To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bronski Beat’s iconic single ‘Smalltown Boy,’ London Records has released a special rework of the track. Originally released on May 25, 1984, ‘Smalltown Boy’ peaked at number three on the UK singles chart and enjoyed widespread success across Europe.
The song, performed by frontman Jimmy Somerville, tells the poignant story of a gay teenager leaving his small, narrow-minded community for the big city, and has since become an anthem for queer liberation.
Crafted by London-based DJ and producer ABSOLUTE. (Ant McGinley), known for his reimaginations of tracks like Kylie Minogue’s ‘Padam Padam’ the rework is already a hit with fans.
“ABSOLUTE. has kept a strong essence of the period and the song, I was transported back to our first times writing – banging on a Pro One and a Moog – and realizing I never had to walk around vocally imitating a sequence ever again!”
Jimmy Somerville.
McGinley expressed his emotional connection to the project: “When I got asked to rework ‘Smalltown Boy,’ I was literally just screaming. And when I started work on it, it was such an emotional experience. I was welling up while I was making it, which is so rare for me. This made me know just how special the track is.”
He added: “I imagined playing the track as my closing number at Drumsheds for False Idols, as well as DJing at Panorama Bar at 10am on a Sunday morning, with the sun coming up through the shutters and feeling pure, euphoric joy.”
To mark this milestone, London Records is also reissuing ‘Smalltown Boy’ in several physical formats, including a numbered, colored 7-inch, a transparent CD single, a music box edition, and a new range of ‘Smalltown Boy’ T-shirts. Available here: https://bronskibeat.tmstor.es/
Bronski Beat is also known for songs such as ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’ and ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So.’
“Smalltown Boy” is characterized by its “ominous” discordant notes, an “electro-pop pulse,” and falsetto vocals. The lyrics portray a young gay man who faces bullying and decides to leave home. David Gould of the Financial Times noted that the song combines the hi-NRG tempo typical of 1980s gay clubs with “plaintive” lyrics.
Larry Steinbachek, a member of Bronski Beat, revealed that “Smalltown Boy” originated from an attempt to cover the 1977 Sex Pistols song “Pretty Vacant” using an octave pattern sequenced on a Roland MC-202 synthesizer.
The original music video for “Smalltown Boy” was directed by Bernard Rose, who also directed the video for “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Rose mentioned that Bronski Beat felt “Relax” was too mainstream and upbeat and wanted their video to convey a more serious message. The Independent described the “Smalltown Boy” video as “stark” and “grounded.”
In the video, Jimmy Somerville’s character is the victim of a homophobic attack and is subsequently rejected by his parents. He leaves home and takes a train to London, accompanied by the other members of Bronski Beat. Rose stated that the video depicted a common experience for gay individuals and that Bronski Beat aimed to highlight the issue of homophobia.
Spin magazine described “Smalltown Boy” as a poignant pop song that transforms a young man’s painful memories of being driven away from home, alienated from his family, and persecuted by his peers into a “sweetly moving” piece. The single reached number three in the UK and topped the charts in the Netherlands and Belgium. It also entered the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and West Germany, reached number 48 on the US pop chart, and became a number one US dance hit. Following this success, Bronski Beat released their debut album, The Age of Consent.
In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked “Smalltown Boy” as the 163rd greatest dance song of all time. Time Out placed it at number 12 on their list of the “50 Best Gay Songs to Celebrate Pride All Year Long in 2022,” praising how it “takes the pain of rejection and makes it danceable.” Laura Snapes, in her review of the reissued The Age of Consent for Pitchfork in 2017, described “Smalltown Boy” as a “perfect song” that is “nimble and crushing, forlorn and relieved, frail yet determined.” Jimmy Somerville has admitted that he was embarrassed by the song for many years, feeling that his lyrics were inferior.
Listen to more Bronski Beat here: https://amzn.to/3xEIxqN
Leave a Reply