Citing their influences as Vitriolid, period; they formed in 1998. Jamie Lenman and Jon Pearce originally played with Jason Wilcock as Angel, sharing a local venue stage with other bands, one of which would become Hundred Reasons. In March 2000, they parted ways with Jason, and Mark Lawton joined as drummer, with whom they wrote and recorded the Pilot EP which was released in January 2001, after they changed their name to Reuben.
After the release of the Pilot EP Mark left the band and was replaced by the current drummer Guy Davis. Reuben released limited prints of three singles, starting with 'Scared Of The Police', which today has been known to fetch up to eighty pounds on eBay per copy, such is its rarity. This was followed by 'Stux (Tell Me It's Alright)' – again, a very limited print run – then the inescapable catchiness of single 'Let's Stop Hanging Out', which eventually started to grow the fanbase at a rapidly quickening speed, due to its popularity in the underground scene and on MTV2. The title track was re-recorded for the band's debut.
The debut album 'Racecar Is Racecar Backwards' was released eventually in June 2004, and since has sold over 10,000 copies, reaching #88 in the British Chart. Three singles were released from the album, 'Freddy Kreuger', 'Moving To Blackwater' and 'Stuck In My Throat'.
A second album (Very Fast Very Dangerous) and relentless touring (including shows with Hundred Reasons, Biffy Clyro, Engerica and Dive Dive) have bought the band to new ears around the UK and further afield.
The problems the band face can be summed up with the lyric '50 grand to make a fucking video'. Fans of Reuben are aware of how hard it has been for the band to release two full-length albums. They grafted away playing small shows for a few years before they could afford to release their debut 'Racecar Is Racecar Backwards'. Jamie Lenman (singer) still has to work at his local fish & chip shop to keep a steady income.
Their third album "In Nothing We Trust" is by far Reuben's most experimental work to date. Going for a more progressive style of writing.
This is the first album under the bands own record label "Hideous Records". This is so that the band has more control over the releasing of its material.
The first single off the album is 'Blood Bunny Larkhall' and the follow up single is 'Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin'.
Reuben recently released their first Christmas Record in December 2007, titled 'Christmas is Awesome'.
Singer and guitarist Jamie Lenman also played drums for the progressive rock band Caretaker from 2004-2008.
On 4th June 2008 Reuben announced on their website that they were taking a break, with no information about whether or not the band would return. Guy is currently looking for session work, so a return is highly doubtful.
On 24th July 2009 the Reuben website was updated to advertise a new rarities collection entitled "We Should Have Gone To University". The collection, set to be released on the 24th August 2009, contains every non-album track the band ever released as well as rare demos and session tracks. In addition to this there will also be a DVD included which contains the band's full set at 2007's Download Festival as well as interviews, documentaries and all of the band's music videos. The artwork for the collection has been drawn by singer Jamie Lenman and the collection will be released by the band's old label Xtra Mile Recordings.
Good Luck
Reuben Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a job I used to love
But then, one Saturday morning
My boss gave me the shove
He made it clear that
I was not needed any more
He'd had to hire in some other guy
But a few words in his defense
There was no bullshit pretense
And it made perfect business sense
So he sent me away
And I wanted to say
"OK. Good luck.
I hope I never see you again.
Good luck. Yeah."
There was this girl I slept with
She got inside my head
And when I say 'slept'
I don't mean just sex
I mean we shared a bed
I thought that we were married
I thought we'd be OK
But then she made it clear that
She didn't feel that way
She said "It was lovely at the start
But there's a space inside my heart
And I think we have grown apart
So go take a hike..."
Man I was just like
"All right. Good luck.
I hope I never see you again
'Cos if this is goodbye
Good luck. Good luck.
