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Baggy Trousers

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This article is about the Madness song. For the clothing item, seewide-leg jeans.

"Baggy Trousers"
SinglebyMadness
from the albumAbsolutely
Released5 September 1980
Recorded1980
Genre
Length2:46
LabelStiff
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Madnesssingles chronology
"Night Boat to Cairo"
(1980) 		"Baggy Trousers"
(1980) 		"Embarrassment"
(1980)
Music video
"Baggy Trousers" by MadnessonYouTube

"Baggy Trousers"is a song by English ska/pop bandMadnessfrom their 1980 albumAbsolutely.It was written by lead singerGraham "Suggs" McPhersonand guitaristChris Foreman,[2]and reminisces about school days. (Mike Barsonalso received a writing credit in error, the correct McPherson/Foreman credit being used for subsequent releases). The band first began performing the song at live shows in April 1980.[3]

It was released as a single on 5 September 1980 and spent 20 weeks in UK charts, reaching a high of #3.[3]It was the 28th best-selling single of 1980 in the UK.[4]

In October 2017, American punk rock/hip hop band theTransplantsreleased a cover version of the song on theirTake CoverEP.

Music and lyrics[edit]

Suggs later recalled in an interview that "I was very specifically trying to write a song in the style ofIan Dury,especially the songs he was writing then, which [were] often sort of catalogues of phrases in a constant stream. "[5]He contrasted "Baggy Trousers" with Pink Floyd's hit "Another Brick in the Wall":"I was writing about my time at school. Pink Floyd had that big hit with 'teacher, leave those kids alone'. It didn't really relate to me, because I hadn't been to apublic schoolwhere I was Boss ed about and told to sing "Rule Britannia!"and all that",[5]having instead attended acomprehensive schoolwith much less strictly enforced discipline.

Music video[edit]

The music video of the song was shot inKentish Townin north west London: at the Kentish Town C of E primary school on Islip Street and the Peckwater Estate.[3]The band'ssaxophoneplayer,Lee Thompsondecided he wanted to fly through the air for his solo, with the use of wires hanging from a crane.[3]This was inspired by seeing Peter Gabriel flying during a Genesis concert.[6]Thompson recreated the moment live at the band's reunion concert in 1992,Madstock!,during the band's 2007 Christmas tour, and the 2009Glastonbury Festival[7]as well as in a 2011 TV advert forKronenbourg 1664in which the band plays a slow version of "Baggy Trousers". The slow version was later released on the box setA Guided Tour of Madnessunder the title "Le Grand Pantalon".

Second vocalistChas Smashis showed playing the harmonica in the video, but it was actually played by multi-instrumentalistMike Barson.[8]

The video received great positive response from the public,[3]and was particularly important as it demonstrated the potential for television shows such asTop of the Popsto show a band's music videos instead of having them perform live.[3]Following the release of "Baggy Trousers", the public began to anticipate future Madness music videos.[3]

Appearances[edit]

In addition to its single release and appearance on the albumAbsolutely,"Baggy Trousers" also appears on the Madness collectionsDivine Madness(a.k.a.The Heavy Heavy Hits),Complete Madness,It's... Madness,Total Madness,The BusinessandOur House: the Best of Madness.Its only appearance on a US Madness compilation is onUltimate Collection.

The song was featured in the 2001 filmMean Machine,and was included in the accompanyingsoundtrack.[9]

In 2011, the song was slowed down to half its normal speed and was used for an advert for theKronenbourg 1664'Slow' campaign (see above).

In 1983,Colgateused the song's melody in a television advertisement written byJay Pond-Jonesand Ric Cooper in which a group of kids including actorLee Rosssing newly written lyrics about Colgate Blue Minty Gel toothpaste, a variant of which was later used in theUnited States.[10]The advert was seen as groundbreaking but had to be pre-approved by the band.[10]Pond-Jones said, "Many years later... I found out how they actually quite liked it. Even now, Carl from the band introduces me to people as “the bloke who did the Colgate ad”. "[10]

Track listing[edit]

7 "[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Baggy Trousers"
2:46
2."The Business"Mike Barson3:14

12 "(Record Store Day 2022)[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Baggy Trousers"
  • McPherson
  • Foreman
2:46
2."Le Grand Pantalon"
  • McPherson
  • Foreman
4:33
3."Disappear"
2:58
4."The Business"Barson3:14
5."That's The Way To Do It"Foreman2:50
6."On The Beat Pete"
3:05

Charts[edit]

Certifications and sales[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Gold 500,000^

^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^Considine, J. D.(2004). "Madness". InBrackett, Nathan;Hoard, Christian(eds.).The New Rolling Stone Album Guide(4th ed.).Simon & Schuster.p.508.ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ^Woodstra, Chris."Allmusic Absolutely Overview".Retrieved on 1 July 2007.
  3. ^abcdefg"The Madness Timeline: 1980".Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2009.Retrieved on 1 July 2007.
  4. ^"Top 100 1980 - UK Music Charts".uk-charts.top-source.info.Retrieved16 November2018.
  5. ^abYoung Guns go for it: Madness(BBC documentary)
  6. ^"Madness on their best albums:" We were full of ideas! "".15 November 2019.
  7. ^"Madness get heroes' welcome on return to Glastonbury".NME.28 June 2009.Retrieved27 March2011.
  8. ^"SEVEN RAGGED MEN | Baggy Trousers".Retrieved4 June2024.
  9. ^Mean Machine OST. Audio CD, Redemption, 2004, ASIN: B00005Y48T
  10. ^abc"Colgate | TV & Cinema Ads (archive) | Jay Pond-Jones".Jaypj.Retrieved16 October2016.
  11. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^"Madness – Bagy Trousers "(in Dutch).Ultratop 50.
  13. ^"InfoDisc: Les Tubes de chaque artiste commençant par M".Infodisc.fr.Retrieved29 October2020.
  14. ^"The Irish Charts – Search Results – Baggy Trousers ".Irish Singles Chart.
  15. ^"Nederlandse Top 40 – week 2, 1981"(in Dutch).Dutch Top 40.
  16. ^"Madness – Baggy Trousers "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.
  17. ^"Madness – Baggy Trousers ".Top 40 Singles.
  18. ^"Madness: Artist Chart History".Official Charts Company.
  19. ^"Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980".dutchcharts.nl.Retrieved30 September2021.
  20. ^"Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1981".Dutch Top 40.Retrieved30 September2021.
  21. ^"British single certifications – Madness – Baggy Trousers".British Phonographic Industry.Retrieved12 March2022.

External links[edit]

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