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| "Smalltown Boy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Bronski Beat | ||||
| from the album The Age of Consent | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 25 May 1984 (UK)[1] | |||
| Studio | The Garden (London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | London | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Mike Thorne | |||
| Bronski Beat singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Smalltown Boy" on YouTube | ||||
"Smalltown Boy" is the debut single by the British synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released in May 1984 by London Recordings. It was included on their debut album, The Age of Consent (1984). The lyrics describe a young man who decides to leave home because "the love that you need will never be found" there; the story in the song's music video is that he makes this decision after being gaybashed. "Smalltown Boy" is regarded as a gay anthem and is associated with the rise of British gay culture in the 1980s. The music video was directed by Bernard Rose and filmed in East London. In 2022, Rolling Stone named it the 163rd-greatest dance song.
- ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 19 May 1984. p. 14. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ Vivinetto, Gina (9 March 2015). "Pop Icon Jimmy Somerville: A Career Overview". The Advocate. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ MarkWilson (18 May 2011). "Emilie Simon Releases "Smalltown Boy"". AltSounds. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ 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"
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat". BBC. Retrieved 23 December 2022.