"Smalltown Boy", Bronski Beat & Being Openly Gay in Eighties Pop | New British Canon
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- čas přidán 23. 06. 2024
- 1984 was a particularly flamboyant year for British Pop. “Relax” overcame its radio ban to spend five weeks at UK number one. George Michael alluded to his future solo aspirations with “Careless Whisper.” Pete Burns’ Dead Or Alive proved the combination of Hi NRG and Stock Aitken Waterman equalled chart-success. And Freddie Mercury dressed in drag for the “I Want to Break Free” video. But aside from the two core members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, most of these men were living some kind of closeted existence.
However, also debuting in 1984 were Bronski Beat. Fronted by Jimmy Somerville, a Scottish socialist with the voice of a disco diva packed within his buzz cut 5 foot 4 frame, they were three openly gay men writing honestly about their lives. Their melancholic debut single is a synth-pop escape, from a smalltown and its small minds, with its destination simply being somewhere better, both for themselves and LGBTQ+ Pop. This is New British Canon and This is the Story of “Smalltown Boy”.
#Smalltownboy #bronskibeat #MusicDocumentary
Fact-checking by Chad Van Wagner.
00:00 Introduction
01:28 Jimmy Somerville & The Start of Bronski Beat
08:29 Creating "Smalltown Boy"
17:05 "Why?" & The Age of Consent
23:06 The Split, The Communards & Enduring Legacy
Soundtrack
Luar - Citrine ( / luarbeats )
Jesse Gallagher - The Golden Present
Luar - Anchor ( / luarbeats )
Pride, Pop and Politics by Darryl W Bullock, 2022, Omnibus
Sweet Dreams: The Story of the New Romantics by Dylan Jones, 2020, Faber
The Age of Consent - Liner Notes by Paul Flynn, Mike Thorne & Jimmy Somerville, 2018, London Records
“Jimmy Somerville (Bronski Beat) - Smalltown Boy | The story behind the song” Top 2000 a gogo, Mar 2018
“Heart of the Beat” Adrian Jones, No 1 Magazine, Jun 1984
“Runaway Boys: Bronski Beat” Dave Rimmer, Smash Hits, Jun 1984
“Bronski Beat: Dark Side of the Beat” Helen Fitzgerald, Melody Maker, Sep 1984
“Jimmy The Mover” Andy Hughes, No 1 Magazine, Sep 1984
“Beat the Sex Rap” Sunie, No 1 Magazine, Oct 1984
“The Age of Consent - Review” Biba Kopf, NME, Oct 1984
“Bronski Beat: Bronski Beefs” Paolo Hewitt, NME, Nov 1984
“Consenting Adults” Tony Reed, Electronic Soundmaker & Computer Music, Dec 1984
“It Ain’t Necessarily So” Karen Swayne, No 1 Magazine, Jan 1985
“What is Bronski Beat?” Barney Hoskyns, Spin Magazine, May 1985
“AUDIO: Bronski Beat (1985)” Barney Hoskyns, Rocksbackpages, Spr 1985
“Jimmy Somerville: The Age of Dissent” Paolo Hewitt, NME, May 1985
“The Communards: Turning Pink into Red” Paul Mathur, Blitz, Oct 1985
“His Beat Goes On” Barry Walters, The Advocate, Jun 2000
“20 most fabulous“ Jimmy Somerville, The Guardian, Nov 2006
“Jimmy Somerville: 'Jesus Christ! Alan Shearer - what a little sex bomb!'” Adrian Deevoy, The Guardian, Jul 2014
“Jimmy Somerville Reveals What Inspired His New Disco Album, Why He Terrified Boy George And The Impact Of “Smalltown Boy”” Jeremy Kinser, Queerty, Oct 2014
“Jimmy Somerville interview: 'I wanted people to love me'” Laura Martin, The Independent, Feb 2015
“How Bronski Beat’s Jimmy Somerville Survived the ’80s” Max Dax, Electronic Beats, Mar 2015
“Homage Not Fromage: Jimmy Somerville Interview” John Freeman, The Quietus, Mar 2015
“Marc Almond: 'I hate the LGBT thing. There's no gay community anymore'” Brian Beacom, Scotland Herald, Oct 2017
“The Age of Consent - Review” Laura Snapes, Pitchfork, Nov 2017
“Back in bloom: how queer male pop reclaimed its star status” Brian O'Flynn, The Guardian, Oct 2018
“When Disco Entered Politics” Steve Erickson, Gay City News, Oct 2018
