Our House by Madness

Album: The Rise & Fall (1982)

Charted: 5 7

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

This song describes a packed house filled with fond memories and bustling with activity. There were many like it in England (where Madness is from), especially in the '80s when a tough economy forced many young people to live with their parents. The song is filled with joyful nostalgia, but at the same time, the singer knows he should probably more out. We hear this voice of reason in the line "something tells you that you've got to move away from it."
This was written by Madness bass player/vocalist Carl Smyth and guitarist Christopher Foreman. The house where Smyth grew up inspired the lyric.
Madness was very popular in their native UK, where this was their 11th Top 10 hit. They barely got noticed in America though, where "Our House" was their only substantial hit. Much of the song's success in the US was down to its witty music video that went over well during the early days of MTV. It was also a time when British bands were trending in the States, with colorful acts like The Human League, Culture Club and Eurythmics making an impact.
"Our House" won the Best Song award at the 1983 Ivor Novello Awards.
The song's video features the band as a cloth-cap wearing family squashed into a terraced house. Drummer Dan "Woody" Woodgate recalled to Q Magazine August 2008: "The knocking-on-the-door bit where somebody comes out, goes, 'Where are they?' and the others sneak in and close the door... That's The Flintstones. We stole lots of ideas from the Keystone Kops and Benny Hill."
Frontman Suggs recalled to The Daily Mirror September 18, 2009: "This was the first time we worked with the string arranger David Bedford. It was clear to him what our records needed and he did great things for us. It's strange now to think we were so philosophical about such everyday things."
This was played in a 2007 TV commercial shown in the UK for Bird's Eye Fish Fingers, which features Suggs. In the advert, the Madness singer is sitting with a family at tea time. The daughter is studying for her school exams and asks Suggs where Omega 3 can be found. He offers the answer of Birds Eye Fish Fingers.
"Our House" is beloved in England, where it triggers waves of nostalgia. When Madness played it at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the crowd in Olympic Stadium gleefully sang along.

Comments: 11

Kevin Preston from Los Angeles CaliforniaWe all hear different things in songs. What struck me was the sense of nostalgia thinking back to a beloved house where everyone was together. Not so much that there was always a crowd there, but the simple peace of sleeping, getting dressed, off to school, and a mom taking care of everything. This is something so many of us have experienced in the same way. I love the line "Then we'd say nothing would come between us--Two dreamers" that feels to me that the individual is thinking that things would always be the way they were in that moment, playful, fun, and together...and realizing that as they grew up that was impossible. It is kind of moving.

As a funny side note, in the USA I was a suburban kid and we always lived in various "tract home" subdivisions, which I loved. Because I was always oriented to that, when I heard the line, "Our house, it has a crowd....There's always something happening", I thought it was "Our House in Desert Crown", which I thought was referring to the name of a subdivision, like we have in the states!!!
Zenmema from U.s.When this song came out it described my house as a teenager to a T. When I had teenagers, they and their friends used to randomly breakout joyously amd somewhat raucously singing this song followed by rounds of hugs of thanks for me providing "The House". Now that I'm raising my grandkids, they too sing this song to me, giggling with their frinds they've taught it to. Every child should have a house in the middle of the street they can go too and get ready to eventually move on from and start their life, whether it be their mum or the houses. Many thanks to Madness for writing a parenting philosophy that served many generations so far.
Mimijo from Upper Great LakesAgree with Thegnostic. This is a song with multiple levels. It is has more depth than CSNY's song, which I do like.
Thegnostic from ConnecticutI'm going to be an iconoclast here. This is a song about loss and profound regret. It starts by recounting the memory of childhood and daily activities. But by the second chorus, there is the realization that you have to leave. In the third verse, there is the foreshadowing of Mother's death ("She's the one they're going to miss…").
In the bridge, the singer talks of happy times, but acknowledges intentions ("…we'd say nothing would come between us") but follows that sarcastically with ("Two dreamers") because something DID come between them.
When the first verse is repeated, we are told ("Sister's sighing in her sleep"), but this time we do not hear her, for she, too, is gone.
The last chorus recognizes the duality of nostalgia. Our house was ("our castle and our keep"), but it was also just ("where we used to sleep").
This song is wonderfully joyous, but has a subtle sadness. It's one of my favorites.
Jjmurray from IrelandThis song was wrote about a woman called Minnie O'Neil. It was her house that they ran through when they were kids. I know this as I she was also my great aunt.
Ezequiel from Buenos AiresSomeone could tell me what question he said in the intro of our house?
Luke from Manchester, UkEsskayess, I think they might like it and since it bears no resemblance - apart from title - to their song, they wouldn't have a problem.
Esskayess from Dallas, TxI wonder what Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young thought of it.
Ed from Canton, OhWhen I heard this song this morning, I thought about our own house. We adopted twins yesterday and my oldest goes to college this week. We have 7 kids and it is "usually quite loud". I wonder if my kids will look back on our house fondly like this song does.
Eric from Indianapoils, InThis was also in a Folgers commercial a while back.

Well not the original song, but it was based off of it.
Roy from Arnhem, NetherlandsThis song also featured in the popular English comedy The Young Ones

see more comments

More Songfacts:

GloryJay-Z

Jay-Z's 2012 "Glory" features his daughter Blue Ivy Carter's cries and coos. At less than two days old, she became the youngest ever credited artist to feature on a Billboard chart when the song debuted on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at #74.

Ship Of FoolsWorld Party

One of the great "we're all going down" songs is "Ship Of Fools" by World Party, written when Margaret Thatcher was in power in England.

Doo Wop (That Thing)Lauryn Hill

"Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill was the only US #1 hit of the '90s entirely written, produced and performed by a female singer.

Country Grammar (Hot S--t)Nelly

Nelly's "Country Grammar" is a celebration of his hometown of St. Louis, which some folks from the coasts consider "country" because it's in the Midwest.

Master Of PuppetsMetallica

When Metallica performed in China in 2013, they weren't allowed to play "Master Of Puppets," probably because the theme of being controlled by a higher authority didn't sit well with the Chinese government.

Uptown FunkMark Ronson

The biggest hit of 2015 was "Uptown Funk," a collaboration between Bruno Mars and guitarist/producer Mark Ronson. Ronson says making it took "six or seven months of chasing Bruno around on tour."