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Our House (Madness song)

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"Our House"
File:Madness - Our House.jpg
Song by Madness
from the album The Rise & Fall
B-side"Walking with Mr. Wheeze" (UK)
"Cardiac Arrest" (US)
Released12 November 1982
Recorded1982
Genre
Length3:23
Label
  • Stiff (UK)
  • Geffen (US)
Songwriter(s)
  • Chris Foreman
  • Cathal Smyth
Producer(s)
  • Clive Langer
  • Alan Winstanley

"Our House" is a song by English ska and pop band Madness. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, The Rise & Fall, on 12 November 1982. The song charted within the top ten in multiple countries and won Best Pop Song at the May 1983 Ivor Novello Awards.[3]

About[]

Released in November 1982, it peaked at #5 in the UK singles chart.[4] In 1983, "Our House" was their biggest hit in the US, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] On the US dance chart the song peaked at #21.[6] It receives constant airplay by radio stations.

The B-side, "Walking With Mr. Wheeze", is an instrumental with occasional scratch mix effects. The title is a play on "Groovin' With Mr. Bloe", an instrumental hit of 1970 by the session group Mr. Bloe.[7] In 1984, Madness performed Our House on the episode "Sick" of The Young Ones.[8]

Music video[]

The video depicts the band acting out the song's lyrics in an old Victorian terraced house. The song's lyrics mostly describe the working-class family lifestyle, and the band acts them out by portraying such a family in the video. The band plays their instruments in the living room, prepares for work and school as the family plays squash and relaxes in a hot tub. The video also includes exterior shots of various other houses including Buckingham Palace. The property that featured in the video is a terrace house on Stephenson Street in north west London, near Willesden Junction.[9]

Media use[]

In 1985 "Our House" was the theme song for a children's drama series, Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest.[10] The version featured on the show was performed by the cast members.

A 1992 episode of Spitting Image featured a satirical version of the song highlighting the negative equity crisis being faced by many British homeowners at the time.

The original recording was also used as the theme for a 1998 ITV docusoap series, The Estate Agents.

A musical called Our House, featuring Madness songs, ran in London's West End between October 2002 and August 2003.[11] A recording of the show was broadcast on BBC Three and was released as a DVD.[12]

An altered version of the song was used in a Maxwell House commercial and the real version was featured in a montage for an episode of the BBC comedy, My Family,[13] as well as for a 2004 American reality game, House of Dreams.

The song also featured in a 2007-08 series of TV advertisements for Bird's Eye in which Suggs appeared,[14] as well as an advertisement for the 2008 ABC reality game show Opportunity Knocks, and in episode 4 of season 3 of US TV show Brothers & Sisters, during the yard sale scene.

In 2010, a mashup of "Jingle Bells" and "Our House", created by New York music and audio branding company Expansion Team, was used in a Christmastime commercial for Verizon. [citation needed]

At the 2012 Olympic Games Madness performed "Our House" in the closing Olympic ceremonies during an elaborate light show with scores of dancers.[15]

An altered version of the song is used in a 2014 TV advertisement for Chemist Warehouse.[16]

In Chile, the song was used in the spot of Chilean Canal 13 TV series Papá Mono.[17]

Track listing[]

  • 7" single
  1. "Our House" – 3:23
  2. "Walking with Mr. Wheeze" – 3:31
  • French 7" single
  1. "Our House (Stretch mix)" – 3:45
  2. "Walking with Mr. Wheeze" – 3:31
  • US 7" single
  1. "Our House" - 3:20
  2. "Cardiac Arrest" - 2:58

("Stretch mix" is a mostly instrumental edit of the extended mix)

  • 12" single
  1. "Our House (Extended Mix)" – 6:00
  2. "Our House (7" Version)" – 3:23
  3. "Walking with Mr. Wheeze" – 3:31
  • U.S. 12" single
  1. "Our House (Dance mix)" – 5:02
  2. "Mad House (Our House dub mix)" – 4:35

Charts[]

Chart (1982/1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 17
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[19] 15
Canada (CHUM)[20] 3
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[21] 1
songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS 8
Ireland (IRMA)[22] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[24] 49
Norway (VG-lista)[25] 4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 4
UK Singles (OCC)[28] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 7
US Hot Dance Club Play [6] 21
US Cash Box[30] 5

References[]

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Madness Presents the Rise & Fall at AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Glenn Gaslin; Rick Porter (1 January 1998). The Complete, Cross-referenced Guide to the Baby Buster Generation's Collective Unconscious. Boulevard Books. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-57297-335-0. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "1983 Winners". Ivor Novello Awards. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "Madness". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Madness". Billboard Hot 100. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 163.
  7. ↑ "Mr. Bloe". imuzdb.com. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "The Youg Ones - Sick". imuzdb.com. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "It's Madness! Iconic terrace home featured in 1980s Our House pop video sells for more than £500K (Suggs not included)". Daily Mail. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest Episode Guide". IMDb. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Our House". www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  12. ↑ " Our House - The Musical: BBC3 cast list" BBC Archived 31 January 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "May family - Reloaded". IMDb. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "Birds Eye – In Our House". www.tvadmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony - Madness singing Our House". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
  16. ↑ Chemist Warehouse TV (2014-08-10), "Our House" 2014 Chemist Warehouse TV Ad (45s), retrieved 2017-03-28
  17. ↑ [1]
  18. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989, part 1". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Madness – Our House" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  20. ↑ CHART NUMBER 1388 – Saturday, August 20, 1983 at the Wayback Machine (archived 13 February 2006). CHUM.
  21. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6286." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  22. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Our House". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  23. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Madness – Our House" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  24. ↑ "Charts.nz – Madness – Our House". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  25. ↑ "Topp 20 Single uke 10, 1983 – VG-lista. Offisielle hitlister fra og med 1958" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  26. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Madness – Our House". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Madness – Our House". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  28. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  29. ↑ "Madness Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  30. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 6, 1983 at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 September 2012). Cash Box magazine.

External links[]

See also[]

  • The Young Ones
  • List of number-one singles of 1983 (Canada)
  • List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden

Template:Madness

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