The Ordinary Boys (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Ordinary Boys" is a song performed by Morrissey
on his album Viva Hate
. It was written by Morrissey
and his producer Stephen Street
.
In this song Morrissey sings of his own inability as a child and teenager to escape what he felt was the stifling ordinariness of Manchester life and looks at those vacuous boys and heartless "supermarket clones/who think it's very clever to be cruel to you" who are able to find happiness despite their "ordinary" lives.
The idea of being isolated and trying not to be dragged down by the mediocrity around you is used along with almost a jealous feeling of the "ordinary" boys and girls, especially in the line "With their lives laid out before them they are lucky".
The title of the song was later adopted by the band The Ordinary Boys
, the singer of which also decided to only go by his surname, Preston.
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
on his album Viva Hate
Viva Hate
Viva Hate is Morrissey's debut solo album, released on 14 March 1988 by HMV Records. The album was considered a very strong foray into Morrissey's solo career, as he utilised his traditional lyrical style and retained the basic sound that The Smiths had developed by the time they broke up. It...
. It was written by Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
and his producer Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
.
In this song Morrissey sings of his own inability as a child and teenager to escape what he felt was the stifling ordinariness of Manchester life and looks at those vacuous boys and heartless "supermarket clones/who think it's very clever to be cruel to you" who are able to find happiness despite their "ordinary" lives.
The idea of being isolated and trying not to be dragged down by the mediocrity around you is used along with almost a jealous feeling of the "ordinary" boys and girls, especially in the line "With their lives laid out before them they are lucky".
The title of the song was later adopted by the band The Ordinary Boys
The Ordinary Boys
The Ordinary Boys are an English indie rock band from Worthing, in West Sussex, England. Originally named Next in Line, they were influenced by mod revival and Britpop music, as well as the bands Madness, The Specials, The Kinks and The Smiths...
, the singer of which also decided to only go by his surname, Preston.