Our House (Madness song)
Encyclopedia
"Our House" is a single by English
ska
/pop
band Madness
, from their UK
album The Rise & Fall and their US
compilation Madness.
and was their biggest hit in the United States, reaching #7 in the Billboard Hot 100
in 1983. Though Madness produced many successful singles over a period of twenty years especially in their native United Kingdom, the enormous American popularity of "Our House" means that they are often regarded as one hit wonders in the USA (though technically they are two hit wonders in America, as their version of "It Must Be Love" also subsequently entered the US top 40). It won Best Song at the May 1983 Ivor Novello awards
.
A musical
called Our House
, featuring Madness songs, ran in London
's West End
between October 2002 and August 2003. A recording of the show was broadcast on BBC Three
and was released as a DVD. 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. The original recording was also used as the theme for a 1998 ITV
docusoap series, The Estate Agents, as well as for a 2004 American reality game, House of Dreams. The song also featured in a 2007-8 series of TV advertisements for Bird's Eye in which Suggs appeared, 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 Christmas
time commercial for Verizon. In 1985 'Our House' was the theme song for a children's drama series, 'Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest
. The version featured on the show was performed by the cast members.
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
.
in 1984, Madness performed Our House on the episode Sick of The Young Ones
.
In 2009, 'Nan's Christmas Carol', a Christmas special of The Catherine Tate Show
, featuring the most popular character featured an appearance of Madness playing Our House outside Nan's flat, before she sends them away shouting 'This is madness!'
In 2010, in "It's The Great Pancake, Cleveland Brown", an episode of The Cleveland Show
, after finding their home has been vandalised, Donna tells Cleveland "That's our house!", which Cleveland responds with "In the middle of our street? That's madness."
In 2011 a spoken word version was used in a UK advert for telecommunications firm Virgin Media
.
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
. It was filmed near Willesden Junction.
("Stretch mix" is a mostly instrumental edit of the Extended mix)
appeared in a scene of Sixteen Candles
which was released two years after the song. It was composed after the studio was unable to use the song.
The song was also sampled by ska
band Kid British
on their 2009
single Our House Is Dadless
.
Eminem
and Limp Bizkit
collaborated on a heavily modified version of the song in 2000.
The song's verse was parodied in the Horrorpops
song "MissFit".
The song was sampled with Jingle Bells in a 2010 ad for verizon.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
, from their UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
album The Rise & Fall and their US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
compilation Madness.
About
Released in November 1982, it peaked at #5 in the UK singles chartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and was their biggest hit in the United States, reaching #7 in the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1983. Though Madness produced many successful singles over a period of twenty years especially in their native United Kingdom, the enormous American popularity of "Our House" means that they are often regarded as one hit wonders in the USA (though technically they are two hit wonders in America, as their version of "It Must Be Love" also subsequently entered the US top 40). It won Best Song at the May 1983 Ivor Novello awards
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
.
A musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
called Our House
Our House (musical)
Our House is a musical with music and lyrics from Madness and the book by Tim Firth. The show featured songs from the ska/pop band Madness, and was named after one of their popular hit singles, "Our House"...
, featuring Madness songs, ran in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
between October 2002 and August 2003. A recording of the show was broadcast on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
and was released as a DVD. An altered version of the song was used in a Maxwell House
Maxwell House
Maxwell House is a brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Foods. Introduced in 1892, it is named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. For many years until the late 1980s it was the largest-selling coffee in the U.S. and is currently second behind...
commercial and the real version was featured in a montage for an episode of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy, My Family. The original recording was also used as the theme for a 1998 ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
docusoap series, The Estate Agents, as well as for a 2004 American reality game, House of Dreams. The song also featured in a 2007-8 series of TV advertisements for Bird's Eye in which Suggs appeared, 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
2010 in television
2010 in television may refer to:*2010 in American television*2010 in Australian television*2010 in British television*2010 in Canadian television*2010 in Japanese television...
