Madness

Madness

A little something about Madness
Madness was another of the great ska bands that got their start on the 2-Tone label. While not as intense or political as their peers such as the Beat or the Specials, Madness brought a higher degree of playfulness to their music without sacrificing the energy. This playfulness is evident in Our House, the groups biggest international hit and most enduring work. Madness' debut single, The Prince, was relatively successful for an unknown band on a small label. They left 2-Tone for greener pastures, but continued to tour with 2-Tone bands the Specials and the Selector, a move which secured them a following among the British skinheads who had adopted ska as their music of choice. Violence broke out at a number of shows, and the bad press they received forced them to change the look of their shows, but not their nutty, heavy-heavy monster sound. With some 20 hits to their name, Madness drifted from the scene in the middle of the decade, while still building up their own studios and Zarjazz label. While many of the sounds of the early 1980s are echoed in today's popular music, not much has come close to recreating the energy and frivolity of Madness. In a period famous for its straight-faced, somber image (despite the shallowness of the music), Madness threw aside the facade and brought a welcome silliness to pop music. Their music is simply a joy to listen to, from the Beatles-inspired strings and lyrics of It Must Be Love to the dance floor beats of such tracks as Our House, Night Boat to Cairo and House of Fun.

Our House

Father wears his Sunday best
Mother's tired she needs a rest
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Brother's got a date to keep
He can't hang around

Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our ...

Our house it has a crowd
There's always something happening
And it's usually quite loud
Our mum she's so house-proud
Nothing ever slows her down
And a mess is not allowed

Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our ...

Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our ...
Something tells you that you've got to get away from it

Father gets up late for work
Mother has to iron his shirt
Then she sends the kids to school
Sees them off with a small kiss
She's the one they're going to miss
In lots of ways

Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our ...

I remember way back then when everything was true and when
We would have such a very good time such a fine time
Such a happy time
And I remember how we'd play simply waste the day away
Then we'd say nothing would come between us two dreamers

Father wears his Sunday best
Mother's tired she needs a rest
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Brother's got a date to keep
He can't hang around

Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street

Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our ...

Our house, was our castle and our keep
Our house, in the middle of our street

Our house, that was where we used to sleep
Our house, in the middle of our street

Our house, in the middle of our street