Mike is unintentionally hilarious. All these years later, you can see exactly how the song came about and why she was angry with him, just from this video. Mike is a true accidental genius.
Just rediscovered this song at the age of 67 because my 3-year old granddaughter loves Madness! My Girl is an amazing song. It expresses beautifully the angst young - and not so young - couples can feel when there are misunderstandings because of lack of communication. Love this song!
OH YES!! What a pleasure it was to see this. Mike Barson, the legend, the father of Madness, the fantastic musician & songwriter, thank you for all the pleasure you`ve given us Madness fans over the past 35 years. If it wasn`t for you, I would never have taken up playing the keyboards. You deserve a such a huge amount of recognition. To really get a full appreciation of just how talented Mike is, you should try playing his keyboard parts, authentically. Is there any more of this fantastic interview out there?
Im afraid this is it, Lee. It was especially made for this tv programme we have here in Holland that coincides with the annual Top2000( of all time!). In every show there are a couple of mini-documentaries about songs or bands that are listed in the Top2000. And last year we FINALLY got to see one about the Nutty Boys.
I loved Madness as a kid. They were fun, the songs were catchy, and had a positive vibe. The first record I ever bought was "Return of the Los Palmas 7", I also bought Hair Cut One Hundred "Love Plus One" the same day. Over 40 years later I still have both those records.
The video for My Girl was the first time that I remember seeing Madness as an 8 year old kid and I was instantly hooked. They fascinated me and Suggs was my idol from that moment on. I remember asking for a crombie overcoat for Christmas 1980, magical years for me.
He's such a lovable bloke and it is such a marvelous song about the times we've shared, I hardly dare say it.....but she's pretty wonderful too. Open, spontaneous, unafraid of being herself in the face of a receiver full of silence.... Too bad so many mean spirited comments about such a good-spirited lass. Long life to both of you.
If you know them personally.... that's exactly how they both come across. Very happy they could share this with us. Please let them both know, we appreciate them very much!
Oh, what a great little film. Always thought the lyrics were great on my Girl, so personal but so universal. And ageless. I'm 50 years old now, but they still resonate :(
So glad I found and watched this. At the grand old age of eleven, My Girl was the first record I ever bought. As such, it forms an important part of the soundtrack of my life. Hearing it transports me back to a time long passed. People and places long gone. Bitter sweet memories.
I was so lucky to have access to great bands like Madness, the Specials, the Jam, and other great turn-of-the-decade English bands. They were all but unknown in America, but thanks to college radio, I found the music I truly loved and could relate to. This song really stands out.
Not to me and my friends. We listened to everything that was ska.,I rode the second wave in 78 and again in the 90s. Chech out zthe Alstonians,the Scofflaws, thecToasters,and of course the Skatalites,Prince Buster,Desmond Decker
This is a wonderful documentary. Thanks Mike. Thanks Kersten. You can listen to any Madness song, any time, any year, and still feel as great listening to it as you did the first time. Madness Forever.
This is one of many episodes of the great Dutch television series Top2000 a gogo for Dutch broadcasting channel NTR. Check them out on youtube. They have done hundreds of episodes like this where they interview the creators of great songs we all know and love.
This was great! Rediscovering Madness. Mike's piano is good classical music stuck inside a very skilled ska band. Great invention, great music! Thanks to whoever put this out there!
I love the lyrics to this, not fancy or poetic, it just says it how it is. I'm a young guy, and it's nice to know the older generations had the same misunderstandings with women as I do
Mike Barson is the genius responsible for the "nutty sound". Never saw an interview of him before. This record he hold in his hand ... it is one here at home.
I lived in Crouch End for 15 years literally a few streets away from Barso and where they filmed the start of Take It Or Leave It. Legendary piano player. Makes it even better knowing he lived round the corner from me!
@@markrae1317 he lived on Park Avenue South in case you were wondering and that's where him, Lee and Chris first played music together back in the late 70s
I was the black kid in their yesterday's men video and do you know what I am so fucking gutted that I never got to meet lovely holiday Michael barson . He seams so interesting.
I grew up with Madness. They were the first band I loved. And the older I get the more incredible this song becomes to me. The nuance of it all. Lovely video, thank you.
quality.... its great to hear what a songs really about.ive been playing that song since i bought it when it was released and you sort of make your own story to go along with it in your head. nice when its explained by the people who know. madness ,loved em in 79....always will.
Great video, I grew up with that song from about aged 8, and it just stood out to me as I had older brothers in exactly the same situation, and a few years later it was me!! So true, and such a small humble, but very relevant song, even today. Great guy!
Hi Mike thanks from Italy....I was in England at the time and I could hardly understand a word...but I loved your songs anyway and I still do after 40 years
Saw Madness play in Sheffield last night for the first time (I've been a fan since I was aged 11) and they were fantastic - just wanna see them play again now lol.
thanks for sharing, great story by Mike. interesting comment Kersten. I had promoted the heck out of madness on a radio show I had back in NY and club work. Drove the band (4 members - Lee, Suggs, Chaz and possibly Woody) around NYC after their Peppermint Lounge gig in NYC '81. Mike was indeed quiet and reserved, the complete opposite of Lee.
Try identifying the subtle chords in any Madness song: it's impossible, since the guitar may be playing fairly simple chords, but Mike's piano lines turn them on their head, and it's those piano parts that make Madness unique.
Back in the day when this song was charting there was a two-page article in a daily news tabloid directly inspired by this song, about about this aspect of relationships and as I remember there was a simulated photo of a guy relaxing on the sofa alone and the other side of the image represented the girlfriend looking at the telephone in her house thinking he no longer wants her
Madness mapped out my childhood in Kentish Town. They were all 8-10 years older than me and Woody went to Haverstock school in Chalk Farm where I went afterwards.....
The original demo version from their famous first studio session is on youtube. A little different and more raw than Suggs album version. Suggs accent on the song always bothered me, as I thought he over did the accent. But when I listened to Mike's version, I realized Suggs was just mimicking Mike. After 40 years, I finally realized that. LOL Here it is. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ya7iyLggVLQ.html
Mike is a very interesting member of Madness, the things she were saying sound true too I could well imagine Mike being like she said! LOL! Well at least he got a great song out of it and she must feel honoured surely at the song being about her?? Madness are one of the greatest bands since The Beatles...in their own way of course! :-)
I am honoured although possibly I don't come off too well from it. But I appreciate its realness. I'm at pains to point out however, that I've had my own career and achievements. I've written 5 books. I've won awards. In fact I only agreed to give this interview if the Dutch TV company also publicised my first book Supper Club which was also published in Dutch. Something they failed to do.
Wow. My area. I bought my first single in that shop which was Baggy Trousers when I was a nipper. Madness still sound awesome to me now. Awesome vid!! 😁
This is one of many episodes of the great Dutch television series Top2000 a gogo for Dutch broadcasting channel NTR. They came up with and made the effort to create and film this interview. The uploader really should have mentioned this... Isn't it a copyright infrigement to not give any credits at all to the actual makers of this clip?
A touching insight to human relationships, I can relate to what Mike says in that song to closely, a touching insight on to what makes men the sad people they are, in some cases.
