The Smalltown Boy Parents Trend: How to Do It, What the Song Means, and the AI Version

What is the Smalltown Boy parents trend?

In 2024 TikTok filled up with the same scene: a teenager or young adult asks a parent to show how they danced in the ’80s, the falsetto of “Smalltown Boy” starts, and the parent lights up. Dads sway and stomp, moms raise their arms over their heads, and a few pull out the moonwalk or the robot. The videos are tagged #80sDanceChallenge, #80sChallenge and #80sDance, and the Miami Herald and The Advocate both covered the wave of parents “getting groovy” to the song.

The charm is that it isn’t rehearsed. Many parents say the song triggers muscle memory: they hear the intro and dance without thinking, the way they did in a club forty years ago.

The song: “Smalltown Boy” by Bronski Beat

“Smalltown Boy” was the first single from Bronski Beat’s 1984 album The Age of Consent, sung by Jimmy Somerville. It tells the story of a bullied gay kid who leaves home with everything he owns in a little black case, because “the love that you need will never be found at home”. At the time it was one of very few openly queer pop songs, and it meant a lot to queer listeners. That history is part of why the trend struck a chord: a song about leaving a family that didn’t understand you became a song families now dance to together.

How to do the Smalltown Boy trend with your parents

1. Ask the question: “Show me how you danced in the ’80s.” Don’t tell them the song in advance; the surprise is half the video.
2. Film vertically with the whole body in frame, in a room with space to move.
3. Start recording before the music, so you catch the moment they recognise the intro.
4. Play “Smalltown Boy” out loud, from the start of the song.
5. Post it on TikTok with the “Smalltown Boy” sound and the 80s dance challenge hashtags. Ask your parents before you post.

If your parents won’t dance: the AI version

Not every parent wants to dance on camera, and some live far away. If they are fine with an AI version, Smalltown Boy Dance AI makes a 21-second dance video from two photos, with the song built in. It recreates a newer Smalltown Boy clip, not a parent video: two people in front of an orange fence take turns screaming into the camera, dance side by side, then rush the lens for a fisheye finale.

• Photo 1 screams first (the lavender T-shirt in the original), photo 2 screams second (the plaid shirt).
• Use one photo per person, waist up or full body, facing the camera, in good light.
• It works for mom and dad, you and a parent, friends, a couple, or your cats and dogs.
• Every video is HD 720p, portrait, and costs 100 credits. Packs start at $9.90, with no subscription.
• Only use photos of adults who agreed to appear.

For the full walkthrough of the AI clip, see how to make the Smalltown Boy dance AI video.