I hope I never see you again
'Cos if this is goodbye
I hope that you die"
'Cos if you hurt me
I will hate you
It's just as simple as that
It's not mature
And it's not progressive
But that doesn't alter the fact
That if you hurt me, I will hate you
If you hurt me, I will erase you
If you hurt me, I will hate you
If you hurt me, I will forget you
In Reuben's song Good Luck, the lyrics paint a picture of two situations in which the singer has been dealt a tough hand. In the first verse, the singer describes waking up early for a job he used to love, only to find out that his boss has fired him. While the singer acknowledges that his boss didn't pretend or sugarcoat the situation, and that it made good business sense, he can't help but feel hurt and angry. The chorus repeats the phrase "Good luck" as a sarcastic farewell, indicating that the singer holds a grudge and hopes to never see his boss again.
In the second verse, the focus shifts to a failed relationship. The singer describes a girl he slept with and thought he was married to, but who ultimately broke his heart by telling him they had grown apart. The chorus repeats the phrase "Good luck" again, this time with more bitterness and spite. The final lines of the song reveal the singer's true feelings: if someone hurts him, he will hate them and erase them from his life.
Overall, the song is about the pain of rejection and the difficulty of moving on from a situation or person that once meant a lot. The chorus's repeated use of the phrase "Good luck" adds a layer of irony and cynicism, suggesting that the singer doesn't really wish well for the people who have hurt him.
Line by Line Meaning
Long ago, I woke up early
In the past, I used to get up early
For a job I used to love
I used to have a fondness for the job
But then, one Saturday morning
However, on one particular Saturday
My boss gave me the shove
My boss terminated my employment
He made it clear that
He communicated clearly that
I was not needed any more
I was deemed surplus to requirements
He'd had to hire in some other guy
He had to employ someone else
While we were away on tour
During a time I was away on tour
But a few words in his defense
In his defense, I will say a few words
There was no bullshit pretense
He did not make any excuses
And it made perfect business sense
His decision was logical from a business perspective
So he sent me away
Thus, he dismissed me from my job
And I wanted to say
At that moment, I wished to express
"OK. Good luck.
"Okay, I wish you good luck
I hope I never see you again.
I hope to never have to see you again.
Good luck. Yeah."
Best of luck, yeah.
There was this girl I slept with
I had developed a romantic relationship with a girl
She got inside my head
She had a strong influence in my thoughts
And when I say 'slept'
By "slept", I do not only refer to sexual intimacies
I don't mean just sex
I did not only mean intercourse
I mean we shared a bed
But that we shared a life together
I thought that we were married
I believed that we were in a committed relationship
I thought we'd be OK
I believed we would be okay
But then she made it clear that
However, she communicated that
She didn't feel that way
She did not reciprocate my feelings
She said "It was lovely at the start
She expressed that at the beginning it was wonderful
But there's a space inside my heart
However, there is an emptiness inside her heart
And I think we have grown apart
She thinks that we have drifted away from each other
So go take a hike..."
Thus, she suggested that we part ways.
Man I was just like
In that moment, I felt
"All right. Good luck.
"Alright, I wish you good fortunes.
I hope I never see you again
I hope we never cross paths again.
'Cos if this is goodbye
Because this seems to be the end
Good luck. Good luck.
I wish you the best of luck. I really do.
I hope I never see you again
My hope is to never have to see you again
'Cos if this is goodbye
This is goodbye.
I hope that you die"
I wish for your death.
'Cos if you hurt me
Because if you cause me pain
I will hate you
I will have a strong feeling of dislike towards you.
It's just as simple as that
It is that straightforward.
It's not mature
It does not show maturity.
And it's not progressive
It is not a step forward
But that doesn't alter the fact
Even so, that does not change the truth
That if you hurt me, I will hate you
If you cause me emotional pain, I will loathe you.
If you hurt me, I will erase you
I will erase you from my life if you cause me emotional pain.
If you hurt me, I will hate you
If you cause me emotional pain, I will detest you.
If you hurt me, I will forget you
I will forget you if you cause me pain.
Contributed by James A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.