My Girl (Madness song)

"My Girl" is a song by British ska/pop group Madness from their debut album, One Step Beyond.... It was written by Mike Barson.[1] The song was released as a single on 21 December 1979 and spent 10 weeks on the UK Singles Chart peaking at number 3.[2]

"My Girl"
Single by Madness
from the album One Step Beyond...
B-side"Stepping into Line", "In the Rain"
Released21 December 1979 (1979-12-21)
Recorded1979
GenreSka, 2-tone
Length2:44
LabelStiff
Songwriter(s)Mike Barson
Producer(s)Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley
Madness singles chronology
"One Step Beyond"
(1979)		 "My Girl"
(1979)		 "Work Rest and Play"
(1980)
Audio sample
  • file
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1992 reissue
Front cover of 1992 reissue

The song was reissued in 1992 following the success of the reissued "It Must Be Love". It reached number 27 in the UK Singles Chart.[3]

Song history

The song first made its way into the band's set when they were performing as The Invaders.[4] The first performance of the song came in July 1978, when it was performed by the band at the "Blind Alley Shop" and simply titled "New Song".[4] Barson originally performed lead vocals, and even sang on the demo for the song, having written the song about his then girlfriend, Kerstin Rodgers.[5] However, Suggs took over the vocal duties before long, and sang the album version of the song.[6]

When the group performed the song on Top of the Pops in January 1980, they were the first band of the new decade performing on the TV show.[7]

Music video

The music video for "My Girl" features Madness performing the song at the Dublin Castle pub, London.[6] For the video, the stage was extended especially, in order to ensure that the band could perform comfortably.[6]

Other versions

A demo version of "My Girl" was released on the B-side of the 12" version of "The Return of the Los Palmas 7", featuring Mike Barson on vocals. In 2006, The Ordinary Boys released a live recording of the song at the Brixton Academy featuring Suggs, as the B-side to their single "Nine-2-Five".

On 2 May 2008, Graham McPherson (Suggs) and Carl Smyth (Chas Smash) performed a new arrangement by Pet Shop Boys live at Heaven in London. They appeared as part of Pet Shop Boys' live set during the benefit evening for Dainton Connell's family, "Can You Bear It?".[8] A Pet Shop Boys version of the song appears on the Pet Shop Boys' Christmas EP, along with a remix of the song.

Barson wrote a follow-up song, "My Girl 2", which was recorded by Madness and released as a single in 2012. Though it contains the phrase "my girl", "My Girl 2" is otherwise musically and lyrically quite distinct from "My Girl".

Appearances

In addition to its single release and appearance on the album One Step Beyond... "My Girl" also appears on the Madness collections Divine Madness (a.k.a. The Heavy Heavy Hits), Complete Madness, It's... Madness, Total Madness and The Business.

Audio Bullys included it on their 2003 instalment of the Back to Mine series of 'after hours grooving' DJ mix albums, with Tom Dinsdale referring to it as "Classic Madness", adding "everyone should be able to relate to this tune".[9]

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "My Girl".

1979 release
7" vinyl single
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Girl"Mike Barson2:41
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stepping into Line"John Hasler, Graham McPherson, Chris Foreman2:16
12" vinyl single
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Girl"Barson2:41
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stepping into Line"Hasler, McPherson, Foreman2:16
2."In the Rain"McPherson, Lee Jay Thompson2:44

1992 release
7" vinyl single
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Girl"Mike Barson2:41
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Madness" (live)Cecil Campbell3:05
CD single, #1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Girl"Barson2:41
2."E.R.N.I.E." (live)McPherson, Foreman2:17
3."Embarrassment" (live)Thompson, Barson3:15
4."Tomorrow's Dream" (live)Thompson, Barson4:05
CD single, #2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Girl"Barson2:41
2."Precious One" (live)Thompson, Smyth3:40
3."My Girl" (live)Barson3:20
4."Disappear" (live)McPherson, Bedford2:33

The song "Precious One" is to date the only Madness original to have been released only as a live version and never in a studio version.

Chart performance
Chart (1980) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[2] 3
Irish Singles Chart[10] 3
Chart (1992) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[3] 27

My Guy's Mad at Me
"My Guy's Mad at Me"
Single by Tracey Ullman
from the album You Caught Me Out
A-side"My Guy"
B-side"Thinking of Running Away"
ReleasedMarch 1984
RecordedJanuary 1984
GenrePop
Length2:54
LabelStiff
Songwriter(s)Mike Barson
Producer(s)Peter Collins
Tracey Ullman singles chronology
"Move over Darling"
(1983)		 "My Guy's Mad at Me"
(1984)		 "Sunglasses"
(1984)

Tracey Ullman covered Madness's "My Girl" in 1984.[11] The title was changed to "My Guy", and the single was titled "My Guy's Mad at Me". Madness' Mark Bedford played bass on the track. Her version was in the UK Top 40 at the same time as Madness' "Michael Caine" and peaked at number 23.[12] The music video featured the British politician Neil Kinnock, at the time the Leader of the Opposition.[13] The single was also released as a 7" picture disc, with a picture of Ullman and Kinnock sitting at a table.

Formats and track listings
7" vinyl single
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Guy"Mike Barson2:54
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thinking of Running Away"Phil Chapman, Peter Collins, Tracey Ullman2:03
12" vinyl single
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Guy" (Extended version)Barson 
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Guy"Barson2:54
2."Thinking of Running Away"Chapman, Collins, Ullman2:03

Chart performance
Chart (1984) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[12] 23
Dutch GfK chart[14] 19
Dutch Top 40[15] 23
Irish Singles Chart[10] 7

References
  1. Greene, Jo-Ann. "One Step Beyond Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  2. "The Official Charts Company - Madness - My Girl". Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  3. "The Official Charts Company - Madness - My Girl 1992". Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  4. "The Ascent of Madness, 1978". Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  5. Rogers, Kerstin (18 June 2011). "For those about to rock: we sauté you!". Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  6. "The Ascent of Madness, 1979, part 2". Archived from the original on 16 July 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  7. "The Ascent of Madness, 1980". Archived from the original on 16 July 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  8. "Pet Shop Boys official website, see News section, 23 April 2008 and 3 May 2008". Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  9. Back to Mine: Audio Bullys liner notes
  10. "irishcharts.ie search results". Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  11. Woodstra, Chris. "You Caught Me Out > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  12. "The Official Charts Company - Tracey Ullman - My Guy". Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  13. Phibbs, Harry (1989). "A Decade of Revolution the Thatcher Years" (PDF). London: Adam Smith Institute. p. 76. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  14. "dutchcharts.nl - Tracey Ullman - My Guy's... ...Mad At Me (in Dutch)". Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  15. "Nederlandse Top 40, week 15, 1984 (in Dutch)". Retrieved 13 June 2009.
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