Street buskers perform all kinds of different songs to make a living.
Aside from their love of music, the coins and bills dropped in to their hats or whatever it is they use helps them pay the bills. And thanks to modern technology, a higher chance of exposure thanks to video recordings.
Still, the chances of running into the original singer of any song you might cover aren’t particularly big. When it does happen, it’s definitely a huge deal—and fortunately, it was captured on video in this performance.
In this clip, a busker sings “Smalltown Boy” by Bronski Beat.
Then all of a sudden, Jimmy Sommerville of Bronski Beat enters the scene and begins to sing along! Needless to say, Sommerville is the original singer of “Smalltown Boy” and the unexpected duet turned out perfectly.
Mr. Sommerville is famously known in particular for his powerful and soulful countertenor falsetto singing voice. It’s an amazing voice!
What are the odds of a Scottish singer bumping into a busker performing one of his 80’s classics?
This lovely performance took place in Berlin.
A street performer is leaning on the wall, he plays a beautiful blue guitar and has a hat in front of him.
There’s a big audience around him with phones in their hands, dancing to the song. And really, it already was a lovely moment for this street performer. But life just has a funny way of making things work out when you least expect it.
There’s a man who’s out walking his dog who stops as he passes by. He begins to sing along simply and the busker goes on with the show, visibly encouraged.
Some of the people in the audience have recognized that the guest is none other than Sommerville, and they start laughing.
Jimmy is a cool guy and does not snub the crowd or the busker.
In fact, when Sommerville gets closer and starts to sing, the busker stops his music and says,
“Oh wait, one two three!”
The appealing side is how musicians are ready to share the spotlight. It’s an incredible moment and their different voices blend perfectly.
This street performer is one lucky man!
When the original singer of a song approaches you and sings along with your performance of his song, you must be good at it.
We bet that the guy never dreamed of meeting Somerville, but incredible things still happen every day!
Sommerville acts down to earth as if there is nothing special about the fact that he came to sing.
In the end, the busker asks him: “Is that you?”
Sommerville laughs it off. Needless to say, it’s a pretty epic moment!
The most beautiful part is that this was definitely not staged. It is the real deal all the way!
What an amazing duet this was!
One word comes to a mind—stunning.
Sommerville waltzed up and helped with his own song, which is definitely not a common occurrence.
The busker’s mind was probably so blown that he had to take a few days to process this! We’re guessing he’s going to remember this for the rest of his life
It’s heart-warming when people do nice things like this.
Everything is priceless: the busker’s reaction, the pause, the count-in, and Jimmy’s dog who just wants to continue his walk.
Their voices complement each other perfectly, and you’ve got to love how Jimmy manages to hold the tone the whole time.
We would love it if Sommerville did an unplugged acoustic version, just like he sang it here—one clip is simply not enough!
This cool coincidence won almost 10 million views on YouTube.
The video was uploaded when Sommerville was 52 years old.
Despite his age, he still had his recognizable and amazing voice.
One of pop’s most unique vocals scored several hits since the 1980s and “Smalltown Boy” was the biggest one. In an interview, he explained his motivations for pursuing music: “I wanted people to love me.” We definitely love Sommerville’s funny gesture here that resulted in a moving video.
He continues to perform today as a solo artist and 2020 is full of upcoming concerts all over the UK.
Be sure to watch the fun performance in the link below!
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