Bronski Beat

If you are gay and if you listened to Pop music in the 80s, then probably Smalltown Boy was among your favorite songs. It was certainly among mine. It was written and performed by Bronski Beat.

Bronski Beat was formed in 1983 by three openly gay men, in Brixton (a district of London). They were Jimmy Somerville (vocals), Larry Steinbachek (keyboards and percussion) and Steve Bronski (keyboards and percussion). Yes, there was a Bronski in Bronski Beat.

Smalltown Boy was their debut single and was released in June 1984. It is about a gay teenager fleeing his hometown for the big city, to escape the bullying and the loneliness. The beautiful, sad lyrics, sung exquisitely in Jimmy's perfect falsetto and set to a groovy dance tune, made a gem of a song. The video too was wonderful, telling the story of a young man's who dares approach a young man that he is attracted to, for which he is later attacked in an alley by a homophobic gang led by the same man.

Thankfully, the song was a big hit: it made #3 in the UK, selling over 500,000 copies. It topped the charts in Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as the US Dance Club Play charts (it only made #48 in the Hot 100 though). It was #2 in Italy and Switzerland, #3 in Germany, #4 in Ireland, #5 in New Zealand, #8 in France and Australia and #9 in Canada.

Here's the video:

Their second single, Why?, was just as good. It opens with Somervile asking/pleading/demanding "tell me why?" and the sound of breaking glass. The song is once again a protest for gay intolerance, with lyrics such as "Contempt in your eyes when I turned to kiss his lips. Broken I lie all my feelings denied - blood on your fist." It offers a positive perspective though: "never feel guilty, never give in." And later: "You and me together fighting for our love." The fighting spirit (and the fact that it's a great song) gave the band another hit single, peaking at #3 in Belgium, #5 in Germany, #6 in the UK, Ireland  & the Netherlands, #7 in South Africa & Switzerland, #8 in France, #10 in Spain & Australia, #11 in New Zealand and #13 in Italy. It also made #31 in Canada and #20 in the US Hot Dance/Maxi-Singles chart.

The video:

Their debut album, The Age Of Consent, came out in October 1984. It contained both hit singles and was very well received. John Dougan of AllMusic gave it 4.5/5 and wrote: "To say The Age Of Consent is a great album of dance-oriented synth-pop music is to sell it extremely short; this is simply a great album, period."

The inner sleeve of the album contains the ages of consent for males to engage in gay sex in various countries, but this was removed from the United States release of the album by the US record company, after sales and radio play were reportedly lower than anticipated because of this little known information. Oh, well...

The album contained two more hit singles (or just one, if you're a stickler for detail). That was the Gershwin tune from "Porgy and Bess", It Ain't Necessarily So. It made #16 in the UK chart. Backup vocals were provided by The Pink Singers, a gay male choir from London.

The video:

The band's 4th single was based on the album's closing track, a medley of two of the gayest golden oldies, I Feel Love & Johnny Remember Me. The medley was reworked with the addition of another Donna Summer song, Love To Love You Baby, as the intro and coda. It featured former Soft Cell singer Marc Almond sharing vocals with Jimmy Somerville. The UK liked it a lot, sending it to #3 and giving it a silver record. Here it is:

By the way, Marc Almond will be Monday's guest, here in GCL.

Alas, Bronski Beat's success was too good to last: in the summer of 1985, tensions in the band, both personal and political, resulted in Somerville leaving Bronski Beat. The other two decided to continue, so the recruited John Foster as JS's replacement. Their first single, Hit The Perfect Beat, equaled the peak position (#3) in the UK of both Smalltown Boy & the I Feel Love Medley. Here it is:

Their followup single, C'mon C'mon, as well as their 2nd album (the first without Jimmy) came out a few months later. The single only just made the UK Top 20, even though it was a good summer tune:

The album's success was also limited. A year later John Foster left the band and although the other two kept trying, they couldn't catch lightning in a bottle twice. As far as Jimmy Somerville was concerned, however, it was a different matter altogether. More of that tomorrow.