Jimmy Somerville

Biography

James William Somerville (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish singer. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as a member the synth-pop groups Bronski Beat and the Communards; with the former, Somerville achieved commercial success worldwide with the 1984 single "Smalltown Boy", which peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart.
Bronski Beat's debut album The Age of Consent (1984) was the only release Somerville contributed to as lead vocalist before leaving the band in 1985 to join the Communards. With Somerville on lead vocals, the Communards released their self-titled debut album in 1986, spawning the internationally successful single "Don't Leave Me This Way" which became the best-selling single of 1986 in the United Kingdom. Further success came with single "So Cold the Night" and their second studio album Red (1987) before disbanding in 1988; Somerville then began a solo career.

Early life

Born on 22 June 1961, James William Somerville grew up in Ruchill, a neighbourhood of northern Glasgow. In 1980, he moved to London, where he lived in squats. He immersed himself in gay culture, and attended the London Gay Teenage Group.

Bronski Beat (1983–1985)

In 1983, Somerville co-founded the synth-pop group Bronski Beat, which had several hits in the British charts. Their biggest hit was "Smalltown Boy", which peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. In the music video Somerville plays the song's titular character, who leaves his hostile hometown for the friendlier city, reflecting Somerville's own experiences when he moved to London.
Bronski Beat signed a recording contract with London Records in 1984 after doing only nine live gigs. The band's debut single, "Smalltown Boy", about a gay teenager leaving his family and fleeing his home town, was a hit, peaking at No 3 in the UK Singles Chart, and topping charts in Belgium and the Netherlands. The single was accompanied by a promotional video directed by Bernard Rose, showing Somerville trying to befriend an attractive diver at a swimming pool, then being attacked by the diver's homophobic associates, being returned to his family by the police and having to leave home. (The police officer was played by Colin Bell, then the marketing manager of London Records.) "Smalltown Boy" reached 48 in the U.S. chart and peaked at 8 in Australia.
The follow-up single, "Why?", adopted a hi-NRG sound and was more lyrically focused on anti-gay prejudice. It also achieved Top 10 status in the UK, reaching 6, and was another Top 10 hit for the band in Australia, Switzerland, Germany, France and the Netherlands. At the end of 1984, the trio released an album titled The Age of Consent. The inner sleeve listed the varying ages of consent for consensual gay sex in different nations around the world. At the time, the age of consent for sexual acts between men in the UK was 21 compared with 16 for heterosexual acts, with several other countries having more liberal laws on gay sex. The album peaked at 4 in the UK Albums Chart, 36 in the U.S., and 12 in Australia.

The Communards and solo (1985–1991)

Somerville left Bronski Beat in 1985 and formed The Communards with classically-trained pianist Richard Coles, who later became a Church of England vicar and broadcaster. They had several hits, including a cover version of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Don't Leave Me This Way", which spent four weeks at No. 1 in the UK charts and became the biggest-selling single of 1986 in the UK. He also sang backing vocals on Fine Young Cannibals' version of "Suspicious Minds", which was a UK Top 10 hit.
The Communards split in 1988; Somerville began a solo career the following year. He released his debut solo album Read My Lips×Read My Lips1989 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Comment te dire adieu3:402You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)5:153Perfect Day4:094Heaven Here on Earth (With Your Love)5:045Don’t Know What to Do (Without You)6:126Adieu! (Madame Tata mix)7:327Read My Lips (Enough Is Enough)5:008My Heart Is in Your Hands4:249Control4:3810And You Never Thought That This Could Happen to You5:0111Rain5:48 in November 1989, which contained three UK Top 30 hits, including a hit cover of Sylvester's disco song "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)×You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (7")3:592You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (12")7:283Not So God Almighty6:21" and a cover of "Comment te dire adieu×Comment te dire adieu1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Comment te dire adieu3:372Comment te dire adieu5:583Tell the World4:124Comment te dire adieu (Madama Tata mix)6:11?", a duet with June Miles-Kingston, which reached number 14 in the UK Singles chart. He also sang on the second Band Aid project at the end of 1989.
In November 1990, Somerville's greatest-hits album The Singles Collection 1984/1990 (which featured his hits with Bronski Beat and The Communards in addition to his own material) was released; it reached number 4 on the UK Album Chart. It included a reggae cover of the Bee Gees' hit song "To Love Somebody×To Love Somebody1990 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1To Love Somebody (7″ version)4:202Rain6:393Why?8:22", which also reached the UK Top 10. Also in 1990, Somerville contributed the song "From This Moment On" to the Cole Porter tribute album Red Hot + Blue produced by the Red Hot Organization, the proceeds from which benefited AIDS research.