“The Godfathers of Pop: Steve Bronski interview” David Burke, Classic Pop, Mar 2019
“How '80s LGBTQ band Bronski Beat’s haunting ‘Smalltown Boy’ made a difference: ‘It was very bold’” Lyndsey Parker, Yahoo! Music, Jun 2019
“Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat’s 1984 hit was a heartfelt cry for liberation” Paul David Gould, Financial Times, Sep 2019
“‘Run away, turn away’: The story of Bronski Beat’s Smalltown Boy” Kevin E G Perry, The Independent, Dec 2021
“Finding Our Way: Kate Wildblood on the powerful influence of Bronski Beat” Kate Wildblood, M Magazine, Feb 2022
“Interview: Jimmy Somerville, 'Even Cheesy Disco Songs Have Great Messages'” Fiona Shepherd, The List, Mar 2022
“‘I was decadent, I was stupid, I was a fool’: the dark days of Donna Summer” Daniel Dylan Wray, The Guardian, Apr 2023
“The Year Pop Came Out” Mark Lindores, Classic Pop, 2023
“Classic Album: The Age of Consent” Mark Lindores, Classic Pop, 2023
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Every now and then I get people asking for a playlist of every song mentioned in my videos: Well here's a Spotify link for this one:
open.spotify.com/playlist/6bnp580X0X5KxpvMu8q78Q?si=ae6f13c0399c4f13
and the CZcams Music one:
music.czcams.com/play/PLooaZ33lSaledRpp5eiPVaVdgsVr-zDcE.html&si=GjljNZSzCCmwIjtm
Very detailed video! Good job 👏🏾
I literally went to the laptop from to manually create this playlist. I already had Spotify open and named the list as 'WHY ARE U GAE' when I saw the comment. I am not worthy LOL.
Everyone is a gangsta until Smalltown Boy comes on in the club.
Nice one...😅😅
hahah and A Little Respect by Erasure!!
I'm not. I'm never gangsta.
@@tonyttt31 you miss it baby ❤
I will cry real tears and continue dancing everytime it comes on. I own it on vinyl
I was watching this and suddenly became startled when you quoted my review of THE AGE OF CONSENT from Gay City News. Thanks so much! It's really gratifying.
It is us who should be more grateful to You.
I saw this video in 84 when I was 14 years old and living outside of Philadelphia.
I remember sitting in front of the tv with tears streaming down my face.
40 years later it can still bring tears to my eyes.
Me, too. Oof!
Same.
Brother.
Same, I "Knew" what it was about, even at that young age, never forgave my Dad for taking the P*** out of a Pet Shop Boys video, too
Great video.
On the morning I left rural Pennsylvania home in 1984 at the tender age of 19, I wrote the lyrics to Smalltown Boy in a letter I left for my father. I set it on a little recessed shelf next to my parent's bed where my dad kept my deceased mother's photo, and the only crucifix in our home. Strangely enough, I took a bus to Cleveland, Ohio that morning with only a small black suitcase in hand.
The opened letter remained on that shelf for the rest of his life.
Wow what a story, I hope you went on to have a happy life living in truth.
@@LeHosko Agreed, and being from rural PA myself, I know how closed minded it is there. Everyone deserves to live life on their own terms and unfucked with.
@@LeHosko Happily married two years ago to my love of twenty years and living our best life in a beautiful old mill loft near Providence, RI.
A real father never abandons his son. Happy for you both.
@@kamen899, I sometimes wish I was gay. Because being a man with Autism turns the game of love into an ass kicking contest where you are the 1-legged man.
Jimmy Somerville truly had a brass pair to do what he did in the 80s, he had BALLS like no other. In America the first openly gay star was Jobriath who dropped in 1973, a fantastic performer who's been largely forgotten. I have a ton of respect and admiration for both of them.
