"Smalltown Boy" is the debut single by British synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released in June 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.
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.
Music video
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.
Track listings and formats
7" single BITE 1
"Smalltown Boy" – 3:58
"Memories" – 2:55
7" single 820 091-7
"Smalltown Boy" – 3:58
"Memories" – 3:00
12" single BITEX 1 / 820 996-1 / 9-29 017 / LDSPX 215
"Smalltown Boy" – 9:00
"Infatuation/Memories" – 7:38
12" single MCA-23521
"Smalltown Boy" – 9:00
"Infatuation/Memories" – 7:42
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Sales and certifications
Borrowed riff
In 1993, German band Real McCoy sampled the riff from "Smalltown Boy" in their song "Automatic Lover".
In 2006, Swedish DJs Steve Angello and Axwell under the alias Supermode produced "Tell Me Why" using samples from the song.
In 2012, German industrial metal band Oomph!
paid homage to "Smalltown Boy" in their song "Kleinstadtboy".
In 2015, Brandon Flowers sampled the riff from "Smalltown Boy" in his song "I Can Change".
Cover versions
In 2013, Austrian AOR band Cornerstone (de) covered "Smalltown Boy" as a charity single for the "Room to Breathe" campaign to support cystic fibrosis research at Nottingham City Hospital.
Their version reached number 50 in the Austria Top 75 on 20 December 2013.
In 2020, Canadian country singer Orville Peck covered the song for the 2020 Pride edition of the Spotify Singles series.
In 2021, Kele released a cover of the song as the first single from his album The Waves Pt.
1.
See also
List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1984
List of number-one dance singles of 1985 (U.S.)
References
