Cornerstone_(Austrian_Band)

Smalltown Boy

Smalltown Boy

1984 single by Bronski Beat

This article is about the Bronski Beat song. For the Dustin Lynch song, see Small Town Boy (song). For other uses, see Small Town Boy (disambiguation).

"Smalltown Boy" is the debut single by the British synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released in May 1984. The lyrics describe a young gay man who is forced to leave home.

Quick Facts Single by Bronski Beat, from the album The Age of Consent ...

"Smalltown Boy" reached number three in the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium, and the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and West Germany. It reached number 48 in the US pop chart and was a number-one US dance hit.

"Smalltown Boy" was included on the debut Bronski Beat album, The Age of Consent (1984). A remix by Stephen Hague was released on 24 December 1990. The Bronski Beat singer, Jimmy Somerville, released a new version, "Smalltown Boy Reprise" (2014), for its 30th anniversary.

Composition

"Smalltown Boy" features "ominous" discordant notes, an "electro-pop pulse", and falsetto vocals.[7] The lyrics describe a young gay man who is bullied and decides to leave home.[7] In the Financial Times, David Gould wrote that it combines the hi-NRG tempo of 1980s gay clubs with "plaintive" lyrics.[7]

According to the Bronski Beat member Larry Steinbachek, "Smalltown Boy" emerged from an attempt to cover the 1977 Sex Pistols song "Pretty Vacant" using an octave pattern sequenced on a Roland MC-202 synthesiser.[8]

Music video

The "Smalltown Boy" music video was directed by Bernard Rose, who directed the video for "Relax", by another openly gay band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the previous year.[9] Rose said Bronski Beat felt "Relax" was too mainstream and upbeat, and wanted to convey a more serious message.[9]

The Independent described the "Smalltown Boy" video as "stark" and "grounded".[10] In the video, Somerville is the victim of a homophobic attack and is rejected by his parents. He leaves home and takes a train to London, joined by the other members of Bronski Beat.[10] Rose said the video depicted a common experience for gay people and that Bronski Beat wanted to draw attention to homophobia.[9]

Reception

Spin said "Smalltown Boy" "fashioned a young man's bitter memories of being driven away from home, alienated from his family, and persecuted by his friends, into a sweetly moving pop song".[11]

"Smalltown Boy" reached number three in the UK and[12] number one in the Netherlands and Belgium.[13][14] It reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and West Germany. It reached number 48 in the US pop chart and was a number one US dance hit.[15] After the success, Bronski Beat released their debut album, The Age of Consent.[7]

A remix by Stephen Hague was released on 24 December 1990.[16] Jimmy Somerville, released a new version, "Smalltown Boy Reprise" (2014), for its 30th anniversary.[17]

Legacy

In 2022, Rolling Stone named "Smalltown Boy" the 163rd-greatest dance song.[18] Time Out ranked it number 12 in their list of the "50 Best Gay Songs to Celebrate Pride All Year Long in 2022", writing that it "takes the pain of rejection and makes it danceable".[19] Reviewing the Age of Consent reissue for Pitchfork in 2017, Laura Snapes wrote that "'Smalltown Boy' remains a perfect song. It is nimble and crushing, forlorn and relieved, frail yet determined."[20] Somerville said he was embarrassed by the song for many years, as he felt his lyrics were inferior.[21]

Track listing

Personnel

Credits sourced from Electronic Soundmaker and Sound on Sound.[8][22]

Charts

Weekly charts

More information Chart (1984–1985), Peak position ...
More information Chart (1984), Position ...

Sales and certifications

More information Region, Certification ...

Sampling and interpolations

See also

References

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    "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 19 May 1984. p. 14. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
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    Vivinetto, Gina (9 March 2015). "Pop Icon Jimmy Somerville: A Career Overview". The Advocate. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
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    MarkWilson (18 May 2011). "Emilie Simon Releases "Smalltown Boy"". AltSounds. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  4. [4]
    Walters, Barry (20 June 2000). "His beat goes on". The Advocate. p. 115. ISSN 0001-8996. As Bronski Beat's falsetto leader, Somerville made gay politics a hot pop topic with such hi-NRG dance floor staples as "Why?" and "Smalltown Boy"
  5. [5]
    Adam Block (9 December 1986). "A Clarion Call from England's Communards: Syl's New "Attraction"" (PDF). The Advocate. Retrieved 23 December 2022. The trio had met as friends and performed as a hoot, but their first single, "Smalltown Boy" (an autobiographical tale of a gay youth fleeing homophobia for the tolerance of the big city), became a Hi-NRG disco fave on both sides of the Atlantic.
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