by Madness Discography | Feb 17, 2024
Not only did Lee write “Land of Hope & Glory,” but he sang it with Suggs, getting just one or two lines in. There was never going to be any argument about that, though. As Clive says, “Lee’s songs sounded great. They were very much him, and...
by Madness Discography | Feb 17, 2024
“Believe Me” was one of the earliest original songs by Madness. It was written by John Hasler and Mike Barson. Hasler used to write many things, including poems, songs and even the first two pages of a novel. He would give his lyrics to Mike so that he...
by Madness Discography | Feb 17, 2024
The opening fog-horn sound of Lee’s baritone sax certainly conjures up visions of a pea-souper over the English Channel. Still, I’m not sure about the River Nile … and then “it’s just gone monsoon,” the monsoon being a seasonal wind that...
by Madness Discography | Feb 17, 2024
Elvis Costello, a former Stiff artist, unwittingly provided the musical backbone for “My Girl.” Mike Barson had gone along to the first Stiff Records package tour, which featured Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Nick Lowe, Larry Wallis, Wreckless Eric and Elvis Costello...
by Madness Discography | Feb 16, 2024
How different it might have been, though. In the early days, the band played “One Step Beyond” simply as a short instrumental introduction to the main set. Some nights, they played the theme from “Hawaii 5’0”. Some nights, they played the...