Dare to Love and other works (1991–1997)

In 1991, Somerville provided backing vocals to a track called "Why Aren't You in Love With Me?" from the album Ripe by Communards offshoot band Banderas. The Banderas duo, Caroline Buckley and Sally Herbert, had previously been part of Somerville's backing band. After this, he disappeared from the limelight for several years. He returned in 1995 with the album Dare to Love×Dare to Love23 June 1995 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Heartbeat4:272Hurts So Good3:523Cry3:454Lovething4:335By Your Side4:476Dare to Love4:017Someday We'll Be Together3:358Alright4:289Too Much of a Good Thing4:1210A Dream Gone Wrong5:0911Come Lately3:2112Safe In These Arms4:3813Because of Him3:17, which included "Heartbeat×Heartbeat1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Heartbeat (radio edit)4:272Heartbeat (E - Smoove 12" mix)10:383Heartbeat (X - citing mix)8:30" (a UK Top 30 hit and a No. 1 hit on the US dance chart), "Hurt So Good×Hurt So Good1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Hurt So Good (radio edit)3:522Hurt So Good (Beatmasters radio edit)3:413Love You Forever5:124Been So Long4:23" and "By Your Side×By Your Side28 October 1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1By Your Side (Radio Edit)4:432Nothing Said, Nothing Done4:293By Your Side (The Shining Mix)7:574By Your Side (Miss You Like Crazy Mix)7:33", though commercial success was now beginning to elude him and his contract with London Records to which he had been signed for over a decade came to an end.

Manage the Damage and recent activity (1997–present)

A new single, "Dark Sky×Dark Sky1997 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1ADark Sky (J & S 12" Mix)BDark Sky (Dillon And Dickins Mix)Disc 2CDark Sky (Tony De Vit Mix)D1Dark Sky (Sure Is Pure Mix)D2Dark Sky (Only Child Mix)", was released in 1997 and peaked at No. 66 in the UK. In the same year he provided vocals on "The Number One Song in Heaven" for the Sparks album Plagiarism with production by Tony Visconti. His third album, entitled Manage The Damage×Manage the Damage14 June 1999 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Here I Am4:162Lay Down (Contact)4:003Dark Sky3:164My Life4:335Something to Live For3:526This Must Be Love5:077Girl Falling Down3:558Someday Soon3:339Eve3:5210Stone4:2311Rolling3:00, was released in 1999 via Gut Records, but failed to chart. A companion remix album, Root Beer×Root Beer8 August 2000 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Tear Fool5:412Something To Live For (Sounds Of Life Full Vocal Club mix)5:553Safe (Todd Terry Long session)6:464Dark Sky (S & H mix)5:355Lay Down (Sounds Of Life remix)5:546I Believe4:007Something To Live For (Wayne G's Heaven mix)6:578Blame4:239Safe (Todd Terry 7")3:4910Moving On3:09, came out in 2000. His dance-orientated fourth solo album, Home Again×Home Again8 November 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Could It Be Love3:352Under a Lover's Sky5:143Come On3:494It Still Hurts3:345It's So Good3:486Burn4:077Ain't No Mountain High Enough3:528I Will Always Be Around3:439But Not Tonight3:2110Amnesia3:5711Home Again5:1412What's Your Game?5:1013Selfish Days5:0514Stay / [silence] / Sing It to Your Heart18:59, was released in 2004, again not charting.
In May 2009, Somerville release the Suddenly Last Summer album, which contained acoustic interpretations of other people's songs. The album was initially only available as a digital download but in May 2010 was made available in a limited edition (3,000 copies) CD/DVD in the UK. In late 2010, Somerville released a dance EP called Bright Thing×Bright Thing2010 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Overload4:092Bright Thing3:313Hearts4:024Freak3:24. 2010's EP Bright Thing was the first of a series of three, with Somerville releasing Momentum in 2011 and Solent in 2012, with long-term collaborator John Winfield.
Somerville released a disco-inspired album called Homage×Homage6 March 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Some Wonder3:542Strong Enough4:193Freak3:374Taken Away4:395Back to Me4:456The Core3:537Travesty4:258Bright Thing3:549Lights Are Shining3:1810This Hand3:3111Overload4:0612Learned to Talk4:35 in 2015. Singles were "Back to Me" followed by "Travesty×Travesty2014 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Travesty (album version)4:24". The emphasis in recording the album was on achieving the musical authenticity of original disco which Somerville grew up listening to. He stated: "I've finally made the disco album I always wanted to and never thought I could."
He has also had an acting career, appearing in Sally Potter's 1992 film of Virginia Woolf's Orlando, in Isaac Julien's 1989 Looking for Langston, and in an episode of the cult science fiction television series Lexx ("Girltown").
In February 2021, Somerville teamed up with producer Sally Herbert (formerly of 1990s duo Banderas and also part of The Communards' backing band) to record a cover of "Everything Must Change" by Benard Ighner as a charity record for End Youth Homelessness, a network of projects which includes Centrepoint in London and a number of other homeless charity organisations around the UK.