This is not hyperbole. You are SO right. I remember hearing the opening line of Why for the first time, “contempt in your eyes as i turn to kiss his lips”, and was stunned. I got emotional. There was Sylvester, but that was really it. I was just walking around early today listening to “Why” on repeat and I still get choked up. That song, and Bronski Beat, in general, really let me know I wasn’t alone.
My big brother was telling me about Jobriath recently, and I'd never heard of him. He was incredibly talented, a real pioneer. Really sad how things ended for him.
@@Spudcore Yes, absolutely. Jobriath reinvented himself as a cabaret singer, then died of AIDS around the time i was born.
As a gay teen in the 1980’s the arrival of Jimmy Somerville on the music scene was a godsend to me. Like you said, up until that time there wasn’t an openly in your face gay music artist out there. The fact he was so unapologetic about it made it so much more meaningful
@@kalnfornia Amen, he gave people a lot of strength. That's what's up!
Jimi Somerville and Bronski Beat did not only affect the gay community. I was a teen when the song came out, I was actually only just learning that there even was such a thing as homosexuality. While I myself have only ever fancied girls and women, seeing the video to "Smalltown Boy" touched me. I sympathized with Jimi's character and I decided to never be like the people in the video who turned away from him or were violent. These days you would say I decided to become an ally and not take part in homophobia. I wouldn't have known those words back then, but I lived my life by it, treating gay friends like I would straight ones. I am happy for the contributions those friendships are giving my life. It may that I would have turned out like that without that song, but as it was, I believe I was experiencing it as a huge influence on how I have lived and am living my life.
Fantastic episode this. I'm a 54-yr-old straight man, married, with two daughters, one gay. When this song came out I was 14 (in South Africa). and it had a huge impact me regarding how I viewed/ understood the gay community. The last line of this is spot on. The song is universal. 'Human' indeed.
Oh, and this is the one that got me to hit subscribe finally.
Yeah, same. I was around 9 when this came out and I guess it was my first realization of the existence of homosexuality. This just touched my heart and gave me so much empathy and understanding from early on.
Mooi man.
Don’t forget about Andy Bell from erasure. He was out from day one, check out ‘hide away’ and ‘sexuality’ on the circus album.
"Chains of Love" is about Clause 28.
I'm 50, born in 1974, & loved music from the year dot so to speak. I was bullied throughout school, so related hard to Smalltown Boy, living as I did in a small town in Scotland. Jimmy is one of many reasons I'm proud to be a Scot. His music was part of my childhood & teen years
Another '74 here. 50 eh? Thats a milestone. Down in Brum i can't say i was ever a fan (and still not really) but i can't deny the dudes voice is just an instant dose of being young again. All the gay stuff was over my head, i didnt know what it meant. At the time we (as in the kids in my class) where all just scared of catching AIDS from toilet seats and just being horrible to each other. "Gay" was just the one size fits all insult to hurl at anyone, but i didnt actually know what it was or meant. I was quietly a Whitesnake and Def Leapard fan.
Come to think of it, its wierd that i got more mocked for my love of '80s hair metal (when people found out) than my mates did when they were talking about their love of Pet Shop Boys and all the others mentioned in the video.
The '80s were a odd time. Maybe i missed it, but did the video even mention AIDs and what a massive deal that was back then?
@@jamesmaybrick2001 I was more "in the know" about how the virus spread, which didn't help my fear of injections much. A cruel prank of the time was to jab everybody with the sharp pins of Remembrance poppies, & I got jabbed multiple times
@@elaineb7065 They did that up North of the Border to? Us kids were utterly awful. I remember that thumtacks were the weapon of choice. Little Aids filled landmines on our chairs and for the really devious inder the lip of the desktops that opened. I remember my barber slightly cut my ear once and i didnt sleep for a week. If it wasn't fear of AIDs there was the constant threat of the IRA killing us andf school bomb drills to remind us. As Birmingham born and Bred, in the '80s that wasn't just a theoretical worry. we all knew and walked past the pubs that got blown up quite often. Its a wonder we are well balanced as we are (assuming we are).
Still, we also had Zammo chasing the Dragon and showing all exactly how to smoke Heroin. I wouldnt have a clue wihout Grange Hill, lol.
The one that always hit me was “It’s a Sin” by The Pet Shop Boys. It was obvious that it was about The Catholic Church’s view of being gay.
