![Jimmy Somerville, photographed in New York City, circa 1990. His big hit – Smalltown Boy – was about millions of people who feel different and alone in the world. Above all, however, it was about himself.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/HCL4LA4YU5FDLOZBP2LDR4KDRQ.jpg?auth=931415355f0a93f558937b74df173b322643058c2b4339b01ffd81c494f891dd&width=414&height=233&smart=true)
The incredible success of ‘Smalltown Boy,’ the song about a young gay man who ran away from home
It was unthinkable that, in 1984 – during the conservative rule of Margaret Thatcher – a song about a young gay boy would become a success in the United Kingdom. But the tune – which was accompanied by a music video that portrayed him – went even further than that: it became a classic that touched the lives of several generations