Retro Video of the Week: "Our House" by Madness

We're only about 15 hours from the first round of the NCAA Tournament, so a song related to madness seems appropriate.  Or, in this case, a song by a band named Madness.  English new wave/ska band Madness has had 30 Top 40 hits in their native UK, including 16 Top 10s and one #1.  In the U.S., however, they only had two Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100:  1981's "It Must Be Love" (#33) and 1982's "Our House" (#7).

If you're British, you may be very familiar with Madness, but probably don't know much about March Madness.  If you're American, it's likely the opposite.  But world's collide here on Give Me Your Handrew, and the band with the most appropriate name for March in the U.S. gives us this week's Retro Video of the Week."

Not only was "Our House" a Top 10 hit in the U.S. (#7) and UK (#5), but it was a big hit in other countries on both sides of the pond, hitting #1 on the pop charts in Canada, Denmark, and Sweden, and reaching the Top 10 on the pop charts in Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, and West Germany.

The video is a classic early '80s British video, mixing humor -- or humour, if you will -- with street shots of London and scenes from other places in southeast England, shots of confused onlookers, and, of course, band members wearing pancake hats.