My Girl (Madness song)

Mike Barson was working driving a van and delivering bananas teamed with a co-worker who was always talking about “My girl did this” and “My girl did that”.{{cite web |title=Suggs and Mike Barson of Madness: how we made One Step Beyond |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/nov/25/how-we-made-one-step-beyond-madness-suggs-mike-barson |website=The Guardian |access-date=29 November 2023 |date=25 Nov 2014}}{{cite web |title=Madness - My Girl - Explained |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ4CSzeHO9M&t=304s |website=YouTube |access-date=29 November 2023 |date=18 Jan 2015}} Barson used this phrasing to write a song about his own experiences with his girlfriend at the time, photographer Kerstin Rodgers.{{cite web|url=http://marmitelover.blogspot.ca/2011/06/for-those-about-to-rock-we-saute-you.html|title=For those about to rock: we sauté you!|first=Kerstin|last=Rodgers|date=18 June 2011|access-date=22 August 2012}} Barson originally performed lead vocals on the song and sang on the original demo.

The song first made its way into the band's set when they were performing as The Invaders.{{cite web |url=http://www.madness.co.uk/1978.html |title=The Ascent of Madness, 1978 |access-date=13 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413105341/http://www.madness.co.uk/1978.html |archive-date=13 April 2010 }} The first performance of the song came in July 1978, when the band performed at a shop in Camden Lock called Blind Alley where band member Mark Bedford was working; at the time the song was simply titled "New Song". Suggs took over the vocal duties from Barson before long, and sang the album version of the song.{{cite web |url=http://www.madness.co.uk/1979_part_02.html |title=The Ascent of Madness, 1979, part 2 |access-date=13 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716021702/http://madness.co.uk/1979_part_02.html |archive-date=16 July 2009 }}

When the group performed the song on Top of the Pops in January 1980, they were the first band of the new decade performing on the TV show.{{cite web |url=http://www.madness.co.uk/1980.html |title=The Ascent of Madness, 1980 |access-date=13 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716021702/http://www.madness.co.uk/1980.html |archive-date=16 July 2009 }}

The music video for "My Girl" features Madness performing the song at the Dublin Castle, Camden. For the video, the stage was extended especially, in order to ensure that the band could perform comfortably.

Mike Nicholls of Record Mirror noted the contrast between "My Girl" and the band's previous single, "One Step Beyond". He felt "My Girl" to be a "Cockney/Dury-style lament" and "more indicative of the Kilburn and the High Roads side of Madness' sound".{{cite magazine |last=Nicholls |first=Mike |date=5 January 1980 |title=Singles |magazine=Record Mirror |page=12 |issn=0144-5804}}

A demo version of "My Girl" was released on the B-side of the 12" version of "The Return of the Los Palmas 7", featuring Mike Barson on vocals. In 2006, The Ordinary Boys released a live recording of the song at the Brixton Academy featuring Suggs, as the B-side to their single "Nine-2-Five".

On 2 May 2008, Graham McPherson (Suggs) and Carl Smyth (Chas Smash) performed a new arrangement by Pet Shop Boys live at Heaven in London; they appeared as part of Pet Shop Boys' live set during Can You Bear It?, the benefit evening for Dainton Connell's family.{{cite web |url=http://www.petshopboys.co.uk |title=Pet Shop Boys official website, see News section, 23 April 2008 and 3 May 2008 |access-date=13 June 2009}} A Pet Shop Boys version of the song appears on the Pet Shop Boys' Christmas EP, along with a remix of the song.

Barson wrote a follow-up song, "My Girl 2", which was recorded by Madness and released as a single in 2012. Though it contains the phrase "my girl", "My Girl 2" is otherwise musically and lyrically quite distinct from "My Girl".

In addition to its single release and appearance on the album One Step Beyond... "My Girl" also appears on the Madness collections Divine Madness (a.k.a. The Heavy Heavy Hits), Complete Madness, It's... Madness, Total Madness and The Business.

Audio Bullys included it on their 2003 instalment of the Back to Mine series of 'after hours grooving' DJ mix albums, with Tom Dinsdale referring to it as "Classic Madness", adding "everyone should be able to relate to this tune".Back to Mine: Audio Bullys liner notes

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "My Girl".

