Madness - House of Fun

What this video is

Released 14 May 1982 on Stiff Records, 'House of Fun' reached number one on the UK Singles Chart — Madness's only chart-topper — during a period when the 2 Tone ska revival was transitioning from subcultural movement into mainstream British pop. The song's coming-of-age subject matter (a 16-year-old attempting to buy condoms using euphemistic slang) was considered audacious for mainstream radio and television. Its…

Why it matters

A cornerstone document of the 2 Tone and British ska-pop genre, 'House of Fun' demonstrates how the movement synthesised Jamaican ska rhythms, British music-hall comedy, and post-punk indie ethos into commercially viable pop. The video's narrative format — dramatising song lyrics as a short comedy…

The director

David Robinson (born 14 May 1944, Drumcondra, Dublin), known as 'Robbo', is an Irish music executive, video director, record producer, manager, and photographer. He co-founded Stiff Records with Jake Riviera in 1976, signing Madness, The Damned, Elvis…