“House of Fun” by Madness
The “House of Fun” is both a literal and symbolic device in the lyrics. Literally it points to what Britons would refer to as a joke shop, i.e. a store specializing and party favors, pranks and things of the such. But symbolically, from the singer’s perspective, it alludes to shall we say a brothel.
And the way the narrative plays out is that the main character, the singer, is a boy who has just reached his 16th birthday. The setting is once again in the UK, a nation in which at the time 16 also happens to be the age whereas one can legally consent to sex. So the narrator is using the opportunity to promptly visit a brothel.
However, prior to doing so he hits up the pharmacy for some rubber. But apparently he has not reached the level of maturity to ask for them outright, because instead of requesting the product directly he instead uses somewhat-oblique metaphors. And to make a long story short, this leads to the pharmacist, a female, misinterpreting what he is seeking for. So she directs him to the House of Fun, which as aforementioned is the name of a joke shop. In other words, she is under the impression, due to the wording he uses that he is looking for party favors, not rubber. And overall she perceives him as sort of a foolish lad. And of course the entire exchange is meant to be comedic, in a raunchy way, more than anything else.
Facts about “House of Fun”
“House of Fun” was written by Madness members L. Thompson and M. Barson. And the producers of the track are C. Langer and A. Winstanley.
The original demo of this song was entitled “Chemist Facade”. And after going through a series of major dubs, it was eventually transformed to “House of Fun”.
This song was issued as a standalone single on 14 May 1982. And its release proved to be a wise decision on the part of Stiff Records, as the track went on to achieve number one status on the UK Singles Chart, also doing the same in Ireland. Additionally it marks the only time Madness, an English band themselves, had been able to achieve that accolade.
