Released in November 1982, it peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. "Our House" was their biggest hit in the US, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983. On the US rock chart, the song peaked at No. 9, and it reached No. 21 on the US dance chart. It received heavy airplay by radio stations.
The B-side, "Walking with Mr. Wheeze", is an instrumental. The title is a play on "Groovin' with Mr. Bloe", a 1970 instrumental hit by the session group Mr. Bloe.
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. The family play squash and relax in a hot tub. The video includes exterior shots of other houses, such as the Playboy Mansion, Stocks House in Hertfordshire, and Buckingham Palace. The domestic property 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".
A musical called Our House, featuring Madness songs, ran in London's West End between October 2002 and August 2003. A recording of the show was broadcast on BBC Three and was released as a DVD.
In Chile, the song was used in the theme song of Chilean Canal 13 TV series, Papá Mono. The song has been adapted into an anthem by fans of football club Aston Villa, to refer to centre back Kortney Hause. The song is used in TV commercials for HyVee. The lyric and verses are slightly modified to match with the commercial's theme. "Our House" appears in a 2021 TV commercial for Allstate. The song was featured in a Dead Ringers parody of Jeremy Vine's Radio 2 programme on 9 July 2021.
Our House
Madness Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mother's tired, she needs a rest
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep (ah)
Brother's got a date to keep, he can't hang around
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
Our house, it has a crowd
There's always something happening
And it's usually quite loud
Our mum she's so house-proud
Nothing ever slows her down and a mess is not allowed
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our (something tells you that you've got to move away from it)
Father gets up late for work
Mother has to iron his shirt
Then she sends the kids to school
Sees them off with a small kiss (ah)
She's the one they're going to miss in lots of ways
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
I remember way back then when everything was true and when
We would have such a very good time, such a fine time
Such a happy time
And I remember how we'd play, simply waste the day away
Then we'd say nothing would come between us
Two dreamers
Father wears his Sunday best
Mother's tired, she needs a rest
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Brother's got a date to keep, he can't hang around
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
Our house, was our castle and our keep
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, that was where we used to sleep
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street, our house
"Our House" by Madness is a nostalgic and upbeat song about a typical family and their busy household. The lyrics describe the daily routines and occurrences in the house, from the father wearing his Sunday best to the mother ironing his shirt and sending the kids off to school with a small kiss. The song also describes the constant noise and hustle and bustle that goes on in the household with kids playing downstairs and the sister sighing in her sleep. The mother is proud of her house and keeps everything in order, not allowing a mess to accumulate.
The song evokes a sense of longing for the happy times of the past, with the singer remembering the days when everything was true and they would waste the day away playing with their friends. The song speaks to the universal experience of growing up and moving away from one's childhood home, but also cherishing the memories and experiences that were had there.
Line by Line Meaning
Father wears his Sunday best
The father dresses in his best clothes, usually reserved for special occasions, such as church services
Mother's tired, she needs a rest
The mother is exhausted and needs to take a break from her daily activities
The kids are playing up downstairs
The children are causing trouble and being noisy on a lower level of the house
Sister's sighing in her sleep (ah)
The sister is sighing while she is sleeping, possibly indicating that she is not getting quality rest
Brother's got a date to keep, he can't hang around
The brother has a scheduled appointment or engagement and cannot stay for long
Our house, in the middle of our street
The physical location of the house is situated in the center of the street where they reside
Our house, it has a crowd
The house often has a lot of people, possibly due to its location or the family's social activities
There's always something happening
The house is always bustling with activity or events taking place
And it's usually quite loud
The house is frequently noisy or boisterous due to the number of people and events happening there
Our mum she's so house-proud
The mother takes pride in keeping the house tidy and presentable
Nothing ever slows her down and a mess is not allowed
The mother is always busy and does not tolerate a messy, disorganized environment
Father gets up late for work
The father often wakes up later in the day than necessary for his job
Mother has to iron his shirt
The mother has the responsibility of making sure the father has an ironed shirt for work
Then she sends the kids to school
The mother assists in getting the children ready and off to school
Sees them off with a small kiss (ah)
The mother gives a small kiss to the children before they leave for school
She's the one they're going to miss in lots of ways
The children will miss their mother while they are away at school, both physically and emotionally
I remember way back then when everything was true and when
The artist recalls a time in the past when everything seemed authentic and genuine
We would have such a very good time, such a fine time
The singer is reminiscing about enjoyable experiences shared with others
Such a happy time
Those experiences were accompanied by a strong sense of joy and contentment
And I remember how we'd play, simply waste the day away
The artist recalls spending long periods of time playing and enjoying each other's company
Then we'd say nothing would come between us
During those moments of bonding, no outside influences or issues could interfere with their relationships
Two dreamers
The artist and another individual shared a sense of ambition and hope for their futures
Our house, was our castle and our keep
The house was a place of safety, security, and protection for the family
That was where we used to sleep
The house was where the family slept and rested
Our house, in the middle of our street, our house
The house is a central aspect of the family's identity and daily lives
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carl Smyth, Chris Foreman, Daniel Woodgate, Garaham McPherson, Lee Thompson, Mark Bedford, Michael Barson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dr.bunsenhoneydew4362
Father wears his Sunday best
Mother's tired, she needs a rest
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Brother's got a date to keep
He can't hang around
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
Our house it has a crowd
There's always something happening
And it's usually quite loud
Our mum, she's so house-proud
Nothing ever slows her down
And a mess is not allowed
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house (Something tells you)
(That you've got to move away from it) In the middle of our
Father gets up late for work
Mother has to iron his shirt
Then she sends the kids to school
Sees them off with a small kiss (Ah, ah, ah, ah)
She's the one they're going to miss
In lots of ways
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
I remember way back then
When everything was true and when
We would have such a very good time
Such a fine time, such a happy time
And I remember how we'd play
Simply waste the day away
Then we'd say nothing would come between us
Two dreamers
Father wears his Sunday best
Mother's tired she needs a rest
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Brother's got a date to keep
He can't hang around
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
Our house, was our castle and our keep
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, that was where we used to sleep
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house
@MadtubeMTV
We're number 1 in the midweek album chart but Taylor Swift is right behind us, help us get our first number 1 album...order or stream it here: https://madness.lnk.to/CestLaVieID
@MaadhatsOnTwitch
First
@YoshiCh1ef-je6me
Second
@jaycee330
Third. Welcome to the House of Fun.
@michaelgombkoto6941
Fourth
@barrygreen5782
Just simply awesome 😂😂😂
@sunsetloner
This song is so British that I now drive on the left side of the road
@FireballsOdoom
Look out!
@kademcarthur5362
Please don’t crash.
@rubeusignis1293
Plot twist: he’s Australian