Our House (Madness song)

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"Our House"
File:Madness - Our House.jpg
Single by Madness
from the album The Rise & Fall
B-side "Walking with Mr. Wheeze" (UK)
"Cardiac Arrest" (US)
Released 12 November 1982
Format
Recorded 1982
Genre
Length 3:23
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Madness singles chronology
"Driving in My Car"
(1982)
"Our House"
(1982)
"Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)"/"Madness (Is All in the Mind)"
(1983)
Music sample

"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]

Though Madness produced many successful singles over a period of 20 years especially in their native United Kingdom, the enormous American popularity of "Our House" means that they are often regarded as a one hit wonder in the US (though their version of "It Must Be Love" also subsequently entered the US top 40).[5]

A musical called Our House, featuring Madness songs, ran in London's West End between October 2002 and August 2003.[7] A recording of the show was broadcast on BBC Three and was released as a DVD.[8] 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.[9] 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 2007-08 series of TV advertisements for Bird's Eye in which Suggs appeared,[10] 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. In 1985 "Our House" was the theme song for a children's drama series, Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest.[11] The version featured on the show was performed by the cast members. At the 2012 Olympic Games Madness performed "Our House" in the closing Olympic ceremonies during an elaborate light show with scores of dancers.[12] 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.[13] In 1984, Madness performed Our House on the episode "Sick" of The Young Ones.[14]

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.[15]

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)[16] 17
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[17] 15
Canada (CHUM)[18] 3
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] 1
Germany (Official German Charts)[20] 8
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 49
Norway (VG-lista)[24] 4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 4
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[27] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 7
US Hot Dance Club Play [6] 21
US Cash Box[29] 5

References

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  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Madness Presents the Rise & Fall at AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
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  8. " Our House - The Musical: BBC3 cast list" BBC Archived 31 January 2005 at the Wayback Machine
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  12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUxvOYTKa2M
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  17. "Ultratop.be – Madness – Our House" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  18. CHART NUMBER 1388 – Saturday, August 20, 1983 at the Wayback Machine (archived 13 February 2006). CHUM.
  19. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6286." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  20. "Officialcharts.de – Madness – Our House". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  21. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Our House". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Madness – Our House" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  23. "Charts.org.nz – Madness – Our House". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  24. "Topp 20 Single uke 10, 1983 – VG-lista. Offisielle hitlister fra og med 1958" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – Madness – Our House". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – Madness – Our House". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  27. "Archive Chart: 1982-12-12" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  28. "Madness – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Madness.
  29. 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