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A Bronski Beat classic is getting a 40th anniversary makeover! The pioneering British synth-pop band’s 1984 worldwide Top 10 hit, featuring piercing vocals by the band’s Jimmy Somerville, is being celebrated 40 years later with a remix by Tom Stephan, otherwise known as Superchumbo. The song comes from their album The Age of Consent, which centered around struggles and triumphs of the LGBTQ+ community at a time when it was an especially provocative subject. The ahead-of-its-time LGBTQ+ anthem features lyrics centered around anti-gay prejudice. Keep reading to find out more… “Contempt in your eyes when I turn to kiss his lips / Broken I lie, all my feelings denied, blood on your fist / Can you tell me why?” he sings. The new remix features vocals from the iconic Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant. Of the new mix, Jimmy said: ”I’ve known Tom for a good few years now and when I asked him if he’d like to do a remix of ‘Why?’ he said yes straight away. The song is a part of his story. I was so moved when he shared that story with me. The lyric is our shared experience as it is for so many others…and forty years later the lyric still tells the story of LGBTQi+….the hate, the violence, the discrimination, the imprisonment and state sanctioned murder of those who dare to be their true selves and it’s happening somewhere right now as I write this.” Tom said: “My goal was to create an updated mix that fits well with contemporary sounds while preserving the original intensity and energy. After I submitted the mix, Jimmy asked me if I could include a few more lyrics from the original song. I had recently watched a Pet Shop Boys documentary where Neil Tennant read some of his lyrics, which moved me to tears. I imagined Neil speaking these lyrics, creating a powerful contrast. I left Neil a voicemail on my way to a gig abroad and by the time I reached Heathrow I had his vocals on my phone, added them to the track on my flight, and played it that night!” “I was f-cking whooping like a banshee round my kitchen when Tom told me Neil would like to contribute! To speak the lyrics of ‘Why?’ and to hear Tom‘s musical reworking of the track is f-cking mind-blowing. So to hear Neil, one of our greatest pop lyricists, speaking my words… It brings it into the here and now and also retains its history with my original vocal. I genuinely felt moved,” Jimmy added. “It is a great honour to work on this iconic song with two legends who were lifelines to me while growing up gay in a small town,” Tom said. Bronski Beat‘s debut single “Smalltown Boy” has also gone viral on TikTok, with over 100,000 videos made to the original song and counting. The remix is featured on the 40th-anniversary reissue of The Age of Consent and will be available in a variety of physical and digital formats. Click here for all pre-order info. Find out which stars came out as LGBTQ+ in 2024 so far. Listen to the remix and read the lyrics…
