50 Fun Facts About Madness (Band)

Madness formed in 1976 in which part of north-west London?

They were regulars at the Dublin Castle pub there, and in 2020 got a stone on the Camden Music Walk of Fame.

Madness took their name from a song by which Jamaican ska artist, honoured in their first single?

The debut single 'The Prince' was a tribute to him, and 'One Step Beyond' was a cover of one of his B-sides.

Prior to settling on Madness, the band briefly went by which name?

They had started out in 1976 as the North London Invaders.

Suggs was once thrown out of the band for too often preferring to do what instead of rehearsing?

Keyboardist Mike Barson kicked him out; he was let back in by 1978 after filling in temporarily on vocals.

What is Suggs's real name?

He was born in Hastings in 1961 to a Scottish father and a Welsh jazz-singer mother.

Madness's first single, 'The Prince' (1979), came out on which label founded by Jerry Dammers?

The label's contract let acts leave after one single, and Madness promptly did.

Which label released the debut album One Step Beyond... and most of the band's early-80s hits?

Label boss Dave Robinson also insisted that 'House of Fun' needed a chorus, which was then dubbed on after the fact.

Which producing duo debuted with One Step Beyond... and later worked with Elvis Costello, Dexys and Bowie?

The album was recorded and mixed in about three weeks and stayed on the chart for more than a year.

The 'Nutty Train' sleeve photo on One Step Beyond... was inspired by a roadie for which band?

Cameron McVey shot it; Ian Dury's earlier band had used a similar pose on the back of Handsome.

The song 'One Step Beyond' was originally the B-side of which 1964 Jamaican ska single?

Buster's version was mostly instrumental; the Madness version added a spoken intro from Chas Smash.

How many UK number-one singles have Madness had?

'House of Fun' in 1982 is the only one, though it also topped the Irish chart along with 'Wings of a Dove'.

'House of Fun' was originally recorded under what working title, prior to a chorus being added?

The keyboardist wrote the chorus on the spot at the label boss's insistence, and it had to be edited into the finished recording.

Which Madness song was their biggest US hit, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100?

It was written by Chas Smash and Chris Foreman and won Best Pop Song at the 1983 Ivor Novello Awards.

Suggs said he deliberately wrote 'Baggy Trousers' in the style of which artist?

He contrasted his own school memories with Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall', which came from a public-school world he did not know.

'It Must Be Love' was a cover of a 1971 song by which singer-songwriter?

Madness took it to number 4 in 1981 and number 6 again on re-release in 1992.

Which 1980 Madness single did Lee Thompson write about his teenage sister's pregnancy?

The real story had a happy ending once his niece was born; the song reached number 4.

The keyboardist got the idea for 'My Girl' from a co-worker while doing what job?

The workmate kept saying 'my girl did this, my girl did that'; Barson sang the original demo himself.

Which Hollywood actor introduced himself by name on a 1984 single, sampled specially for it?

The song is about an informer during the Troubles; the actor only agreed after his daughter told him how popular the band were.

Who sang lead vocals on the 1984 single about an informer, in place of Suggs?

He also took lead on 'Wings of a Dove' and the spoken intro to 'One Step Beyond'.

'Driving in My Car' was notable for sampling what into its percussion using a Fairlight synthesiser?

Revving engines and honking horns became instruments, an unusual use of sampling in 1982 outside hip hop.

'Wings of a Dove' featured a gospel choir and which other unusual instrumentation?

It peaked at number 2 in the UK and number 1 in Ireland, and later turned up in 10 Things I Hate About You.

Which Madness song has passed into cockney rhyming slang as a term for a giro, or benefit cheque?

Written by the keyboardist and Suggs, it has one long verse followed by an even longer sax-led instrumental, and often closes their gigs.

Which 1981 single, the first from the album 7, marked a darker departure from the band's ska sound?

The keyboardist wrote it back in the North London Invaders days; people have suggested it is about nuclear holocaust, which he found amusing.

Madness's 1981 film in which the members played themselves recreating their early days was called what?

They financed it themselves; Chris Foreman called it 'a semi-serious film, more a documentary'.

