Bound for success
With a catchy hook, chant inspiring lyrics and a social conscious theme, this single will certainly not signal the death of The Ordinary Boys. Quite simply it is a great single for the Boys to follow this year's success at T in the Park and Oxygen with. Immediately their musical influences are apparent from The Kinks to The Ruts. 'Life Will Be the Death of Me' is very reminiscent of The Jam and at times you expect 'Going Underground' to be sung, especially after the opening chords, but yet the band has managed to make this an original song that is bound to be a hit.
The song deals with the pressures on today's youth, how it is "their birthright to be discontented" and how if older generations had it so bad why can they not explain how. With such a theme it seems strange for a soft instrumental break to occur half way through but this actually works in building up to a riotous ending. The Ordinary Boys may have been influenced by the punk scene but ultimately they are too main stream to be punk and in the case of this single, that is no bad thing as the song is brilliant. All attempts to suppress sudden sing along outbursts to this are fruitless as it soon gets into your head and you can not help but join in loudly, even if you only keep repeating the chorus, which is basically the single's title. It is hard not to like The Ordinary Boys, after all, when a band sings about how the world is not lemon scented; you know that they are bound for success!