Ruin My Life

Album: Harder Than It Looks (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Simple Plan frontman Pierre Bouvier sings about a verbal abuser. The singer doesn't specify the nature of their relationship – it may be a work colleague, a lover, or a relative - but for a time their cruel tongue preyed on the vocalist's mind. However, Bouvier learned not to let the nasty words get under his skin and they no longer preoccupy him.

    "Ruin My Life is a song about overcoming adversity, going through a difficult life situation, and not only surviving it," he explained, "but becoming an even stronger and more resilient version of yourself because of it."
  • The song features a vocal turn from Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley. Simple Plan and Sum 41 are both pop-punk bands from neighboring Canadian provinces that emerged around the same time, so it is surprising this is their first collaboration.
  • Pierre Bouvier and drummer Chuck Comeau wrote the song in early 2020. They had the idea of having Whibley featuring on one of their tracks and thought "Ruin My Life" would suit his voice. "We made a couple of slight changes to the song after I got involved, just so it'd fit my voice better, but it was a pretty seamless process altogether," Whibley told Kerrang! "Right away, I knew it was a good, catchy song, so it was largely a case of me turning the microphone on, hitting 'record' and singing my part!"
  • Songwriters and producers Zakk Cervini (Good Charlotte, Simple Creatures) and Chris Greatti (Grimes, Yungblud) helped with the writing of "Ruin My Life."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.