The Prince (song)

Single by Madness

"The Prince"

Single by Madness
from the album  One Step Beyond...
B-side| "Madness"
Released| 10 August 1979 (1979-8-10)
Recorded| 16 June 1979
Studio| Pathway (London)
Genre|

* Rocksteady
* two-tone

Length| 2:30 (single version)
3:18 (album version)
Label| 2 Tone
Songwriter(s)| Lee Thompson
Producer(s)| Clanger
Madness singles chronology
|  | "The Prince"
(1979)  | "One Step Beyond"
(1979)

|
|

Audio
"The Prince" by Madness on YouTube

"The Prince" is a song by the English ska and pop band Madness. It was written by Lee Thompson,[1] and was the band's first single. The single was released through 2 Tone Records on 10 August 1979, and peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, spending a total of 11 weeks on the chart.[2]

"The Prince" is a tribute to Jamaican ska singer Prince Buster, who influenced Madness (the band took their name from one of his songs, "Madness", which they covered on the B-side of "The Prince").

## Music video

[edit]

As this was the band's first single, they were relatively unknown prior to the release. Due to this fact, no music video was filmed for the single. However, the band later bought the rights to a performance on Top of the Pops from 6 September 1979. This performance used the single version of this song and has featured on compilations featuring the band's music videos.

In 2022, Madness released two new videos for the album versions of this song and “Madness”, with footage taken from the 1981 Madness' documentary movie Take It or Leave It.

## Different recordings

[edit]

The song was initially recorded on 16 June 1979 at Pathway Studios, Highbury.[2] The track was then remixed on 9 July of the same year, along with the single's B-side, "Madness".[2] The remix was in order to remove the hum from Lee Thompson's saxophone solo. However, Mike Barson showed displeasure at the mix of "Madness".[2]

The song was re-recorded later that year for the One Step Beyond... album. As well as having a distinctively clearer sound, the song's lyrics were slightly altered, and Mike Barson later admitted in the 33⅓ book One Step Beyond... that he preferred it to the single version.[2] The B-side, "Madness", was also re-recorded for the album in a more multi-layered arrangement.

## Track listing

[edit]

### 7" vinyl single

[edit]

Side one

1. "The Prince" (Lee Thompson) – 2:30

Side two

1. "Madness" (Cecil Campbell) – 2:32

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1979)  | Peak
position

|

UK Singles (OCC)[3] | 16

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Greene, Jo-Ann.""Allmusic.com One Step Beyond... Overview"". Retrieved 28 June 2007.
2. ^ a b c d e "The Madness Timeline: 1979". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2007.
3. ^ "Madness: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 December 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* "The Prince" at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Madness

* Chris Foreman
* Mike Barson
* Lee Thompson
* Suggs
* Dan Woodgate
* Mark Bedford

* Chas Smash

Studio albums|

* One Step Beyond...
* Absolutely
* 7
* The Rise & Fall
* Keep Moving
* Mad Not Mad
* The Madness
* Wonderful
* The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1
* The Liberty of Norton Folgate
* Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da
* Can't Touch Us Now
* Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie

Compilation albums|

* Complete Madness
* Madness
* Utter Madness
* It's... Madness
* It's... Madness Too
* Divine Madness
* The Business
* Total Madness (1997)
* Our House
* Total Madness (2009)
* Ultimate Madness
* A Guided Tour of Madness
* Forever Young: The Ska Collection

Live albums|

* Madstock!
* Universal Madness
* Madness Live: To the Edge of the Universe and Beyond

Box sets|

* The Business
* A Guided Tour of Madness

Extended plays|

* Work Rest and Play
* The Peel Sessions

Singles|

* "The Prince"
* "One Step Beyond"
* "My Girl"
* "Night Boat to Cairo" (Work Rest and Play EP)
* "Baggy Trousers"
* "Embarrassment"
* "The Return of the Los Palmas 7"
* "Grey Day"
* "Shut Up"
* "It Must Be Love"
* "Cardiac Arrest"
* "House of Fun"
* "Driving in My Car"
* "Our House"
* "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" / "Madness (Is All in the Mind)"
* "Wings of a Dove"
* "The Sun and the Rain"
* "Michael Caine"
* "One Better Day"
* "Yesterday's Men"
* "Uncle Sam"
* "Sweetest Girl"
* "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train"
* "The Harder They Come"
* "Night Boat to Cairo"
* "Lovestruck"
* "Johnny the Horse"
* "Drip Fed Fred"
* "Shame and Scandal in the Family"
* "Girl Why Don't You"
* "Sorry"
* "NW5"
* "Dust Devil"
* "Sugar and Spice"
* "Forever Young"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Lucky 7 Records
* Dikran Tulaine
* Our House the Musical
* 2 tone
* Zarjazz Records
* "Starvation/Tam Tam Pour L'Ethiopie"
* The Madness
* Take It or Leave It
* The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra
* Boring (The Young Ones)
* Sick (The Young Ones)
* Unreleased album

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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