#bronski beat

[bylertruth3r]

the fact that they deleted Mike and Will's playlists from Spotify because of spoilers should tell you everything (there's a gay song about a gay man leaving his homophobic town to find a new life as the first song in Mike's playlist and Finn said he wants Mike to leave Hawkins) and there was a song about being closeted in his playlist

#stranger things #byler #mike wheeler #mike wheeler is gay #will byers #stranger things 4 #stranger things 5 #wiseheart #smalltown boy #bronski beat

[mypastnow]

#blk&wht photography #vintage photography #bronski beat

[aarabbella]

would you runaway with me?

#2010s #2010s nostalgia #2014 aesthetic #2014 grunge #2014 nostalgia #2014 revival #2014 tumblr #indie sleaze #tumblr 2014 #2014 girl #2014 fashion #2012 tumblr #2000s #2013 aesthetic #2013 girly #2013 tumblr #2014 indie #2014 soft grunge #2014 style #2014 vibes #2014core #2015 aesthetic #2015 tumblr #2016 aesthetic #2016 tumblr #bring back 2014 #i miss 2014 #bronski beat #Spotify

[bestsynthpop]

Warning: The video for Smalltown Boy contains implied homophobic violence

All round 3 match-ups

#the buggles #bronski beat #jimmy somerville #Youtube

[lottieishot]

this still fucking make me go insane

Ik we have been over this but it still amazes me that they had the balls to do this

ifykyk

#ifykyk #bronski beat #Byler #gay mike wheeler #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #sobbing #byler tumblr #byler endgame

[mrmousetolliver]

The Age of Consent (1984) by Bronski Beat

#classic #style #gay #art #gay artist #gay art #vintage #gay history #synthpop #new wave #bronski beat #age of consent

[autumnaltrees]

so i was thinking about mike's bassment beats spotify playlist and how the first song in said playlist is smalltown boy by bronski beat - a song about the need for gay men in the 80s to flee from homophobic small towns to the freedom of the city and i thought about looking up the meanings of the other songs included in the playlist to see what other hints there are to mike's character

i was also thinking about how significant it is that smalltown boy is the opening track to the playlist and i wondered about what the final track to mike's playlist is as that would seem equally significant to me

so the last track on the playlist is be afraid by franz ferdinand and the lyrics go as such:

Don't be afraid if you hear voices Feel the sweet air spoken upon you

Dream again

Sometimes the sound of a thousand whispering

it's pretty short in terms of lyrics and has less of a clear meaning compared to smalltown boy so i thought i'd google the meaning of the song just to see if there were any explanations from the band or a sort of general opinion on the song meaning which i didn't end up finding, however i did come across another song by franz ferdinand almost immediately called micheal and i thought well that's a coincidence (but not really) so i looked up what the meaning to that song was and lo and behold

so it's about a gay man who wants to be with another man called micheal

the music video is set in a basement

and the song contains hidden secret messages such as how the show queer codes mike

but also it's interesting how in the song the hidden messages can only be heard when played backwards

kind of like upside down...

bonus thought! the lyrics to smalltown boy:

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

and the hidden message in the song michael:

She’s worried about you. Call your mother.

#mike and will are for sure confessing their love for each other in the upside down #perhaps in mike's basement #byler #mike's bassment beats #stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #gay mike truther #smalltown boy #bronski beat #michael #franz ferdinand #st theory #stranger things theory #st s5 #s5 speculation #mine

[jimmyjampots]

#bronski beat

[freelyfuriouspretzel]

put some patches on a denim jacket and maybe then you'll feel okay :)

#the boomtown rats #rent musical #eat the rich #kraftklub #fall out boy #my chemical romance #billy idol #tom waits #denim jacket #patches #punk #diy patches #bowie #gorillaz #bronski beat #queer #lgbt+ #pride #somewhere over the rainbow #post punk #new wave #i'm not okay (i promise) #boomtown rats

[gay-caveman]

hmm...

#the closet is GLASS #“he's straight” explain this #byler #mike wheeler #will byers #bronski beat #80s #this was deliberate i know it #gay #queer #lgbtq #stranger things #byler endgame

[the80s]

Smalltown Boy, Bronski Beat (1984)

#1980s #80s music #smalltown boy #bronski beat #1984 #Youtube

[cherry-pop-soda]

okay but does anyone listen to bronski beat and does anyone GET IT. they released an album, completely unashamedly gay, in the 80s, during the AIDS crisis, during a time of insanely rampant homophobia and over the top conservatism. they released an album with the age of consent for homosexual activity in every european country listed on the sleeve and the phone number for a legal advice hotline for queer people etched into the grooves of the vinyl. they released an album with the opening track dedicated to a hate crime victim, featuring vocals from an openly gay choir. they released an album with songs about homophobic violence, the dangers of following the bible too closely, about leaving behind everything you know and starting over, about homophobic family and homophobic bullying. they wrote about being gay and being proud of it and knowing that there is nothing wrong with who you are. in the face of all the hatred going on in the 80s they released an album that was in-your-face gay and fuck-you queer, and i love them for it.

(see original tags for a lot more commentary)

#bronski beat #for reference : the album is The Age Of Consent #the man the opening track “Why ?” was dedicated to was Drew Griffiths (who according to wikipedia was a #playwright who was victim to a homophobic murder in 1984) #and the choir was The Pink Singers (an openly gay men’s choir in London) #and like yeah. i know this very much centers gay men HOWEVER . considering everything like the time period and #how songs that would’ve been lesbian (see: Voices Carry by Til Tuesday) being basically straight-washed. and also how rampant homophobia wa #(so getting anything even a little gay released was hard bc it was likely to get smashed down by record stores and companies and #radio stations and music reviewers. and us ones particularly ) #in this case i don’t care whatsoever and besides they did something absolutely monumental for the whole community if you ask me #as a lesbian i am literally so grateful that this exists and i wasn’t even alive at the time. even now it makes me feel seen. #i cant even imagine what it would’ve been like for a queer kid in the 80s to hear that and maybe know they weren’t alone #so in conclusion: bronski beat i love you forever and jimmy somerville i love you forever

[popgodz]

#jimmy somerville #bronski beat #act up #the communards

[artthoufruity]

"The love that you need will never be found at home" is such a relatable lyric and no one talks about it

#smalltown boy #bronski beat #the love that you need will never be found at home #so real #the song ever #stranger things #byler #stranger things 4 #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things volume 2 #byler is endgame #eleven hopper #stranger things 5 #vecna stranger things

[bestsynthpop]

All bracket 1, round 2 match-ups.

#New Order #Bronski Beat #round 2 #best synthpop song #song bracket

[chirpsythismorning]

It's finally here! The full version of my Smalltown Boy x Running Up that Hill Mashup is now on SoundCloud for anyone that wants to dance themselves to tears!

#stranger things #mike wheeler #smalltown boy #running up that hill #byler #synth pop does it again #nobody asked for this #but im delivering anyways #0:45-0:49 hits!! #honestly it all hits #smalltown boy agenda #stranger things 4 #stranger things 5 #mike's basement beats #stranger things music #soundcloud #mashup #bronski beat #kate bush