Madness - House Of Fun Reaction

[@nigelhyde279]

Back in the day the other place a man might by condoms was a barbers shop, “Something for the Weekend Sir?”

[@hanierfamily]

We figured they were just getting a nice do for the weekend. That's great. I don't think they offered that at barber shops in North America at the time.

[@robertbagley9199]

Chris/Cynthia the song is about a lad who's going on a date, going into a chemists to buy Condoms, but is embarrassed to ask for them by name, so uses slang phrases, which the chemist doesn't understand "try the house of fun, it's quicker if you run, this is a chemists not a joke shop"! I guess the lyrics are hard to catch with the accent eh? It's well worth checking out the lyrics and then having another listen, Madness were lyrically very astute, which was often overlooked sadly.

[@baylessnow]

"16 today and up for fun!" 16 is the age of sexual consent in the UK. "Box of balloons, with a featherlite touch." Look for Durex Featherlite.

[@mrjohn.whereyoufrom]

What’s great about Madness videos is they always include members of their community. In the barbers shop scene the man with the moustache is actually their real life barber and the chemist owner makes an appearance.

[@highlander72b69]

They were just working class London boys who just liked to film in their part of London.....

[@OnceWasRStrathfield]

Love this song! It was a huge hit in Australia in 1982.. It reached # 5 on the Australian charts. We were mad about Madness for a few years in the 80's.

[@Robbo766]

I left Australia for England in the 80's with this idea in my head that my life was going to be like a Madness video. Got there and realised that The Specials were a little more accurate.

[@andyyoung9463]

Lyrics...Young man, just come of age, a bit embarrassed to say "condoms " in a chemist shop (drug store). You may know One Step Beyond, Nightboat To Cairo and Baggy Trousers but watch the music videos if you haven't already. They're always fun!

[@hanierfamily]

We know One Step Beyond and we did a reaction to Nightboat To Cairo but we will add the other to the list.

[@cyrus2728]

Balloons with a Featherlight touch

[@Sandy-dd4le]

What i like about Madness videos, is that collectively, they look like they cost about 400 bucks to make. This is Madness on top form, actually, they pretty much aways were!

[@cray2349]

My name is Chris Cray, and at about 3.25 in your video Madness's song sounds like it says Hello Chris Cray. I think it's actually 'Hello Miss Clay' or something similar. Whenever it's on the radio and that bit comes up, I tell them they're playing my name, they can't tell the difference😁

[@mightyV444]

The part when the three guys in cleaning lady outfits enter the shop and put on their 'dance' routine will always make me laugh, no matter how many more times I'll get to see that clip! 😂

[@joshua.910]

Saw Madness live back in 2010 still sound as good as they did then.

[@M-10VisualDistributions]

Great reaction.....Love this video...Madness exactly what call themselves....it's crazy but fun!

[@jonathancole833]

I was thinking yesterday that this would be a good song for a reaction on this channel! Madness were known for their entertaining videos in the early years of that medium.

[@TZ61]

These guys are great as you said. Listening and DANCING to Madness in my early 20s was a blast. It completely baffled me that the only song most (vast majority) people here in The States knew was "Our House". I'm guessing they were more popular in your neck of the woods. I had a friend back in the day who was as big a Madness fan as I was, and we were always trying to create more converts among our circle of friends. They were naturals in front of the camera, and their music videos including "The Sun and The Rain", were among the best. I've always chalked it up to the fact that they were probably "too British" for the U.S. Thanks again for great choice and upload. Oh yeah, the House of Fun of which they were singing, was a slightly more adult version, but that's another story.

[@alvin19391]

The song is about buying your first packet of condoms. back in the early 80s you could only really buy condoms from a chemist. And the age for sexual consent is in UK is 16.

[@stuartauld2149]

Great band, great singles, absolute favourite tho 'My Girl'

[@petermizon4344]

Bought this 1982 whilst Doing DJ work, the vanilla had a picture printed on it, great song,

[@bensteckler6698]

"party hats" is slang for condoms. that's why he went to the drugstore.

[@Malfie657]

Another great track form the Nutty Boys, and amongst all the fun they still produced some great music too!

[@carmanbazza]

Fantastic , hopefully I’ll be at their Dublin concert next year….

[@paulcasey5486]

thank you for the reaction i had forgotten about madness , my word they were nuts thanks again.

[@terrysquickbeerreview2225]

Hello Glad to see your still reacting to Madness. Please check out Bed & Breakfast man an early ska madness. Thank you in advance.👍

[@EclecticInstinct]

Part Hats, Featherlite - all clues.