, a mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
and Our House, created by New York music and audio branding company Expansion Team, was used in a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
time commercial for Verizon. In 1985 'Our House' was the theme song for a children's drama series, 'Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest
Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest
Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest was a television drama series which centered around the lives of Michael "Dodger" Dolan and his sister, Carol who were part of a large foster family in London. It was aired in the early evenings on the ITV channel's Children's ITV. There were two series of six episodes...
. The version featured on the show was performed by the cast members.
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
Mr. Bloe
Mr. Bloe was the name given to the musicians who performed the single "Groovin' With Mr. Bloe" which was a hit for Dick James Music . These included Harry Pitch or Ian Duck on harmonica, and Zack Laurence on piano....
.
in 1984, Madness performed Our House on the episode Sick of The Young Ones
The Young Ones
The Young Ones may refer to:* The Young Ones , a 1961 musical starring Cliff Richard.** The Young Ones , the soundtrack to the film.*** "The Young Ones" , the film's title track....
.
In 2009, 'Nan's Christmas Carol', a Christmas special of The Catherine Tate Show
The Catherine Tate Show
The Catherine Tate Show is a British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate and Aschlin Ditta. Tate also stars in all but one of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. The Catherine Tate Show airs on BBC Two and is shown worldwide through the BBC...
, featuring the most popular character featured an appearance of Madness playing Our House outside Nan's flat, before she sends them away shouting 'This is madness!'
In 2010, in "It's The Great Pancake, Cleveland Brown", an episode of The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
, after finding their home has been vandalised, Donna tells Cleveland "That's our house!", which Cleveland responds with "In the middle of our street? That's madness."
In 2011 a spoken word version was used in a UK advert for telecommunications firm Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
.
Music video
The video depicts the band acting out the song's lyrics in an old mewsMews
Mews is a primarily British term formerly describing a row of stables, usually with carriage houses below and living quarters above, built around a paved yard or court, or along a street, behind large city houses, such as those of London, during the 17th and 18th centuries. The word may also...
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
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
. It was filmed near Willesden Junction.
Track listing
- 7" single
- "Our House" - 3:23
- "Walking with Mr. Wheeze" - 3:31
- French 7" single
- "Our House (Stretch mix)" - 3:45
- "Walking with Mr. Wheeze" - 3:31
("Stretch mix" is a mostly instrumental edit of the Extended mix)
- 12" single
- "Our House (Extended Mix)" - 6:00
- "Our House (7" Version)" - 3:23
- "Walking with Mr. Wheeze" - 3:31
- U.S. 12" single
- "Our House (Dance mix)" - 5:02
- "Mad House (Our House dub mix)" - 4:35
Cover versions
An instrumental mirroring the second verse and chorus of the song composed by Ira NewbornIra Newborn
Ira Newborn is an American musician and composer, best known for his work composing motion picture soundtracks....
appeared in a scene of Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
which was released two years after the song. It was composed after the studio was unable to use the song.
The song was also sampled by ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band Kid British
Kid British
Kid British, often stylised as KiD BRiTiSH, are a British band from Manchester, United Kingdom. The band is composed of Adio Marchant, James Mayer, Sean Mbaya, Simeon McLean, Dominick Allen, Mykey Wilson and Matt Herod.-History:...
on their 2009
2009 in music
The following is a list of notable events and releases in 2009 in music. Susan Boyle's album I Dreamed a Dream became the biggest selling album in the world for 2009, selling 8.3 million copies in five weeks; more than any other artist's in the whole year...
single Our House Is Dadless
Our House Is Dadless
Our House Is Dadless is the fourth single by British Ska and Indie band Kid British.The track samples Our House by British ska band Madness.The single was released on July 4, 2009 on Digital Download.The single entered the UK Singles Chart at #63....
.
Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
and Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
collaborated on a heavily modified version of the song in 2000.
The song's verse was parodied in the Horrorpops
HorrorPops
HorrorPops are a Danish punk band that formed in 1996. The band's sound is rooted in psychobilly, pop punk, rockabilly, and new wave.-History:...
song "MissFit".
The song was sampled with Jingle Bells in a 2010 ad for verizon.
Charts
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
5 |
| USA | 7 |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
17 |
| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
4 |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
1 |
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
4 |