At their height, the band comprised distinctive and diminutive Scottish singer Jimmy Somerville, backed by fellow Scot Steve Bronski and Londoner Larry Steinbacheck, both of whom played keyboards and percussion.
Formed in 1983, their debut hit came the following year - the striking tale of a boy who was cast away by his family and neighbours for being gay. Called Smalltown Boy, it peaked at Number 3 in the UK and was accompanied by a memorable video of Somerville leaving home, forlornly eating an apple on a train, being attacked by a homophobic gang and being returned to his family by the police.
The song quickly established the trio as an outlet for gay issues – all three members were homosexual – and the follow-up single Why? pursued the same energetic and electronic formula musically, while the lyrics focussed more centrally and darkly on anti-gay prejudice. Again, it made the Top 10 in the UK.
At the end of 1984, the trio released an album which was provocatively titled The Age Of Consent. The sleeve inside listed the varying ages of consent for homosexual sex in different nations around the world. At the time, the age of consent for gay men in the UK was 21.
A third single was released from it, again causing controversy. It Ain't Necessarily So, the George and Ira Gershwin classic (from Porgy and Bess) which questions the authenticity of Biblical tales, reached the UK Top 20. Playing the clarinet solos in the song was Richard Coles, with whom Somerville would later team up to form The Communards.
In 1985, the trio joined up with Marc Almond to record a version of the Donna Summer classic I Feel Love. The full version was actually a medley, also incorporating snippets of "Love to Love You Baby" and "Johnny Remember Me." It reached Number 3 in the UK charts, equaling the feats of "Smalltown Boy," and was memorably described by one critic as "the gayest record ever made".
Following the remix album Hundreds & Thousands, Somerville quit the band, stating he wanted a career which was "more political". Presumably this related to internal politics rather than the lyrical direction of the band, as his new project relied almost entirely on unpolitical songs and cover versions – and they were a huge success in doing so. He teamed up with Coles to form The Communards and in 1986 outsold all other singles in the UK with their version of Don't Leave Me This Way.
Bronski Beat recruited John Foster as Somerville's replacement. A very catchy single called Hit That Perfect Beat managed to equal the two previous biggest hits by reaching Number 3 in the UK charts. In 1986, they released their second album, Truthdare Doubledare.
In 1989, Jonathan Hellyer became lead singer, and the band extensively toured the U.S. and had one minor hit with the song Cha Cha Heels, a one-off collaboration sung by American actress and singer Eartha Kitt.
Bronski Beat released their third and final album, Rainbow Nation, in 1995. They split that year.
The songs "Smalltown Boy" and "Why" were sampled by producers Steve Angello and Axwell under the moniker Supermode (originally Supermongo) for their song "Tell Me Why". "Tell Me why" peaked at #13 on the UK singles chart.
In 2018, London Records issued a remastered and expanded 2CD edition of their debut, The Age of Consent. Remastered from the original 1984 analogue tapes, it includes demos, BBC sessions, remixes and unreleased tracks.
Small Town Boy
Bronski Beat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To your soul
Cry
Cry
Cry
You leave in the morning with everything you own in a little black case
Mother will never understand why you had to leave
But the answers you seek will never be found at home
The love that you need will never be found at home
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Pushed around and kicked around, always a lonely boy
You were the one that they'd talk about around town as they put you down
And as hard as they would try they'd hurt to make you cry
But you never cried to them, just to your soul
No, you never cried to them, just to your soul
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (crying to your soul)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (crying to your soul)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (crying to your soul)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
You leave in the morning with everything you own in a little black case
Alone on a platform, the wind and the rain on a sad and lonely face
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
The lyrics to Bronski Beat's "Small Town Boy" speak to the experience of a young man who feels alienated and misunderstood by his family and community. He leaves home with "everything [he] own[s] in a little black case" and is alone on a train platform, facing the wind and rain with a "sad and lonely face." The young man's mother will never understand why he had to leave, but he knows that the answers he seeks and the love he needs will not be found at home.
The lyrics then delve deeper into the young man's experiences being "pushed around and kicked around," always a "lonely boy" who is talked about by others as they put him down. Although they try to hurt him and make him cry, the young man never cries to them; he only cries to his soul. The lyrics encourage him to "run away" and "turn away" from his past, and to embrace his true self and seek out the love and acceptance he craves.