[@blastingweevil2968]

this is about a young boy trying to buy condoms from a pharmacy only to be faced with a store clerk and the embarresment he is going through.

[@a760541]

It seems contraception isn't available in suburbia - but apparently Prozac is......

[@dominicpelle7841]

What is going on, is that the lad has come of age welcome to the house of fun.. going to the pharmacy to buy condoms. 😊

[@hanierfamily]

Yeah, that's back when you had to ask the pharmacist for them. I (Chris) was lucky. By the time I was looking for them, they were on the shelves. And I didn't mind the dirty looks I got from the religious old ladies at the counter. 😀

[@tazzatamania]

The House of Fun was also a term for a Brothel. Apologies for seeming lewd but it's what the song is really about, and the previous comment by Dominic.

[@hanierfamily]

@@tazzatamania Lewd was never an issue on this channel. We're all adults here. And we've loved innuendo in our music since we were preteens.

[@Music-tg5is]

It's just some classic British "tongue-in-cheek" humour from that era. Like some British 'bawdy' comedies, such as "Benny Hill" or the "Carry On..." movies.

[@heathcornbeef]

Kia ora hello my friends how are you doing? Madness was my 16 year old Strummers favourite band when he was a little guy he'd play my live Madness DVD all the time bobbing up and down in his nappie man i miss those days i was the stay at home dad/mum with my three boy's until Kura my youngest was four years old

[@kimbirch1202]

There's method in their madness

[@macker33]

I actually lived in great yarmouth for a year where this video was shot. Across from the roller coaster in this video theres even a cafe called los palmos, was always closed though.

[@HappyAitch]

Can’t think how many times I’ve been on that old wooden roller coaster, I spent a lot of time in Great Yarmouth as a kid as I came from Norwich. Happy times.

[@cyrus2728]

I thought this looked like Yarmouth wasn't that the old super circle though rather than the roller coaster or was it both and I missed the coaster

[@sherbert500]

Gonna write a little list of cracking tunes out and hope you get to do a couple of them at least, so lets go lol, secret affair - time for action, kinks - i'm not like everybody else, cabbage - uber capitalist death trade, idles - i'm scum, oasis - eyeball tickler and headshrinker, hank wood and the hammerheads - how'm i supposed to wake up in the morning, anjelic upstarts - leave me alone, titus andronicus - titus andronicus, manic street preachers - PCP and faster, black toast - crash and burn, hope that introduces you to a few new bands and tunes you haven't heard before and also the subscribers!

[@basketburger]

Great reaction 👍

[@grahamrogers3345]

I would LOVE you to react to DANDY IN THE UNDERWORLD one of the last tracks by T.REX before Marc Bolan's tragic death, from the Album of the same name. Full album available on KZbin

[@alpine_newt]

It's about buying condoms.

[@diogenesagogo]

Actually the guys in the dresses were a reference back to Wilson Keppel & Betty kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppzLe6OoZ9-FbtU There's a lot of Music Hall going on in Madness' videos. Have you done Baggy Trousers yet? kzbin.info/www/bejne/epSWcqKsir-arNE

[@hanierfamily]

Not yet, but it's on the list

[@kevint8887]

This was their only no. 1 in the UK

[@kevinchester0533]

Number 1 to coincide with the Pope visiting England.

[@varyingredbeard9827]

80s child approves

[@michaelfrank2305]

Der Dame scheint es zu gefallen. Guter Geschmack 👌👌

[@hanierfamily]

We both enjoyed it!

[@fredbettesworth5397]

How do you not know this song

[@hanierfamily]

We know it now. Only Madness' biggest hits found their way into heavy rotation here.

[@mauricejamblin9795]

great song the house of fun is a chemist and he is trying to buy contraceptives

[@CDMJDMHHC]

just fun good music

[@TrickyTone873]

Understand the comment but much more depth to their music if you read into the back stories

[@Slamit88]

Such The WONDERFUL/FUN Ska-Rock n' Roll Acts EV-AH!! 'VIVA LE MADNESS'!!🎩🎷🕶🔥 Check-Out This EXCITING/KILLER Live Version Some (30) Years Later...... kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZyaZaCPl5ikq68

[@garyford3533]

london.

[@TrickyTone873]

Great Yarmouth

[@alik5895]

The song is about the embarrassment teenagers feel trying to buy condoms at the pharmacy discreetly but don't let that spoil the fun.

[@kristybob_toothpaste]

trying to get rubbers for a brothel