Madness - Wings of a Dove

What this video is

Released August 1983, 'Wings of a Dove' arrived at the apex of Madness's commercial trajectory, when the band had fully transitioned from 2 Tone ska revivalists into a mainstream British pop institution. The song is notably eclectic, fusing ska rhythms with steel drum instrumentation and a full gospel choir, reflecting the multicultural musical landscape of early-1980s London. The video's comedic register —…

Why it matters

A landmark of British ska-pop video production, demonstrating how the genre's multicultural musical DNA (Caribbean steel drums, Black gospel choral tradition, London punk irreverence) could be packaged into a chart-dominating mainstream pop format. The video's comedic theatrical staging set a…

The director

Dave Robinson (born 14 May 1944, Dublin, Ireland), nicknamed 'Robbo', is an Irish music executive, music video director, record producer, music manager, and photographer. Co-founder of Stiff Records (1976) with Jake Riviera, he signed and directed videos for…