My Life Story
It's a Girl Thing (It Records)
A delicious four minute slice of summer pop cake. The absence of the trademark
orchestration may disappoint - or at least surprise - the band's cult (read:
small) following, not least puffy-faced record label-backer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Still the simple guitar and synth-led arrangement works well while the sing-along
chorus - replete with what seems like a million na, na, nas - should make it
a favourite among singing milkmen. Or at least it would if it got on any radio
playlists. The CD cover shows a young lady quite literally photocopying her,
um, "girl's thing" but the song is essentially about how fickle women can be
in relationships - a notion which only one half of the population may truly
understand. It's a boy's record.
This single was reviewed by Warren Chrismas Q Online (www.qonline.co.uk), June 1999
MY LIFE STORY - It's A Girl Thing (IT Records)
After being reviled for sounding like a fairground carousel fronted by Kilroy,
MLS have wisely re-invented themselves as an electro-pop outfit. It's a less
risable development than it sounds, with a naggingly insistent hook reminiscent
of the much-lamented romo lairds Orlando. The only remnants of the bad old My
Life Sentence days are lyrics that name-check Viagra. Watch out for Jake Shillingford's
forthcoming odes to Sunny Delight and GM Nosh. Select, July 1999
MY LIFE STORY - IT'S A GIRL THING (IT)
Women - hardest game in the world, as any bloke would testify.
Jake Shillingford sums it up perfectly when he opens: "She removed your name
from the speed-dialler screen and now you don't exist" - sad, but oh so true.
We thought we'd seen the last of Jake and co. but Parlophone's loss is It's
gain if this is anything to go by.
This is the song Squeeze never wrote - instant pop at it's best, complete with
80s synth and a chorus to die for.
Women - doncha just love 'em?! BBC Ceefax, 09/06/99
My Life Story - It's A Girl Thing (It) Difficult not to be slightly disappointed with this. My Life Story are the
chrysanthemums in pop's Hanging Gardens Of Babylon and this pirouettes in all
the right places, but after so much expectation it's a pretty average comeback,
a bit like planning a raid on Fort Knox only to discover they've replaced all
the gold with aubergines. The Maker folds its arms cautiously, but the Youngers
(well, three of them) are swinging freely from the chandeliers. GI Jimmy D: "It's cool. It sounds just like Elvis Costello." Joe Northern: "It just passed me by. It's no my Single Of The Week. I
was outvoted by the rest of them. (Studying sleeve very closely) Is she
photocopying her arse or her minge, that's the question." Andi: "Both." JD: "But it's not one continuous thing between the arse and minge. You've
got Biffin's Bridge in between the two..." Liz: "Urrrgh, don't be disgusting." A: "Ha ha ha, I don't even know it had a name." JD: "They're a bit mental cos we did a gig with them the other day..." Who? Biffin Bridge? JD: "No. My Life Story! And this is a brave record. They do their own
thing." L: "It's very catchy. After one listen you know it well enough to sing.
'La-la-la-la, laa-la-la-la-la, la-la-laa'." All:"La-la-la-la, laa-la-la-la." Melody Maker - Younger Younger 28's review the singles, 12/06/99
IT'S A GIRL THING - My Life Story
My Life Story are back with a new twist to their unique brand of literate pop.
'It's A Girl Thing' mixes new wave and contemporary sounds with Jake Shillingford's
spot-on acerbic lyrics. Available on 2xCD, My Life Story deliver another brilliant
single - a classic summer song HMV Advert, 12/06/99
My Life Story
It’s A Girl Thing (It)
If the cover art on this single is anything to go by, 'it', in this case, would
appear to be photocopying one's fanny on the office copier. If, instead, you're
paying any heed to the lyrics (printed on the sleeve in an incomprehensible
act of hubris), it would appear that My Life Story are revisiting that playful
theme in pop where (snurk, yip) girls are marvelled at for sometimes liking
you, then - the fickle temptresses! - sometimes not liking you; a devilish problem
previously explored with infinitely more suss and melody by Space’s ‘Female
Of The Species’. Jake Shillingford- a Divine Comedy for those unbothered by
wit or taste - may be many things: an artist resoundingly dropped by a major,
a failure and not very good at all, but he is also probably very, very lonely.
Laugh at him. NME - 19/06/99
Dilly Osbahr in Birmingham writes on the e-mail:
I heard a great new single a couple of days ago called "It's a girl thing" and
I'm pretty sure it was on your show. Who is it by, and when is it out, because
it was brilliant!
'It's A Girl Thing' is the comeback single from My Life Story who have shed
their more usual orchestrations and signed to It Records. The single which has
become something of a session favourite over the last few weeks makes it into
your local record stores on the 7th June, with an album to follow in late summer
or early autumn. And if you want to see the new My Life Story Experience they'll
be playing the Evening Session stage at Reading on Saturday the 28th of August
and Leeds on the 29th August. And you can hear them in session with tracks from
their new album here on the Evening Session and Lamacq Live in the last week
in June. A listener's letter to Steve Lamaq's Evening Session webpage, June 1999
This page http://www.twelvereasonswhy.co.uk/music/mlsriagt.html
was created and is maintained by Richard Harrison