;7" vinyl single

{{tracklist

| headline = Side one

| title1 = My Girl

| writer1 = Mike Barson

| length1 = 2:41

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Stepping into Line

| writer1 = John Hasler, Graham McPherson, Chris Foreman

| length1 = 2:16

}}

;12" vinyl single

{{tracklist

| headline = Side one

| title1 = My Girl

| writer1 = Barson

| length1 = 2:41

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Stepping into Line

| writer1 = Hasler, McPherson, Foreman

| length1 = 2:16

| title2 = In the Rain

| writer2 = McPherson, Lee Jay Thompson

| length2 = 2:44

}}

;7" vinyl single

{{tracklist

| headline = Side one

| title1 = My Girl

| writer1 = Mike Barson

| length1 = 2:41

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Madness

| note1 = live

| writer1 = Cecil Campbell

| length1 = 3:05

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = CD single, #1

| title1 = My Girl

| writer1 = Barson

| length1 = 2:41

| title2 = E.R.N.I.E.

| note2 = live

| writer2 = McPherson, Foreman

| length2 = 2:17

| title3 = Embarrassment

| note3 = live

| writer3 = Thompson, Barson

| length3 = 3:15

| title4 = Tomorrow's Dream

| note4 = live

| writer4 = Thompson, Barson

| length4 = 4:05

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = CD single, #2

| title1 = My Girl

| writer1 = Barson

| length1 = 2:41

| title2 = Precious One

| note2 = live

| writer2 = Thompson, Smyth

| length2 = 3:40

| title3 = My Girl

| note3 = live

| writer3 = Barson

| length3 = 3:20

| title4 = Disappear

| note4 = live

| writer4 = McPherson, Bedford

| length4 = 2:33

}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|certyear=1980|relyear=1980|artist=Madness|title=My Girl|award=Silver|id=4463-259-1|type=single|access-date=12 March 2022}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{Infobox song

| name = My Guy's Mad at Me

| cover = Tracey Ullman My Guy's Mad at Me single cover.jpg

| alt =

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = Tracey Ullman

| album = You Caught Me Out

| A-side = My Guy

| B-side = Thinking of Running Away

| released = March 1984

| recorded = January 1984

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Pop

| length = 2:54

| label = Stiff

| writer = Mike Barson

| producer = Peter Collins

| prev_title = Move Over Darling

| prev_year = 1983

| next_title = Sunglasses

| next_year = 1984

}}

Tracey Ullman covered Madness's "My Girl" in 1984.{{cite web |last=Woodstra |first=Chris |url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r209134|pure_url=yes}} |title=You Caught Me Out > Overview |publisher=Allmusic |access-date=13 June 2009}} The lyric and title were changed to "My Guy's Mad at Me". Madness' Mark Bedford played bass on the track. Her version was in the UK Top 40 at the same time as Madness' "Michael Caine" and peaked at number 23.{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Groovin%27%20%28You%27re%20The%20Best%20Thing_slash_Big%20Boss%20Groove%29 |title=The Official Charts Company - Tracey Ullman - My Guy |access-date=13 June 2009}} The music video featured the British politician Neil Kinnock, at the time the Leader of the Opposition.{{cite web |first=Harry |last=Phibbs |title=A Decade of Revolution the Thatcher Years |url=http://www.adamsmith.org/images/uploads/publications/ThatDecade.pdf |publisher=Adam Smith Institute |location=London |page=76 |year=1989 |access-date=13 June 2009}} The single was also released as a 7" picture disc, with a picture of Ullman and Kinnock sitting at a table.

;7" vinyl single

{{tracklist

| headline = Side one

| title1 = My Guy

| writer1 = Mike Barson

| length1 = 2:54

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Thinking of Running Away

| writer1 = Phil Chapman, Peter Collins, Tracey Ullman

| length1 = 2:03

}}

;12" vinyl single

{{tracklist

| headline = Side one

| title1 = My Guy

| note1 = Extended version

| writer1 = Barson

| length1 =

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side two

| title1 = My Guy

| writer1 = Barson

| length1 = 2:54

| title2 = Thinking of Running Away

| writer2 = Chapman, Collins, Ullman

| length2 = 2:03

}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|19787|name=My Girl}}

{{Madness}}

{{Tracey Ullman}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1979 singles

Category:Madness (band) songs

Category:1984 singles

Category:Tracey Ullman songs

Category:Songs written by Mike Barson

Category:1979 songs

Category:Stiff Records singles

Category:Virgin Records singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Clive Langer

Category:Song recordings produced by Alan Winstanley