Was Memorably Described By One Critic As "the Gayest Record Ever Made".

Following The Remix Album Hundreds & Thousands Somerville Quit The Band Stating He Wanted A Career Which Was "more Political". Presumably This Related To Internal Politics Rather Than The Lyrical Direction Of The Band As His New Project Relied Almost Entirely On Unpolitical Songs And Cover Versions – And They Were A Huge Success In Doing So. He Teamed Up With Coles To Form The Communards And In 1986 Outsold All Other Singles In The UK With Their Version Of Don't Leave Me This Way.

Bronski Beat Recruited John Foster As Somerville's Replacement. A Very Catchy Single Called Hit That Perfect Beat Managed To Equal The Two Previous Biggest Hits By Reaching Number 3 In The UK Charts. In 1986 They Released Their Second Album Truthdare Doubledare.

In 1989 Jonathan Hellyer Became Lead Singer And The Band Extensively Toured The U.S. And Had One Minor Hit With The Song Cha Cha Heels A One-Off Collaboration Sung By American Actress And Singer Eartha Kitt.

Bronski Beat Released Their Third And Final Album Rainbow Nation In 1995. They Split That Year.

The Songs "Smalltown Boy" And "Why" Were Sampled By Producers Steve Angello And Axwell Under The Moniker Supermode Originally Supermongo For Their Song "Tell Me Why". "Tell Me Why" Peaked At #13 On The UK Singles Chart.

In 2018 London Records Issued A Remastered And Expanded 2CD Edition Of Their Debut The Age Of Consent. Remastered From The Original 1984 Analogue Tapes It Includes Demos BBC Sessions Remixes And Unreleased Tracks. . User-Contributed Text Is Available Under The Creative Commons By-SA License Additional Terms May Apply.

Frogtoon Music - Song Info: Smalltown Boy

"Smalltown Boy" Is The Debut Single By British Synth-Pop Band Bronski Beat Released In May 1984. It Is From Their Debut Album The Age Of Consent Released In December 1984. The Song Was A Big Commercial Success Reaching Number 3 In The Band's Native UK. It Was Also A Number One Hit In The Netherlands And Belgium And Hit The Top 10 In Australia Canada France Ireland Italy Switzerland And West Germany. The Track Reached Number 48 In The US Pop Chart And Was A Number One US Dance Hit. A Remix Of The Song By Stephen Hague Was Released As A Single On 24 December 1990. The Song Was Released Again In December 2013 After Featuring In A Christmas Advertising Campaign For Boots UK. "Smalltown Boy" Was Also Re-Recorded By Jimmy Somerville And Released As "Smalltown Boy Reprise" 2014 For The 30th Anniversary Of Its Initial Release. An Official Music Video Made By Bernard Rose Was Shot And Released Later In 1984. The Narrative Video Features Band Member Jimmy Somerville As The Boy Who Has Experienced The Issues Described In The Lyrics. Seen On A Train He Is Contemplating His Childhood Through Flashbacks And The Events That Have Caused Him To Leave His Parents' Home. At A Swimming Pool His Friends Played By Band Members Larry Steinbachek And Steve Bronski Dare Him To Approach A Boy That He Is Attracted To For Which He Is Later Attacked In An Alley By An Anti-Homosexual Gang Led By The Young Man He Had Approached At The Swimming Pool. A Police Officer Takes Him Back To His Home. It Is Implied That The Boy's Parents Learn Of His Homosexuality For The First Time Through This Incident And Are Shocked But Only The Father Seems Unsupportive. The Boy Is Then Shown Hugging His Mother Goodbye And Getting Some Travel Money From The Father. The Boy Reaches His Hand Out To Shake His Father's But His Father Does Not Return It. After The Boy Catches A Train To London On Which He Is Reunited With His Friends. Time Out Ranked "Smalltown Boy" Number 12 In Their List Of The 50 Best Gay Songs To Celebrate Pride All Year Long In 2022. They Added By Incorporating Unapologetic LGBTQ Themes Into Their Sleek Synth-Pop Hits Bronski Beat Were True Pioneers – And This 1984 Classic Is Their Most Transcendent Moment. Frontman Jimmy Somerville In A Sensitive Falsetto Sings About A Lad Who Flees Hometown Bullying — 'Run Away Turn Away' Is The Recurring Refrain — Against A Steady Reassuringly Numb Background Of Rhythm And Synthesiser. This Song Takes The Pain Of Rejection And Makes It Danceable. "Smalltown Boy" Peaked At #1 On The U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart In The Winter Of 1985.

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