Overall, "Small Town Boy" is a powerful anthem for anyone who has felt like they don't belong or that they are misunderstood. It speaks to the pain of isolation and the hope of finding a place in the world where one is accepted for who they truly are.
Line by Line Meaning
To your soul
The pain and loneliness you feel are deep within, hidden from everyone else
Cry
The only way to release this pain and emotion is to let the tears flow
You leave in the morning with everything you own in a little black case
You are leaving everything behind to try and find something more fulfilling
Alone on a platform, the wind and the rain on a sad and lonely face
The world feels cold and unforgiving, and you feel isolated in your search for something better
Mother will never understand why you had to leave
Your family may not understand why you feel the need to leave, but this is something you need to do for yourself
But the answers you seek will never be found at home
You need to explore beyond what you already know to find what you're looking for
The love that you need will never be found at home
You may feel unloved and unsupported at home, and need to find love and acceptance elsewhere
Pushed around and kicked around, always a lonely boy
You have always been an outcast, bullied and rejected by others
You were the one that they'd talk about around town as they put you down
People would gossip and criticize you, making you feel even more isolated and ashamed
And as hard as they would try they'd hurt to make you cry
Others would deliberately try to hurt you and break you down emotionally
But you never cried to them, just to your soul
You held in your pain and emotion, afraid to show vulnerability to those who had hurt you
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (crying to your soul)
You keep running away from your past and the pain you have suffered, but it still weighs heavily on you
Cry, boy, cry
It's okay to let yourself feel and express your emotions, despite the societal pressure to hide them
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Your pain is valid and deserves to be acknowledged and released
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: James William Somerville, Larry Steinbacheck, Steve Bronski
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Debbiebabe69
80s music - all about telling a story.
Todays music:
All us girls gonna stick together
All us girls gonna stick together
All us girls gonna stick together
All us girls gonna stick together
All us girls gonna stick together
All us girls gonna stick together
(repeat 40x)
Today it all seems to be about repeating the same things.......
@Thorsten-Tom-Martin
[Intro]
To your soul
To your soul
Cry
Cry
Cry
[Verse 1]
You leave in the morning with everything you own in a little black case
Alone on a platform, the wind and the rain on a sad and lonely face
[Verse 2]
Mother will never understand why you had to leave
But the answers you seek will never be found at home
The love that you need will never be found at home
[Chorus]
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (Oooh)
[Verse 3]
Pushed around and kicked around, always a lonely boy
You were the one that they'd talk about around town as they put you down
[Verse 4]
And as hard as they would try they'd hurt to make you cry
But you never cried to them, just to your soul
No, you never cried to them, just to your soul
[Chorus]
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
(Crying to your soul, crying to your soul)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
(Crying to your soul, crying to your soul)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (Cry)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
[Bridge]
Cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry
(Cry)
[Verse 5]
You leave in the morning with everything you own in a little black case
Alone on a platform, the wind and the rain on a sad and lonely face
[Chorus]
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (Cry)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (Cry)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
(To your soul, to your soul)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (Cry)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (Cry)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (To your soul)
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
(To your soul)
@yeezyszn7208
The only thing redeemable about those shit games. Lmao.
GTA IV was the last good one.
VI will be shit, take2 spent 20 minutes on diversity at the game awards in 2022 or 2021 I’m pretty 2022 though.
So VI is going to be woke trash just like SR Reboot 🙂
Is what it is. Casuals ruined gaming should’ve gatekept it honestly.
Sure the graphics are good but that’s it. The gameplay is shit. Games as a service (usually) go look at ‘Suicide Squad’ game that came out a week or so ago. Game is TRAAAASH. (Like every game now)
This song was released in 1984. 40 years later, here we are in 2024.
This always has been and always will be a timeless classic.
@pratik04445
Agree
@biggusunitus
all time banger
@helios2357
goddamn
literally 1984
@ElectronicHouseFlash
all 3 bandmembers were gays, i dont want to know what dirty things they did behind closed doors
@biggusunitus
@@ElectronicHouseFlash I'm referring to the tune you melt.
@Pugzwitattitude
Who’s here in 2024, still loving this?
@aditiyabudi4869
me me me
@wilhelminamarquart240
Me ❤
@margaritalopezadasme5956
Yo casi todos los fines de semana