"Local Boy in the Photograph" is the first single by

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Stereophonics Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zind ...

. The song is taken from their debut album, ''

Word Gets Around ''Word Gets Around'' is the debut studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It was released on 25 August 1997 through V2 Records and reached number six in the UK Albums Chart, making it one of three Stereophonics albums not to reach numbe ...

'' and was released on 17 March 1997. The song reached number 51 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. On 9 February 1998, the song was re-released and reached number 14 on the same chart.

Title and lyrics

During an interview with Sky Arts HD after his performance at the Hay Festival in June 2010, Kelly Jones explained the meaning of a few of his songs and said that "Local Boy in the Photograph" was based on the true story of local boy Paul David Boggis, who was killed by a train travelling between

Cwmbach Cwmbach is a village and community (and electoral ward) near Aberdare, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Cwmbach means 'Little Valley' in Welsh (Cwm = valley, Bach = little). Cwmbach has a population of 5,117 (mid-2017 estimate). ...

and

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...

. All the songs on the album are about people and events in the

area.

Stuart Cable

Following the death of former Stereophonics drummer

Stuart Cable Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics. Early life Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 10 ...

, a campaign was launched on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

to get the song to number one in the UK charts. On 13 June 2010 it re-entered the UK charts at number 60.

Track listings

All music written by

Kelly Jones Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and a founding member, lead singer, and guitarist of the rock band Stereophonics. Early life and debut Kelly Jones was born youngest of three boys for Beryl and Arwyn Jones in the s ...

, Richard Jones and

. All lyrics composed by Kelly Jones; Except where indicated.

Initial release (1997)

Re-release (1998)

Personnel

Stereophonics *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Richard Jones –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Charts

Certifications

Other versions

* A live version was included on the "

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

" single, live from Belfort Festival. * A semi-acoustic version recorded for Radio One was released on the "

Just Looking ''Just Looking'' is a 1999 American comedy-drama film. Directed by Jason Alexander and written by Marshall Karp, it stars Ryan Merriman, Gretchen Mol, Peter Onorati, and Patti LuPone. The film's plot follows Lenny, a teenage boy from the Bronx ...

" single. * A live version was included on the " Moviestar" single, recorded at SECC, Glasgow. * A live version was included on the band's first

Live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, "

Live from Dakota ''Live from Dakota'' is the first live album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It is a 2-disc compilation featuring 20 tracks spanning the first five of the band's albums and capturing the best of their 2005 world tour. Rather than being a r ...

References

External links

Local Boy in the Photograph
at Stereophonics.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Local Boy in the Photograph Songs about children 1997 singles 1997 songs Songs based on actual events Songs written by Kelly Jones Stereophonics songs V2 Records singles