Our House (Madness song)

"Our House" is a song by British 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, being the band's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The song won Best Pop Song at the May 1983 Ivor Novello Awards.[3]

For other uses, see Our House.

"Our House"
Single by Madness
from the album The Rise & Fall
B-side
Released12 November 1982
Recorded1982
Genre
Length3:23
3:05 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(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)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

About

Released in November 1982, it peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] In 1983, "Our House" was their biggest hit in the US, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] On the US rock chart, the song peaked at No. 9, and also reached No. 21 on the US dance chart.[6] It received constant airplay by radio stations.

The B-side, "Walking with Mr. Wheeze", is an instrumental song. The title is a play on "Groovin' with Mr. Bloe", a 1970 instrumental hit by the session group Mr. Bloe.[7]

Music video

The band portrays a working-class family in the video, including one with a stubbly face, dressed in an apron and bonnet, playing the mother. The band members perform with their instruments in the living room, as they prepare for work and school. In some scenes, the family plays squash and relaxes in a hot tub. The video also includes exterior shots of other houses including the "Playboy Mansion," Stocks House in Aldbury, Hertfordshire,[8] and Buckingham Palace. The property that is featured in the video is a terrace house on Stephenson Street in north west London, near Willesden Junction.

In 1984, Madness made a guest appearance in the series 2 episode "Sick" of The Young Ones performing "Our House". They had previously appeared in series 1 performing "House of Fun".[9]

In 1985, "Our House" was the theme song for the children's drama series, Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest.

A musical called Our House, featuring Madness songs, ran in London's West End between October 2002 and August 2003.[10] A recording of the show was broadcast on BBC Three and was released as a DVD.[11]

The song also featured in a 2007-08 series of TV advertisements for Bird's Eye in which Suggs appeared.[12] It was also used in Maxwell House ads in Canada.

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

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

The song has been adapted into an anthem by fans of football club Aston Villa to refer to centre back Kortney Hause.[14]

This song has also been adapted for the Australian-run Chemist Warehouse for their TV Spot commercials and in store radio. Replacing the lyrics "Our House, in the middle of our street" with "Chemist Warehouse, in the middle of our street" as referring to a Chemist Warehouse being close to or near a residential or urban area.[15]

Recently, the song was also sampled in a commercial for HyVee, with a few of the lyrics modified to match the theme of the commercial.

Track listing
  • 7" single (Stiff Records - BUY 163)
  1. "Our House" – 3:23
  2. "Walking with Mr. Wheeze" – 3:31
  • 7" single (Stiff Records - BUY JB 163)
  1. "Our House (Special stretch mix)" – 3:45
  2. "Walking with Mr. Wheeze" – 3:31
  • US 7" single (Geffen Records - 7-29668)
  1. "Our House" - 3:20
  2. "Cardiac Arrest" - 2:58

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

  • 12" single (Stiff Records - BUYIT 163)
  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 (Geffen Records - 0-29667)
  1. "Our House (Dance mix)" – 5:02
  2. "Mad House (Our House dub mix)" – 4:35

Charts
Chart (1982–83) 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
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 49
Norway (VG-lista)[23] 4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 4
UK Singles (OCC)[26] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[27] 7
US Hot Dance Club Play [6] 21
US Cash Box[28] 5
Year-end chart (1983)Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[29] 53
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[30] 64

See also

References
  1. "CLASSIC TRACKS: Madness 'Our House'". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  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. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  4. "Madness". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  5. "Madness". Billboard Hot 100. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 163.
  7. "Mr. Bloe". imuzdb.com. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  8. Reed, John (17 November 2011). House of Fun: The Story of Madness. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857127150.
  9. Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, and Lise Mayer (writers); Geoff Posner (director) (23 November 1982). "Boring". The Young Ones. Season 1. Episode 3. BBC Two.
  10. "Our House". www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  11. " Our House - The Musical: BBC3 cast list" BBC Archived 31 January 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Birds Eye – In Our House". www.tvadmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  13. "[Video] Canal 13 estrenó spot de su nueva serie 'Papá Mono'". www.cooperativa.cl (in Spanish).
  14. "Aston Villa fans have come up with this brilliant new chant". Birmingham Mail.
  15. "First brand campaign for Chemist Warehouse keeps it real with 'Our House' jingle by Madness". Marketing Mag.
  16. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989, part 1". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Madness – Our House" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  18. "CHART NUMBER 1388 – Saturday, August 20, 1983". Archived from the original on 13 February 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). CHUM.
  19. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6286." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  20. "Offiziellecharts.de – Madness – Our House". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  21. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Our House". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  22. "Charts.nz – Madness – Our House". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  23. "Topp 20 Single uke 10, 1983 – VG-lista. Offisielle hitlister fra og med 1958" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  24. "Swedishcharts.com – Madness – Our House". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  25. "Swisscharts.com – Madness – Our House". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  26. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  27. "Madness Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  28. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 6, 1983". Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Cash Box magazine.
  29. "Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 95 no. 52. 24 December 1983. p. TA-18.
  30. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
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