The Rise & Fall (1982) was often compared to which Kinks album?

Initially conceived by Chas Smash as a concept album about childhood nostalgia, it was never released in the US.

On which TV comedy did Madness perform 'Our House'?

The anarchic sitcom regularly booked bands to play in the middle of episodes.

Which Japanese company used Madness in a series of TV commercials for a hatchback and a folding scooter?

They sang 'In the City' and a reworked 'Driving in My Car' for the Honda City and Motocompo.

Which member's departure was announced in January 1984 after he tired of the music business and moved to Amsterdam?

He had been the band's musical lynchpin, and had taken to hiding his face in photographs before he left.

On 4 October 1983 the band were discussing a TV series being written for them by which comedy duo?

That was the meeting at which the keyboardist announced he was leaving, so the series never happened.

After leaving Stiff, the six remaining members formed their own label, a Virgin sub-label called what?

Its name is a nod to the 2000 AD comic slang; the later reunion-era label was Lucky 7.

Which 1985 album did Suggs later describe as a 'polished turd'?

It reached only number 16, their lowest album placing, though NME later put it at 55 in an all-time list.

The 1986 farewell single, released as the band split, was called what?

The departed keyboardist rejoined for the recording but did not appear in the video.

Which four-piece spin-off, signed to Virgin, released an album in 1988 after the split?

Suggs, Carl Smyth, Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman regrouped in 1987 and recorded at Liquidator Studios.

The 1992 reunion concerts, Madstock!, were held in which London park?

More than 75,000 fans came over the weekend, and their dancing made nearby tower blocks shake.

Which Madstock! 1992 support act was heckled off after performing with a Union Jack before a skinhead backdrop?

Chas Smash later said he 'chose to present himself a certain way and he has to live with that'.

The Madness jukebox musical Our House won an Olivier Award in 2003 and ran at which London theatre?

Suggs himself played the central character's father for a period of the run.

In 2004 the band played low-key gigs of reggae and ska covers under what alias?

It marked their 25th anniversary and produced The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1, during which Chris Foreman briefly quit.

The Liberty of Norton Folgate (2009) took its title from what?

The ten-minute title track tells the social history of the area; the album reached number 5.

In June 2012 Madness played 'Our House' and 'It Must Be Love' from the roof of which building?

It was the Diamond Jubilee concert; two months later they opened the Olympic closing ceremony.

At the London 2012 Olympics, Madness were the first act to perform at which event?

It capped a summer that also included the roof of Buckingham Palace.

Which member left in October 2014 to pursue a solo career and has not rejoined since?

His solo album A Comfortable Man followed in 2015; Suggs called the band 'a dysfunctional family'.

Which 2023 album became Madness's first ever UK number-one studio album?

It was their thirteenth studio album, more than 44 years after their debut.

Madness share the record for most weeks on the UK singles chart in the 1980s, 214, with which group?

Their peak ran from 1980 to 1986, with 16 top-ten singles in all.

Which honour did Madness receive in 2000 for Outstanding Song Collection?

'Our House' had already won them an Ivor for Best Pop Song back in 1983.

The 2019 single 'Bullingdon Boys' was described by the NME as a swipe at which politician?

The full title adds '(Don't Get Bullied by the Bully Boys)'.

Madness's 2019 group autobiography was titled what?

All seven members contributed, and it became a three-part TV documentary in 2021.

Which 1980 Madness album, home to 'Baggy Trousers', reached number 2 in the UK?

Absolutely reached number 2 in 1980; Rolling Stone sniffed that the band were 'the Blues Brothers with English accents'.

Which pair of Madness members formed the ska band The Nutty Boys and released the album Crunch! in 1990?

The name came from the band's old 'nutty' image; the album was their only one.

Suggs's mother, who raised him in Hastings, worked as what?

His Scottish father had left by the time he was three.

Which Liverpool band did Suggs manage and produce from 1990 to 1992, including their number-one album Spartacus?

He also produced their top-ten hits 'Groovy Train' and 'All Together Now' during the Madness hiatus.