Burning The Ground Exclusive
As Pride Month comes to a close, I can’t think of a better record to finish my “Soundtrack Of Pride” series than Bronski Beat’s “Why?”
Released in 1984, “Why?” followed the band’s stunning debut single “Smalltown Boy,” and together the two songs form one of the most powerful one-two punches in LGBTQ+ pop history. Where “Smalltown Boy” tells the painful story of leaving home to survive, “Why?” turns that pain outward. It asks the question directly. Why the hate? Why the fear? Why should anyone have to hide who they are or who they love?
Jimmy Somerville’s voice is one of the great voices of the 1980s. Fragile one moment, fierce the next, he could turn a dance record into a protest song without losing the beat. “Why?” is pure Hi-NRG fire, but it is also angry, wounded, and unafraid. The record moves with urgency, driven by sharp synths, pounding percussion, and that unmistakable cry in Somerville’s vocal. It is a song built for the dance floor, but it refuses to be background music.
The charts also showed just how far Bronski Beat’s message traveled. “Why?” reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart and topped the UK Airplay chart, while also finding success across Europe, Australia, and the U.S. dance charts. “Smalltown Boy” had already made an even bigger impact, reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. For music this direct, this emotional, and this openly queer to travel that far in 1984 still feels remarkable.
That was the power of Bronski Beat. They were not hiding behind suggestion or coded language. Steve Bronski, Larry Steinbachek, and Jimmy Somerville made music that spoke openly about gay life at a time when that was still a radical act in pop music. Their debut album, The Age Of Consent, carried its message right in the title, referring to the unequal age of consent laws in the United Kingdom at the time. This was pop music with a purpose.
My limited edition UK 12” single makes this release even more special because the flip side contains the 12″ version of “Smalltown Boy.” Having “Why?” and “Smalltown Boy” together on one 12” feels almost too perfect. One song is the escape. The other is the confrontation. One is the heartbreak of being pushed away. The other is the demand to be seen, heard, and respected.
“Smalltown Boy” remains one of the most moving LGBTQ+ anthems ever recorded. Its story of rejection, loneliness, and the search for a place to belong has touched generations of listeners. Even now, four decades later, it still feels deeply personal. It is not just a song about leaving. It is a song about surviving.
“Why?” is just as important. It reminds us that Pride is not only a celebration. It is also a protest. It is history. It is memory. It is the sound of people refusing to disappear.
For the final entry in this year’s “Soundtrack Of Pride,” Bronski Beat feels essential. These songs are not just dance classics. They are documents of their time, and they still speak loudly today. They remind us why the dance floor mattered, why visibility mattered, and why music could become a lifeline.
Pride has always had a soundtrack. Sometimes it is joyful. Sometimes it is defiant. Sometimes it hurts. Bronski Beat gave us all of that, wrapped in synths, rhythm, and one of the most unforgettable voices pop music has ever known.
Happy Pride, and as always, thank you for listening.
SIDE A:
Why? (Remix) 5:11
Engineer [Mixing Engineer] – Julian Mendelsohn
Mixed By [Uncredited] – Laz, Steve
SIDE B:
Smalltown Boy (12″ Version) 9:02
Cadillac Car 3:52
Engineer [Mixing Engineer] – Harvey Goldberg
Guitar – Steve*
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
| Chart | “Why?” Peak Position |
“Smalltown Boy” Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 10 | 8 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | N/A | 2 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 3 | 1 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 31 | 9 |
| Europe (Airplay Top 50) | 4 | N/A |
| Europe (Europarade Top 40) | 4 | 3 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | 5 | 15 |
| France (SNEP) | 8 | 8 |
| Germany Airplay Top 15 | 10 | N/A |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 6 | 4 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi) | 5 | 1 |
| Italy (Discografia Internazionale) | N/A | 2 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 2 | 1 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 6 | 1 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 11 | 5 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio) | 7 | N/A |
| Spain Airplay | 2 | N/A |
| Spain (AFYVE) | 10 | N/A |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 7 | 2 |
| UK Airplay Top 20 | 1 | N/A |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 6 | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | N/A | 48 |
| US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard) | 27 | 1 |
| US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard) | 20 | 4 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | N/A | 32 |
| West Germany (GfK) | 5 | 3 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Forbidden Fruit – BITEX 2, Forbidden Fruit – 882 014-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
- Design [Sleeve Design] – Robert McAulay
- Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Dominick Maita
- Keyboards – Laz*, Steve*
- Mastered By – Aaron Chakraverty*
- Music By – Bronski Beat
- Producer – Mike Thorne
- Programmed By – Laz*
- Vocals – Jimmy*
- Words By – Jimmy*
- Written-By – Somerville*, Steinbachek*, Bronski*
NOTES:
Why?: Dedicated To The Memory Of Drew Griffiths.
“SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION WHY? REMIX WITH BONUS TRACK SMALLTOWN BOY”
Recorded at R.P.M. Studios, New York
Why?: Mixed at The Town House, London
Cadillac Car: Mixed at Right Track Recording, New York
Mastered at The Master Room, London
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
PLEASE READ
There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other
**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!
Password: burningtheground
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Pioneering gay band Bronski Beat meets gay Icon Eartha Kitt who has precisely the qualities that make for a true Gay Icon: A history of anguish, abandonment, and alienation, mixed with a campy and sexually audacious stage act along with the necessary elements of artifice and aggrandizement. Plus, there is that unique, sultry purr of a voice. Kitt appeared at many LGBTQ fundraisers and she spent a great deal of her time dedicating herself to working with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and other HIV/AIDS charities. Her 1989 single Cha-Cha Heels, recorded with Bronski Beat, was thumping away at the dance clubs during the worst years of the plague and the club kids and the older clones fell in love with Kitt.