Straight guy here to say IT'S A SIN is a banger.
@@jaredbaratta8589 You're so right!
Funny that you uploaded this video today because Jimmy just posted a video on his Instagram singing Small town boy celebrating the 40th anniversary.
I bet Jimmy must be proud of Smalltown Boy’s legacy…see Orville Peck’s treatment of said song.
They should do a duet
@@iwasanangryyoungman I'm going to see Debbii Dawson (from America's Got Talent) tomorrow evening. 😍 She's opening for Orville Peck, so I'm studying up on his discography, including that cover of a beloved song. 🎶❤️
23:07 they made a movie about Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. It is called "Pride" and it is very moving and inspiring, a great watch!
Back then, I remember holding my Walkman against my ears and curling up as I was being beaten and kicked on the ground. A Little Respect by Erasure was playing and I disappeared into the music.
These were more than music back then. The songs from Jimmy and Erasure became sanctuaries; sacred sonic spaces to disappear into. Even now, decades later, these bring tears to my eyes as I fall into those same spaces and am transported away.
Wouldn’t be here with Jimmy, Andy and Vince. Thanks for a brilliant documentary.
Violence against the queer community was so commonplace back then, myself and every single one of my friends got battered at some point, it was pretty much a weekly occurrence. The rage is still in my blood.
These Summerville songs are part of my education about what homosexuality really was. 14-year-old straight white me kinda knew in theory what it meant, but only on a "technical" level. Together with My Beautiful Laundrette this was an education into showing that it isn't all about weird headgear and over-the-top "ooh Matron"... it is about people loving each other.
100% same. ❤
I really loved "My Beautifull Launerette" as a teenage girl.
As a kid growing up in the eighties with this and other gay and queer pop music it couldn't help but have an impact. It made being gay a normal thing, if so many pop stars were gay or rumoured to be gay, not something that you should be ashamed of. Whether or not they were out or not didn't really matter. We already knew that George Michael or Marc Almond were gay anyway.
Ironically of the bands mentioned in the video, the Bronski Beat for all their normalcy looks the most stereotypical early eighties gay now: the jeans, the checkered shirts, doc martens and cropped hair all scream gay.
well, I think it did - their not being out gave you a sense that it was wrong and should not be mentioned - that's why somerville was a saviour (for me also DAF were)
@@babi68 yes its why when Madonna started getting more vocal about the gay men and the aids and wearing condoms, that is was awesome. Before that you, you got the wink sometimes - but Madonna would point right at you and scream "he look, one my gay fans, aren't they amazing!" and then she did what she did for Truth or Dare/In Bed With Madonna.
I heard a good saying about George Micheal [Faith era] "So 'Straight' - he's GAY" like, it's such a put on, costume
That slur you use, why are you using it if you grew up when it was thrown around as an insult to gay people? It also has political connotations that has nothing to do with gay people, New Discourses just posted a video about it.
@@lainiwakura1776 Neither queer nor gay is a slur. HTH.
Smalltown Boy is a truly heart-wrenching song. It tells a story that anyone who's ever felt like an outsider can relate to, regardless of sexuality. And it manages this, while also being an absolute banger. That's a pretty amazing feat in my opinion. Bronski Beat was only ever Bronski Beat while Jimmy Sommerville was the heart and soul of the band.
being a mere outsider is in no WAY being the same as gay. no way.
@@bsquared4604 How dare Rebecca _"relate"_ to a song that wasn't explicitly written for her! */s* 🙄
The song is about the gay experience as Jimmy felt it, but the song’s ability to connect with people outside that demographic was vitally important to its success. It’s damn catchy as a piece of music, even people who can’t speak English can love it on that level.
A big pop act cannot sustain itself longterm on the pink £ alone, it needs the mass support of straight women to sell out venues / tours. Ask any promoter of arena shows in the last four decades for Kylie or Madonna or Steps or Britney etc etc act basically any big act associated with having a gay fan base
Even if I'm not into the band you are covering, your docs are so well done I watch them all.
I’m a heterosexual, 45 year old man.
Whenever I hear smalltown boy, I cannot help but be transported into the mind of someone who is being suppressed by society from being themselves. The video for the song is also magnificent.
