"NW5" is a song by the band Madness, which was debuted live at the Brixton Academy in December 2006. The single was released in January 2008 on the band's own label, Lucky 7 Records, and entered the chart at no.24 on Sunday 20th Jan 2008, going to no.1 on the UK Independent Label Chart on Sunday 20th Jan 2008. It was very well received by fans and critics alike.
The song was subsequently included on their critically acclaimed 2009 album, The Liberty of Norton Folgate and has become a regular at Madness concerts.
The song's title is a reference to the UK postal code area for the north London district of Kentish Town, from where the band originated. It was written by saxophone player Lee Thompson and pianist Mike Barson, who also wrote some of the band's other hits including "House of Fun".[1]
The track "NW5" was originally released as a single in Germany (titled "NW5 (I would give you everything)") after appearing in the film Neues vom Wixxer[de], a sequel to Der Wixxer (2004). The 2007 version of NW5 is different to the 2008 Lucky Seven Record's version, with the earlier recording having a darker tone. That version also featured guitarist Kevin Burdette instead of original Madness guitarist Chris Foreman who had left the group in mid-2005. Foreman re-joined Madness later in 2007 and can be heard on the 2008 release.
The B-side for the German release was a new recording of "It Must Be Love".
Two promo videos were made for "NW5" and the new "It Must Be Love", starring Suggs, Carl Smyth, Daniel Woodgate, stand-in guitarist Kevin Burdette, and members of the film's cast. Oliver Kalkofe, leading actor, co-writer and co-producer of the film, is a fan of Madness since the 1980s and was responsible for the collaboration, which he described as a "dream coming true" for him.[3] The new video for "It Must be Love" featured in the film's credits.
German track listing
CD Single
"NW5 (I Would Give You Everything) (Radio Edit)" (Barson/Thompson) – 3:34
"It Must Be Love" (Wixx-Mixx 2007) (Siffre) – 4:00
"NW5" (I Would Give You Everything) (Album Version) (Barson/Thompson) – 4:14
"NW5 (I Would Give You Everything) (Live@Wembley Arena 12/06)" - 3:54
Madness are an English ska and pop band from Camden Town, north London, who formed in 1976. One of the most prominent bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s two-tone ska revival, they continue to perform with six of the seven members of their original line-up. Madness's most successful period was from 1980 to 1986, when the band's songs spent a total of 214 weeks on the UK Singles Chart.
Michael Barson is a British multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Barson came to prominence in the late 1970s as the keyboard player for the band Madness.
Christopher John Foreman, nicknamed Chrissy Boy, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Foreman came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the English band Madness.
The Dangermen Sessions, Vol. 1 is a cover album and the eighth studio album by the British ska band Madness, released in 2005. The album reached No. 11 in the UK which at the time was their highest chart position in the UK since 1984's Keep Moving.
"House of Fun" is a song by English ska/pop group Madness, credited to Mike Barson and Lee Thompson. It was released as a one-off single on 14 May 1982 and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, spending nine weeks in the charts. The song was re-released in 1992, reaching number 40. It is the band's only number one single in the UK and in 2015 the British public voted it as the nation's 8th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.
"It Must Be Love" is a song written and originally recorded and released in 1971 by English singer Labi Siffre on his 1972 album Crying Laughing Loving Lying. It was also recorded by ska/pop band Madness in 1981.
"Baggy Trousers" is a song by English ska/pop band Madness from their 1980 album Absolutely. It was written by lead singer Graham "Suggs" McPherson and guitarist Chris Foreman, and reminisces about school days.. The band first began performing the song at live shows in April 1980.
"My Girl" is a song by British ska/pop group Madness from their debut album, One Step Beyond.... It was written by Mike Barson. The song was released as a single on 21 December 1979 and spent 10 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 3.
Utter Madness is a greatest hits album by the British pop band Madness, released on their own Zarjazz label through Virgin Records on 24 November 1986 shortly after the group's original split. It picks up from where the band's first greatest hits album Complete Madness left off, running from "Driving in My Car" to the last Madness single before their split, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train".
The Business – the Definitive Singles Collection is a 3 disc box set by ska/pop band Madness released in 1993. It contained all the band's singles until that point with their respective b-sides and other bonus tracks, some rare. It also includes a 52-page booklet and snippets of interviews with people associated with Madness between some tracks. The interviews date from around the time of the Keep Moving album and were conducted by John Tobler. Among those interviewed were founder member John Hasler, former manager John "Kelloggs" Kalinowski and Dave Robinson of Stiff Records.
Total Madness – the Very Best of Madness is a greatest hits album by a British ska/pop band Madness, released in 1997. It was released exclusively in the United States and Canada.
"Embarrassment" is a song recorded by ska/pop band Madness, predominantly written by Lee Thompson, but partially credited to Mike Barson. The band first began performing the song at live shows in April 1980, and it was featured on their second studio album, Absolutely.
"Grey Day" is a 2-Tone song written by Mike Barson and recorded by British pop/ska band Madness. The song was the first single released from the band's third studio album 7. It was a big departure from their early ska sound with a much darker, miserable feel. The song title does not appear in the lyrics as a single phrase, though a couplet rhyming "grey" with "day" features in the chorus.
"Shut Up" is a pop song written by Suggs and Chris Foreman. It was recorded by the English ska and pop band Madness, and was featured on the band's third studio album 7. It was released as a single on 11 September 1981, spending 10 weeks in the UK Singles Chart. It reached a high position of number 7.
"Lovestruck" is a song by English ska band Madness, released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, Wonderful (1999), on 19 July 1999. This release marked the first time Madness had put out original material for over 10 years and signified their return to music. "Lovestruck" peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, which was the first time a new Madness release had reached the top 10 since the 1983 release "The Sun and the Rain". The song also charted in Iceland, reaching number 36 on the Íslenski Listinn Topp 40.
"One Better Day" is a song by English ska band Madness from their fifth studio album Keep Moving (1984). The song, written by Suggs and Mark Bedford, was released as a single in the United Kingdom, and spent seven weeks in the charts peaking at number 18.
"Johnny the Horse" is a single by British band Madness from their 1999 album Wonderful. The song struggled to make an impact in the charts after the success of "Lovestruck", and peaked at #44 in the UK Singles Chart.
The Liberty of Norton Folgate is the ninth studio album by the British band Madness, released on 18 May 2009. The band worked on the album for close to three years and it was their first album of new material since 1999's Wonderful.
"Sugar and Spice" is a single by the band Madness, released on 3 August 2009. It is the third single from the album The Liberty of Norton Folgate and is the first ever Madness single to be released only digitally.
Forever Young: The Ska Collection is a compilation album by English band Madness, released in 2012 by Salvo/Union Square Music as part of their re-issues of the Madness back catalogue. The album consists of a selection of the band's ska sounding songs, including singles, b-sides and album tracks. In addition to the classic Madness tracks, the album contains two previously unreleased covers: Jimmy Cliff's "Vietnam" and Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King". Both of these bonus tracks were originally recorded for the 2005 Madness album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1. The album includes a fold-out poster booklet with liner notes by Record Collector's Ian McCann, including new interviews with guitarist Chris Foreman and saxophonist Lee Thompson. Foreman said of the album: "It was our take on ska, and the songs on this album have ska as their basis. Not all are full-on; I wanted it to be called The Ska and Reggae Collection, but The Ska Collection it is."
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
