The band consisted of members Samuel Preston (vocals, guitar), William J. Brown (guitar), James Gregory (bass), and Simon Goldring (drums), who replaced Charles “Chuck” Stanley in 2005.
Despite their limited success on the UK charts, their popularity grew, particularly due to media coverage that the lead singer, Samuel Preston, received when participating in Celebrity Big Brother UK in January 2006. Following that appearance, sales of the band's albums increased and the "Boys Will Be Boys" single moved from #33 to #3 in four weeks. Fans of the band were nicknamed "The Ordinary Army".
Notable songs include "Maybe Someday", "Talk Talk Talk", and "Seaside" from their debut album; "Boys Will Be Boys" from their second album; and "Over the Counter Culture", which was featured in the soundtrack for Burnout 3: Takedown. Their single "Lonely at the Top" marked a change of sound, with more of a pop feel to it; featuring synthesisers and samples.
Yahoo! UK revealed that The Ordinary Boys was the fourth most searched for keyword of 2006 in their annual top ten search results.
The song "Boys Will Be Boys" featured in the fifth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The band was also referenced in episode five ("Smoke and Mirrors") of series two of The IT Crowd.
In early 2008, lead singer Preston confirmed the band's split through the official Ordinary Boys website, and announced he was writing new material for a solo album. Though it was apparently completed in 2009, the album was never released.
The Ordinary Boys will be reuniting in December 2011 for a UK tour. There is no involvement from William Brown or James Gregory and the band have recruited a new guitarist, bassist and keyboard player, along with original member Sam Preston and drummer at the time of split, Simon Goldring. They have also made a new song called "Run This Town."
They reformed in 2014 going on a mini tour around the UK.
Bubble
The Ordinary Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To everyone you've ever known
Nothing grand to celebrate
With all the people that you hate
Half an hour spent in the bath
Dry your hair in the aftermath
... Johnny and a Stanley knife
Either way the nights are right
And I can never tell
If your heaven is my hell
And I can't understand
Whether you enjoy your callous plan
Your little bubble follows me everywhere
Inside your bubble where you just don't care
You throw yourself about everywhere
Your little bubble
Friday night and you're on the phone
To everyone you've ever known
Nothing grand to celebrate
With all the people that you hate
And I can never tell
If your heaven is my hell
And I can't understand
Whether you enjoy your callous plan
Your little bubble follows me everywhere
Inside your bubble where you just don't care
You throw yourself about everywhere
Your little bubble
Your little bubble follows me everywhere
Inside your bubble where you just don't care
You throw yourself about everywhere
Your little bubble
Your little bubble follows me everywhere
Inside your bubble where you just don't care
You throw yourself about everywhere
Your little bubble
The Ordinary Boys' song "Little Bubble" is a rather gritty and introspective look at the isolation and detachment someone might feel in their own little world. The lyrics describe someone on a Friday night, disconnected from everyone, calling those they dislike or have a complicated relationship with. The person seems to be in their own world, living out their own version of events and desires, and is unable to relate to or understand others. The chorus suggests that this person's little bubble of detachment and disconnect is following the singer everywhere, and the repeated line "Your little bubble" reinforces this idea.
The lyrics reflect an underlying sense of frustration and confusion as to why this person is living their life this way. The line "And I can never tell / If your heaven is my hell" seems to suggest that these two individuals are fundamentally different and might never see eye to eye. The final line, "Your little bubble" is delivered in a tone that hints at the tragedy of the situation - the idea that someone spending their life in isolation can never truly connect with others and might be doomed to repeat the same flawed patterns of behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
Friday night and you're on the phone
It's Friday night and you're calling everybody you know.
To everyone you've ever known
You're calling everybody you've ever met.
Nothing grand to celebrate
There's nothing important going on, no special occasion to celebrate.
With all the people that you hate
You're hanging out with people you don't like.
Half an hour spent in the bath
You spent thirty minutes in the bathtub.
Dry your hair in the aftermath
After finishing your bath, you dried your hair.
... Johnny and a Stanley knife
Johnny and a Stanley knife are a mystery, but perhaps they represent impulsiveness and danger.
Either way the nights are right
The nights are always right, no matter what happens.
And I can never tell
I can never figure out.
If your heaven is my hell
If you're happy doing things that make me miserable.
And I can't understand
I can't comprehend.
Whether you enjoy your callous plan
If you relish your insensitive scheme.
Your little bubble follows me everywhere
Your self-absorbed world follows me wherever I go.
Inside your bubble where you just don't care
Inside your self-centered world where you don't care about others.
You throw yourself about everywhere
You act recklessly and irresponsibly.
Your little bubble
Your self-centered world where you only care about your own desires.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SAMUEL DYLAN MURPHY PRESTON, WILLIAM JONATHAN BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind