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Our House (Madness song)

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"Our House"
Song

"Our House" is a single by English ska/pop band Madness, from their UK album The Rise & Fall and their US compilation Madness. Released in November 1982, it peaked at #5 in the UK singles chart and was their biggest hit in the United States, reaching #7 in the Billboard chart in 1983. Though Madness produced many successful singles over a period of twenty years, 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.[1]

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.[2] 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 and played in a 2007-8 series of TV advertisement for Bird's Eye in which Suggs appeared. The advertisement for the 2008 ABC reality game show Opportunity Knocks also features the song playing in the background.

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.

Music Video

The video depicts the band acting out the song's lyrics in an old mews. The song's lyrics mostly describe the daily activities in the house, with some of the band portraying the "family." The video cuts between scenes of the "family", the band playing in a living room, and exterior shots of various other houses including Buckingham Palace.

Track listing

  • 7" single
  1. "Our House" - 3:23
  2. "Walking with Mr Wheeze" - 3:31
  • 12" single
  1. "Our House (Extended Mix)" - 6:00
  2. "Our House (7" Version)" - 3:23
  3. "Walking with Mr Wheeze" - 3:31

Legacy

  • The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming each episode after an 80s hit song, named an episode after this song.
  • In the Young Ones episode "Sick", Madness appear as musical guests and play the song amidst a street riot.

References

  1. ^ http://www.madness.co.uk/time/1983/text.htm
  2. ^ [1]
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