The regular version of 'Wings of a dove' was released in a rather dull sleeve, but the picture disc is actually quite pretty. The B-side features a collage of band members, and the A-side shows, how appropriate, a dove. It must have helped sales: the single spent 10 weeks in the UK singles chart, peaking at number 2.
My collection: 7" single no. 8471
Found: 33 1/3 Schallplatten, Duisburg, 22 October 2026
Tracks: 'Wings of a dove' / 'Behind the 8 ball'
The strategy must have worked, because the single ended up peaking at number 4, which was just slightly lower than the charttopping 'House of fun', which preceded this single release a few months earlier, also in 1982. Then again, Madness routinely released picture disc 7" singles at that time - and now, over four decades later, I am still hunting them down.
My collection: 7" single no. 7762
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 September 2025
Tracks: 'Driving in my car' / 'Animal farm'
This picture disc replicates the picture sleeve of the regular single, but in a different colour.
My collection: 7" single no. 7338
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Tomorrow's just another day' / 'Madness is all in the mind'
'House of fun' was released as a one-off single on 14 May 1982 and reached number one in the UK singles chart, spending nine weeks in the charts. The song was re-released in 1992, reaching number 40. It is the band's only number one single in the UK and in 2015 the British public voted it as the nation's 8th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.
The song is about coming of age. The lyrics tell the story of a boy on his 16th birthday attempting to buy condoms at a chemist. The UK age of consent is 16, and he makes a point of stating that he is "16 today and up for fun". However, the boy is misunderstood by the chemist, as he asks for the condoms using slang euphemisms, such as "box of balloons with a featherlight touch" and "party hats with the coloured tips". The confused chemist behind the counter eventually informs the boy that the establishment is not a joke shop, and directs him towards the "House of Fun".
My collection: 7" single no. 7221
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 1 June 2024
Tracks: 'House of fun' / 'Don't look back'
My collection: 7" single no. 7190
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 April 2024
Tracks: 'Yesterday's men' / 'All I knew' // 'Yesterday's men (Harmonica mix)' / 'It must be love (Recorded live at Brighton Conference Centre, 5 March 1983)'
Of course, there are exceptions. Poster sleeves and picture discs are always interesting, and so I am introducing this double single featuring 'Michael Caine' and a picture disc of 'The sun and the rain' almost at the same time. The song is about an informant during the Troubles, and the lyrics suggest a state of paranoia and mental disintegration. It is named after English actor Michael Caine and includes his vocal samples, recorded specifically for this song.
My collection: 7" single no. 7128
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2024
Tracks: 'Michael Caine' / 'If you think there's something' // 'The sun and the rain' / 'Fireball XL5'
'Wings of a dove' was released by Madness in 1983 as a stand-alone single. In 1984 it was included on the American version of their album 'Keep moving'. The single spent 10 weeks in the UK singles chart, peaking at number 2.
Mike Barson wrote 'Grey day', which was performed for the first time by Madness in 1978 at Acklam Hall, while the band were still known as 'The North London Invaders'. The song was finally recorded in 1981, when it was released as a single in April, the first single from Madness's third album '7'.
'Baggy trousers' was included on Madness' 1980 album 'Absolutely' and released as a single in September 1980. Written by lead singer Suggs, the lyric of the song reminisces on school days. The band first began performing the song at live shows in April 1980.
'My girl' first made its way into the Madness's set when they were performing as The Invaders. The first performance of the song came in July 1978, when it was still titled 'New song'. Mike Barson, who wrote the song about his girlfriend at the time, originally performed lead vocals and even sang on the demo for the song. However, Suggs took over the vocal duties before long, and sang the album version of the song.
Released in May 1982, 'House of fun' is to date the only number one hit in the UK for Madness. It was released by Madness in between albums. The track did not appear on any previous or subsequent studio album - although it was obviously included in compilation albums, the first one being 'Complete Madness', released in 1982.
Not included on any of Madness's original studio albums, 'Driving in my car' was a single released in July 1982. From the video and most of the lyric, the track is about a Morris Minor that was used by the group in the early years before band became famous. 
Released in November 1982, 'Our house' reached number 5 in the UK singles chart. The single was also a big success in America, where it peaked at number 7. The song subsequently won an Ivor Novello award for 'best song'.
'One better day' was not a hit in the Netherlands, but the video was shown regularly on music channels broadcasting from the UK, where the single peaked at number 17 in the summer of 1984. I thought the video was incredibly funny for reasons I could not exactly explain.
After all the fun and games of Madness' previous work, 'Yesterday's men' suddenly sounded stern and serious. What's more, the single signalled the beginning of the end for the band. Mike Barson, who was one of the founders of Madness and a principal songwriter, left the band in October 1983, partly because he lived in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The band left their label Stiff records in 1984 and started releasing records on their on Zarjazz label. In 1985, that label released the album 'Mad not mad', from which 'Yesterday's men' was taken. The single peaked at number 18 in the UK charts. Two further singles stalled below that position.
'Shut up' was another single drawn from Madness' 1981 album '7'. The lyric of the song tells a story of a criminal who, despite obvious evidence, tries to convince people he is not guilty. Even though the song is called 'Shut up', the two words do not appear in the lyric. However, they were the final words of an additional verse which was part of an early version of the song.
'Cardiac arrest' was taken from Madness's third album '7' (1981). It spent 10 weeks in UK Singles chart, peaking at number 14. In the Netherlands the single was officially released as a double A-side with 'In the city', although my (Dutch) copy still says 'Side 2' for 'In the city'. It peaked at number 15 in the Dutch Top 40.
'Embarrassment' was Madness' sixth single and lyrically one of their darkest tracks up to that point. Primarily written by Lee Thompson, the song reflected the unfolding turmoil following the news that his teenage sister, Tracy Thompson, had become pregnant and was carrying a black man's child. The song describes the following rejection by her family, and the shame felt.
'Tomorrow's just another day' is was taken from Madness's fourth album 'The rise and fall'. It peaked at number 8 in the UK singles chart in February 1983. It was released as a double A-side with the track 'Madness (Is All in the Mind)'.
When Madness released 'It must be love', I preferred the B-side, 'Mrs. Hutchinson' to the A-side. For some reason the radio stations played that track quite often, too, so the single was treated like a double A-side. 'It must be love' was a cover of the song by Labi Siffre. The tracks were taken from Madness's third album '7', which marked a departure from their original ska sound.