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.
Over The Counter Culture
The Ordinary Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well that's right where you belong,
You try to sever your ties with the London skies,
But you've got the whole thing wrong
You try to be so different,
As does everybody else,
Create your own distinctions,
Over the counter culture,
With your cards and catalogs,
The mainstream wipes the river bed clean,
You're just wrong,
You're just, wrong
You think you followed your heart again,
Now it's in to be out,
Destroy the plans and just start again,
Don't pretend to not pretend at all
Over the counter culture,
Well you live your life in waves,
Last years dream was a terrible scheme,
And this new fad will fade
Let's see, what can we be now?
That hasn't been done before?
Shut your eyes,
Look inside.
The lyrics of "Over the Counter Culture" by The Ordinary Boys dive into the themes of individuality and identity amidst a society that values the mainstream culture. The song highlights the frustration of people trying too hard to be different by creating their own stereotypes and showcasing them as a form of rebellion. The title itself, "Over the Counter Culture," is a play on words that represents the idea of purchasing a prescribed rebellion from a store, which results in a culture that lacks authenticity.
The first verse reflects on how some people try to separate themselves from the common culture, seeking a different lifestyle, and yet end up following the same trends despite the efforts. The line, "You try to sever your ties with the London skies, but you've got the whole thing wrong" indicates how the character seems to be trying to break free from the mainstream culture, but in reality, they're just conforming to a pre-existing counter-culture.
In the following verse, the song reflects on how everyone wants to be unique, but they end up creating their own stereotypes and flaunt them as a way of standing out, which again leads to conforming to a particular counter-culture, resulting in a lack of innovation.
The chorus emphasizes the blunt reality that no matter how much you try to be different or stand out, the mainstream culture will find a way to appropriate it, and you're just wrong to assume that you're truly unique.
The bridge of the song proposes a solution to the problem of conformity and the mainstream culture, suggesting that we should look within ourselves for true differentiation that cannot be appropriated or copied by anyone else, shutting our eyes, and looking inside.
Line by Line Meaning
Over the counter culture,
The non-conformist attitudes that can be bought and sold in a consumerist society
Well that's right where you belong,
You are a product of the system you are trying to rebel against
You try to sever your ties with the London skies,
You want to break away from your current environment and change your lifestyle
But you've got the whole thing wrong
You are not truly making a difference and are just following a trend
You try to be so different,
You strive to be unique and stand out from the crowd
As does everybody else,
But in trying to be unique, you are actually conforming to a new standard
Create your own distinctions,
Develop your own personality traits and characteristics
And flaunt them for yourself
Show off your individuality and embrace your true self
With your cards and catalogs,
Advertising tactics are used to sell counterculture as a commodity
The mainstream wipes the river bed clean,
Popular culture dominates and eliminates any trace of counterculture movements
You're just wrong,
Your attempts at being different are misguided and ineffective
You're just, wrong
Your actions are not truly rebellious or groundbreaking
You think you followed your heart again,
You believe you are making independent decisions and following your inner voice
Now it's in to be out,
What was once considered out of the ordinary is now popular and mainstream
Destroy the plans and just start again,
Abolish your preconceived ideas and begin anew
Don't pretend to not pretend at all
Be genuine in your quest to be unique and different
Well you live your life in waves,
Your life is characterized by highs and lows or trends and fads
Last years dream was a terrible scheme,
Your previous aspirations were foolish and impractical
And this new fad will fade
The latest trend will also eventually lose its appeal and become outdated
Let's see, what can we be now?
What new trend or counterculture movement can we create?
That hasn't been done before?
Is it possible to come up with something completely original?
Shut your eyes,
Ignore what others are doing and focus on your own ideas
Look inside.
Find inspiration within yourself and be true to who you are
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SAMUEL DYLAN MURPHY PRESTON, WILLIAM JONATHAN BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sirfartsalot6
The trumpet solo at the end always hit differently when you're going over 200mph
@mickguinness4036
BURNOUT 3!!
@JonCrs10
It hits differently because you went 200mph straight into an oncoming semi
@projectdelta50
Crash FM. FTW
@muscletone718
The lyrics on this song are genius and aged so painfully well lol
@Spleemce
Ok I'm checking the lyrics
@TheFonz8
@@Spleemcewhat’d you find
@Spleemce
@@TheFonz8 i remember I checked them, but I either they didn't do a lot for me or i didn't get them or maybe I was in one of my running all over the internet days and they didn't have a chance cause my focus was off xd you like the lyrics?
@EpicFishFingers
Heard this song at a party where people were putting on random songs using Spotify. When this song came on, I immediately recognised it, then remembered every moment I could recall from Burnout 3 And that's wehy I'm here now, listening to B3's soundtrack :) Thanks for uploading
@thecopyrightedracer4210
That trumpet at the end is so good