You asked which is my fave lgbtq+ song from the 1980s? It’s smalltown boy. But truly, it’s probably my favourite song of the 80s full stop. It’s more than a song.
What they did made an enormous impact way beyond the music. Many, many people should be thankful for what Jimmy did.
We Scots have a saying, we are all Jock Thomson's bairns, meaning we are all God's Children. Now, I am not religious in any way but I do appreciate the sentiment that, no matter our race, gender, or sexuality, we are all equal. And that we should respect one another as equals.
@@jackdubz4247 Empty platitudes, and their music was better when they were suppressed.
I am straight but love to dance and was 16 in 1980. Jimmy and Small town boy made such an impression.I realised the meaning of the video and always brought a tear. Sylvester, again another person who changed the world. The 80s music and the guys who were out and proud helped shape opinions too. Xxx
I think most of us gay guys who were around in that period also miss it. There was such camaraderie between us and a real sense of community, despite a horrendous plague and laws against us. Gay culture was really blossoming.
It was the best. You had an instant family in big cities and even smaller towns where there would be one bar for gays, lesbians and friendly straights who loved the vibe.
Bronski Beat and Marc Almond singing "I Feel Love" at Montreaux 1985 is one of the best live pop performances ever committed to video and it makes me wish I was there. Jimmy Somerville is one of the all-time most distinct and greatest voices in UK pop, and committed to his principles harder than a lot of punks do to theirs.
I am a simple man, I see a new Trash Theory video so I like and watch.
I'm not gay but this song hits so hard. It speaks to all those who don't fit in and it always reminds me of those who lived this and didn't/don't get to make it this far. I can't avoid the tears either. Thanks for putting this together.
I only came to appreciate 80's music in my mid-thirties, with a few exceptions.
Listening to a compilation of songs from that decade, Small Town Boy came along and hit me like a train, making me burst into tears by both the music and the lyrics.
Thank you for this insightful documentary on these great musicians.
Jimmy Somerville is one of the most amazing singers I have ever seen live. 👍
You have a wonderful talent for threading stories together and keeping them interesting and entertaining. This is another fantastic doc!! Thank you...I hope you keep them coming!! Much respect.
Thank you for making this tribute! "Smalltown Boy" was part of my own gay coming out to myself, growing up as a nerdy boy in countryside Germany in the late 90s / early naughties. ❤
I'm so glad this song has yet another resurgence thanks to social media. The power of music is intergenerational, and our world is far from healed. There's a reason Smalltown Boy speaks to so many people.
Small Town Boy is absolutely one of my favourite singles of all time - 12" extended version for the full experience. Great video as ever :-)
Wow! Thanks so much for this video. I'm a 47 y/o gay Texan and I DID NOT KNOW ANY OF THIS!
I have to go back and listen to this entire discography now.
Ever heard of Romanovsky & Phillips? Go check them out.
@@sebzematikWhy exactly are you recommending this?
@@Eon-Nova They've dealt with being gay in the early 80s as well. And they're fun!
It's good to see this song and group get their flowers. Bronski Beat was a true original. Jimmy Somerville has a sincerity it's hard to match, and his countertenor voice is exquisite and impeccable. Smalltown Boy speaks right from the heart to the heart, especially to those who have experienced being ostracized. Every time I hear that opening wail, I feel it like it came from my own soul.
I cannot overstate the importance this song has for me. In 1984, at the age of 17, I finally began to come out as a gay man, at least to myself (it would take me another couple of years until I had worked up the nerves to come out to my parents). It was another time back then, with no internet and next to no information about homosexuality, and no prominent people being officially out. I felt very desperate and alone for a very long time, so this song of course hit a raw nerve. I also cannot overstate how much Bronski Beat helped me stay afloat during these times. Jimmy Somerville will forever be my personal hero, especially because he used his fame for much needed visibility and policital activism.
You must be mistaken! You could've have possibly connected with this as a young gay man. This is revisionist history. /s 🤦🏽♀️
I'm so glad you had that song when you needed it ❤ To feel so alone and unsupported... I can't imagine it. It's a great reminder of how important music is in our lives. It's there for us when we have no one else.
Beautiful tribute to an utter classic
"Hit That Perfect Beat" and "Don't Leave Me This Way" were such an important part of my baby gay days, when I finally started going out to clubs on my own; I had to hit the floor any time one of these came on. The 13-minute Gotham City Remix of "Don't Leave Me This Way" is probably my favorite extended dance remix ever.
Yes! Mine too! Especially when the violins start...
There were many artists that helped a queer kid in Salt Lake City in the 80's. I was lucky to find a tribe of like minded people in a few dance clubs. Bronski Beat and the Communards were part of that soundtrack. I read the liner notes to Age of Concent over and over and the words were my life.
Australian straight guy here. I'll never forget seeing the film clip for 'Smalltown Boy' for the first time and thought it was like a powerful mini-feature film, not to mention how great the lyrics are in this song. It's such a masterpiece of pop -- I'm sure that it gave a lot of strength and confidence to a lot of people to be themselves, so for that, it's an even more of a classic. I still have my original 12" vinyl single.
Having said that, I can't stand Jimmy Somerville's voice beyond this song. That's just me though.
Compelling message and haunting melody - but yes that comical Mickey Mouse falsetto of his kind of ruins it a little bit. Imagine how powerful this song would have been if sung in his normal voice!
The keyboards are really evocative for me. It's a great song, deservedly a classic piece of synthpop.
@@kenster8270 At least the vocal wasn't shamelessly modulated with oversaturated auto-tune. I realize this probably was not available at the time, but just imagine. I'm not usually very fond of falsetto, to be sure, but I can conceive other performing and production strategies which might sound objectively worse. Can you imagine the lead singer of Carcass providing his flensing shrieks to this song? That would own 🏴☠
Then I am reminded of a recorded performance of Ozzy Osborne singing a Bee Gees song, which I unironically enjoyed listening to. This was mildly surprising, so now it occurs to me that I may never know if I would not prefer 'Smalltown Boy' recorded with the full goregrind cadaver KOR suite of Jeff Walker et al. on vocals 🤔☣😷
Smalltown Boy spoke directly to its core audience of young gay men. But its timing came just at the right moment in the spring of 1984 when the gay underground went overground and into the charts. The hi-nrg sound had been building through bands like Lime and the Bobby O productions, and songs like Searchin’ by Hazell Dean had waited a year to get into the charts. The public were ready for it, and the genius of Smalltown Boy was its universal appeal, which has given it its timeless quality.
As a straight teenager in 1984 and a straight man now, this song spoke to me about how easy my life was and how unbelievably horrific life was for gay men. I've been an ally ever since. This song has remained one of my favourite songs of all time and one of my treasured 12" records of the time. It's a synth-pop masterpiece.
Meticulously researched as usual. Abba- Sex Pistols- Bronski Beat feels so satisfying to hear the thread of inspiration. Thank you for another great episode.
Thank you for your take on this part of my youth. In hindsight it’s still baffling to me that I felt so alone in those years while so many people all over the world had the same experiences. Most of the names you included in this take, I hold close to my heart, their music pulled me trough.
Edit: favourite song: do you wanna funk by sylvester
Thanks Jimmy. You’ve impacted so many lives over the years and don’t get enough credit for it. I keep hoping you will raise your heavenly voice again with powerful words that will help young outcasts like I was helped back when I arrived in London in 1984 as a wide eyed 19 years old ballet dancer.
I bumped into you, not knowing who you were, at the black cap one evening and later recognized you on television as the quiet guy sitting near me at the bar. I went back there a few times but instead of you, I was faced with none other than Lily Savage !!
I’m now approaching (fast) my 60th birthday and my memories are still intact. You’ve made our young lives so much easier!❤❤❤
This episode premiered on the EXACT 40th anniversary of the single release. Nice timing, TT.
Great video. You kind of undermined the message by saying at the end, “Smalltown Boy is great because it’s not gay, it’s universal.” Wasn’t the whole point of this whole video that Somerville, almost alone among his peers, was specifically gay?
Yeah. The song succeeds because it communicates so well, but the context was specific to ignore authorial intent is a dangerous kind of ignorance. “all lives matter”, eh, Mike?
