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.
Lights Out
Reuben Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm tired of being tired,
Bored of being bored,
(But I don't wanna be lonely)
She's looking at me,
And I cannot see,
A place we agree,
I don't make her laugh,
I don't make her smile,
I don't make her move,
(But I don't wanna be lonely)
And I'm mouthing these words,
I'm dying to say,
To someone I think I know,
"It's a joke got out of hand,
But I think I understand"
And it won't be long before I get the guts,
To risk loneliness and do these things I must,
To ignore my head and put all my trust in my heart,
'Cause I don't want this,
No, I don't want this, no, no,
Here's how it is,
You like the idea,
Of someone around,
('Cause you don't wanna be lonely)
It's not about you,
It's not about me,
It's not about us at all,
It's a story so old it's been told and re-told,
And if I want my freedom, I've got to be bold,
It's a shame and it's a crime,
I have wasted all this time,
'Cause I've known for months all the moves to make,
And goodbyes, they give me a belly ache,
So no "One last kiss for old times' sake"
'Cause I'm gone,
Yeah,
Thrown again,
Thrown again,
Thrown again, oh,
Yes, let's talk about all the things we have in common,
If these are mistakes then I would make them all again,
It's so unbelievable you actually exist,
Let's make this a memory of us, 'Cause we've got
Lights out, sound low,
I wanna know, how far can this go?,
Lights out, sound low,
I wanna know, how far can this go?,
Lights out, sound low,
I wanna know, how far can this go?,
Lights out, sound low,
I wanna know, how far can this go?,
'Cause we were born for tonight,
For this very moment,
We were born for tonight,
For these secrets stolen,
Lights out...
The song "Lights Out" by Reuben is a reflection of the fear of loneliness and the longing for connection. The verse opens with the singer expressing tiredness and boredom, but quickly qualifying that what they really fear is loneliness. The chorus reiterates this theme, with the repeated phrase "I don't wanna be lonely." The second verse introduces a love interest, but the singer struggles to connect with her. He recognizes that the problem is not just about him, but rather an issue with "us" in general.
The lyrics then pivot to a realization that the best course of action is to take a risk and follow one's heart. The singer acknowledges that there has been a prolonged delay in starting this process, and that goodbyes will be difficult. The last few lines of the song describe a moment of intense intimacy between the two characters, as the lights go out and the volume is turned down. The singer expresses a desire to understand the limits of this connection, to see how far it can go.
Overall, Reuben's "Lights Out" speaks to the universal fear of loneliness and the transformative power of human connection. It encourages listeners to be brave, to take risks, and to trust in the power of the heart to overcome fear and doubt.
Line by Line Meaning
So here's how it is,
This is how things stand as of now
I'm tired of being tired,
I'm exhausted of being exhausted
Bored of being bored,
I'm fed up of being fed up
(But I don't wanna be lonely)
But I don't desire to be alone
She's looking at me,
She's staring at me
And I cannot see,
I can't find a way to agree
A place we agree,
We can't find a mutual ground
(But I don't wanna be lonely)
But I don't want to feel loneliness
I don't make her laugh,
I can't make her laugh
I don't make her smile,
I can't make her smile
I don't make her move,
I can't make her move
(But I don't wanna be lonely)
But I don't want to experience solitude
And I'm mouthing these words,
And I'm silently saying these words
I'm dying to say,
I'm eager to say
To someone I think I know,
To someone I believe I'm familiar with
"It's a joke got out of hand,
"It's a prank that went too far
But I think I understand"
But I think I comprehend now
And it won't be long before I get the guts,
Soon I'll have the courage
To risk loneliness and do these things I must,
To take a chance and carry out what I have to
To ignore my head and put all my trust in my heart,
To disregard my mind and have faith in my heart
'Cause I don't want this,
Because I don't want this
No, I don't want this, no, no,
No, I don't want this, no, no
Here's how it is,
Here's how the situation stands
You like the idea,
You're fond of the concept
Of someone around,
Of having someone nearby
('Cause you don't wanna be lonely)
(Because you don't want to be alone)
It's not about you,
It's not just about you
It's not about me,
It's not just about me
It's not about us at all,
It's not about either of us
It's a story so old it's been told and re-told,
It's a tale so ancient it's been recounted several times
And if I want my freedom, I've got to be bold,
And if I desire liberty, I need to be brave
It's a shame and it's a crime,
It's unfortunate and unjust
I have wasted all this time,
I've squandered all this time
'Cause I've known for months all the moves to make,
Because I've been aware of all the steps to take for months
And goodbyes, they give me a belly ache,
Farewells make me feel queasy
So no "One last kiss for old times' sake",
So, no phrase like "One last kiss out of nostalgia"
'Cause I'm gone,
Because I'm leaving
Thrown again,
Disappointed once again
Thrown again,
Let down again
Thrown again, oh,
Deceived again, oh
Yes, let's talk about all the things we have in common,
Certainly, let's discuss all the similarities we share
If these are mistakes then I would make them all again,
If these are errors, then I would repeat them all over again
It's so unbelievable you actually exist,
It's so incredible that you genuinely exist
Let's make this a memory of us,
Let's make this a memorable moment shared by both of us
'Cause we've got
Because we possess
Lights out, sound low,
Lights off, volume reduced
I wanna know, how far can this go?,
I'm curious, how much potential does this have?
Lights out, sound low,
Lights off, volume reduced
I wanna know, how far can this go?,
I'm curious, how much potential does this have?
Lights out, sound low,
Lights off, volume reduced
I wanna know, how far can this go?,
I'm curious, how much potential does this have?
Lights out, sound low,
Lights off, volume reduced
I wanna know, how far can this go?,
I'm curious, how much potential does this have?
'Cause we were born for tonight,
Because we were meant for this night
For this very moment,
For this exact moment
We were born for tonight,
We were meant for this night
For these secrets stolen,
For these stolen secrets
Lights out...
Lights off...
Contributed by Nora V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sexyharambae
many years and still listening. never found a band more truly loved and appreciated in all this time. shame there just wasn't enough of us. genuinely sad every time I listen because I know I will never see them live again. RIP Reuben, the best rock band of my time.
Matt Butler
i love this song! where can i download it i been wantin to download it for a long time? its a catchy tune! :-D
1zv
one of the best UK bank rock songs of the 00s
sayjunglelove
god i fucking loved this band and this tune!!!
Steve Bradley
This song!!!!!
dragythuno
I've spoken to Jamie and he refuses to even speak of the band. It's so sad. His record label almost ruined him... and his music is amonst the best i've ever heard.
Brian Davis
muchas gracias mate!!!!
downtownhashbrown
please, please, please, come back. and come to the u.s. for a little tour. please. i only just discovered you a few months ago. dunno what rock i was under but, no matter there is no denying their greatness. hooked from note one that i heard from reuben. fan for life
brianedification
where the hell can you buy it?
brianedification
ive tried those, i found out the reason i couldnt was cos i am in australia