(Mike Barson/Lee Thompson)
This song written by Mike Barson and Lee Thompson was released by the group Madness in 1982 and reached No. 1 in the UK charts, which would be the only time they achieved that position.
The song is the story of a boy who reaches his 16th birthday and wants to buy a packet of condoms as he has reached the age of consent now. He goes into a chemist’s shop/pharmacy but with his use of slang such as “box of balloons” the assistant thinks he wants things for a party and directs him to a shop called “House of Fun” further down the road. The inspiration for the song was taken from a particular scene in the movie Summer of ’42 and it has been featured in the TV series The Young Ones.
The UK 45 was released with the song “Don’t Look Back” on the B-Side and it features on the 1982 album Complete Madness.
Madness recordings
Stiff Records P-BUY 146A (UK 45 picture disc)
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