@@010101110100 I don’t want to be too harsh, because the video is terrific. But I’m reminded of people saying to playwright/actor Harvey Fierstein about his play “Torchsong Trilogy,” “Oh, it’s not a gay play, it’s a universal play.” And he’d reply, “Um, no, it’s a gay play. I’m happy if you can find something in it that resonates with you, but it’s a gay play.” And he pointed out that queer people have had to look for themselves in straight plays forever. It’s time the straights had to do some work, too.
Loved his work in recent activism on HIV/AIDS and trans rights on the internet, even featuring in Oliver Sim's 'Hideous', his coming to terms with his diagnosis, Jimmy being some sort of angel on the shoulder at the end
This is one of the greatest songs of the eighties when the competition for greatness was immense. And this vid hits all the right notes. The only poor part was when some modern music was played in its awful dullness,.
Always loved small town boy as a kid but never knew its underlying story until CZcams came around.
I think I loved it even more after I realised the meaning
I'm old, so The Kinks 'Lola' is always my favourite. But from the 80s nothing beats Smalltown Boy. It's so human.
This song has helped so many people. I really spoke to me when I found it as a gay kid in the early 2000's. Great job talking about it and giving me more history behind it!
Mike Thorne is so correct.
Smalltown Boy can easily be appreciated by anyone lost and lonely and lacking an identity at home, feeling the need to run away somewhere where they’ll find a community, friend group and such who appreciates them.
Hits home for me. I’m 25 living in a provincial town in the English Midlands with progressive views and surrounded by people who by comparison don’t really feel progressive or particularly learn’ed about anything. I feel all the time like my personality belongs in a city with other like minded people but I’m too skint to move out, austerity and wage stagnation having hit young people like me so hard. So I relate to Smalltown Boy on that fundamental level, as a song about alienation.
Another great video TT!
Smalltown Boy was such an amazing and important track. I didn't see it until the mid 90s, but it really resonated with me. I'm straight, but always felt like an outsider in plenty of other ways, and it was such an evocative song about alienation and acceptance.
And he STILL has that voice !!
One of the greatest channels on CZcams, every episode is just awesome, thank you for making these.
Other than Jimmy Somerville, there's Andy Bell of Erasure and Patrick Fitzgerald of Kitchens of Distinction that wrote lyrics as out songwriter s. Music not making camp but, honest stories about being Gay. Thank goodness indeed!
Magic. Reverend Richard Coles the other half of the duo. Still active on social. Such an important moment for so many people including me
A mate of mine went to school with Jimmy. His description of him, "A man that could start a fight in an empty room!"
I see Jimmy around my town, now and again.
Your videos always introduce me to so much.
A lot of the music is not what I've listened to, but the stories are always so interesting, and often very important.
Thank you for this
OMG the memories came flooding back. Thank you - that was wonderful.
This song has been so important for boys born around 1970 all over the world.
Another fantastic documentary, thanks. I truly hope these get preserved for future generations after CZcams is long gone.
Jimmy Somerville’s vocals just right in to your soul 💔😿❤️
When I first saw this music video I was intrigued.
I didn’t quite understand the story behind it, but the heartbreakingly beautiful lyrics and voice made me notice. The more I watched it, the more I understood it.
It is still such a beautiful song, and still is so powerful today❤️
I always stop and listen (with my eyes closed) when I hear Frankie's version of "the power of love" 😊
“Shoot your Shot” - Divine
“C Minor” - Communards
“Comment te dire adieu” - Jimmy Somerville
“Piano Song” - Erasure
“So in Love” - KD Lang
“The Crying Game - Boy George
“Like Jesus to a Child” - George Michael
“The Stranger” - Pete Burns / Nightmares in Wax
To be honest I was a great fan of Dead or Alive. I was never closeted and my attitude matched Pete’s perfectly. As a 16 year old I wore makeup, dreads, press on nails much like Boy and Pete. Fierce and fearless.
Every song Dead or Alive produced was a close match with the life I was living. Reason why I love a lot of their stuff. Pete was my hero and I guess Marilyn Manson loved him too 😉
In all fairness most of the 80’s gay bands were legends. So much talent. They made an era and were the pioneers, opening doors for millions of us ✌🏻🙂
I love Bronski Beat it was so new at the time Smalltown boy is still one of my favorite songs even though I`m not gay ...
