Labi’s single from 1971 is a classic

Labi wrote this song, Madness released a version. The original differs from the version, they both are solid.

audio

Listen here to a combination of both versions

Labi Siffre / Madness

Cover version

Madness performed the song eventually on their 1980/1981 tour. Dave Robinson, one out of two founders of recordlabel ‘Stiff’, where Madness was under contract at the time, really liked the song. It was recorded and released as a single. The ‘Boogie-Woogie’ piano, the strings and the tempo changes after the intro to Reggae. Madness had it going on.

Labi Siffre played a role in Madness’ videoclip.

Original

Englishman Claudius Afolabi Siffre wrote this song in 1971 and it reached to number 14 in the English music charts. A textual altered version was made in for a bank, in 1994. In 2007 the song was again used for a commercial, this time for a telecommunication company.

Later pressing sleeve