Thanks for this story ! great stuff!
One day everybody will realise that it's not about LGBTQ+ (or however many letter you want to add) it's just about love.. It doesn't matter who you love, just that you love.
Always love seeing your videos! Please never stop 🤙
Thank you very much for spotlighting Jimmy somerville. I love Bronski Beat, the communards and Jimmy's solo career. Next will you please do a deep dive on Marc Almond. 😃💜
This is one of my favourite videos you ever made. Much needed & appreciated. Thank you x
I think it was recently added to TikTok, so it's becoming popular again. I fucking love Smalltown Boy. I've never understood why it wasn't considered more of a banger by my generation. Probably, and I say this in all seriousness, because it wasn't one of the 80s songs featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City lol.
Rockstar rectified that by having it in Grand Theft Auto V instead. But I feel like V is not as big a hit as the 3D games were. Or at least, not meme-able. I mean, we all know the "aw, sh1t... here we go again" :)
Thanks for this remainder !
Going to have to revisit Bronski's Age of Consent album.
One of the best videos of all time. Truly ground breaking.
Amazing video as always! I so look forward to your videos
Said this on the New Order video, and saying it again: are you going to do a Sylvester video or are you going to just continue name dropping them in all these dance music videos?
I really love this channel. Thanks so much ❤
Brilliant episode, thanks so much for this
Good work! Your endings are beautifully concise and final.
Love you for making this
It’s so difficult to know it all, even a little of the wide and deep through time. Your docs give context to veins of brilliant purpose that I’m only beginning to see all these years later. I was there for much of it, having worked in an actual record store but still, it’s all rushing right past you. Cheers to ya, and great thanks for these succinct essays. They are brilliant man.
This is one of your best. Thank you.
As always, exceptional work sir. Much appreciated and keep it up
Excellent! Well researched (as always) Thank you!
Brilliant video. Thanks so much!
Thanks for doing this one ❤️
Such a great doc series!
Like all of your documentaries, this one is so well researched, insightful, and cool. Thanks so much.
Since 1984, i have nothing but respect for Mr Sommerville.He was an instant star here in France.
Your videos are all ways well thought out , coherent and all ways excellent
I found your channel last week & I love it! Even if I don’t know the band or musician involved, it’s still entertaining to watch. And I love that you include so many little clips of music, it really brings these stories to life.
Another amazing video as always!
Trash Theory, You're the best! I subscribed because I love your content!
If this is you first one you are in for a lot of treats.
I really like how you present your material and link all of these songs and your writing. You also have a great narration voice.
It was small town boy in 1984 that had me packing my bags and leaving home. ❤best thing I ever did
Love your delivery and story telling. Very engaging. Makes your videos very easy to listen too.
"Smalltown Boy" is not only an emotional sledgehammer, it's also one of my absolute favorite songs of the entire decade. The perfect synthesis of minimalist post punk synth, dance pop and confessional storytelling. I'm straight but I was an alienated misfit in small town New Hampshire and I related to every word and note of this song. It may have been written from a gay perspective but it deeply touches the heart of everyone who was alienated and abused by the narrow mindedness of the people they had to grow up around. This song still chokes me up every time I hear it
I love this series, but absolutely love this channel. Thank you! More and more insight and education with each entry, especially with small town boy and the impact of Bronski Beat. Which I wasn’t aware of before, and because it came out 10 years before I was born
I really enjoyed this and glad it showed up on my feed. Lived in America decades now but came of age in London at this period. Really well assembled and as an editor I know this was a ton of work to put together. Liked subscribed and shared on all my socials. Thanks again.
Thank you for this video
Thanks for this. Your writing is particularly suited to this story, as it passes little to no judgment on anybody involved in matters whilst still retaiing emotion and sincerity. I love this track and the history is really fascinating to finally understand.
My favourite music channel. You guys go far and beyond to deliver great essays.
First time I've seen one of your videos. I lived through this. Bronski Beat & Smalltown Boy hit when I was a 16 yo closeted young gay man. You are exceptional in that every detail you got completely correct. So many other videos covering the era make mistakes. You nailed it.
I knew there was a story behind Smalltown Boy, and to some degree, what it was about... but wow. This might be one of your best videos so far. Massive kudos!