Embarrassment, Madness
The greatest pop record of the 80s.
Madness were never the coolest band of their era—at least not compared to their former 2 Tone label mates like The Specials, The Selecter, or The Beat. While those bands carried an air of glamour and rebellion, Madness leaned into cheeky grins and mainstream appeal. They were playful, fun, and a little cheesy.
But they were also the first band I saw live—Newcastle City Hall. My dad picked me up afterward, horrified by their skinhead following and the “Fuck Art, Let’s Dance” t-shirts. I’d wisely hidden mine under a woolly jumper.
That night was memorable for another reason—I got a kiss from Jennie, the singer in The Belle Stars, who were the support act. Probably my first ever kiss from a grown-up who wasn’t a relative.
Family Life
Embarrassment was written by Madness’ sax player, Lee “Kix” Thompson. Before making a name in music, Kix was known for spray-painting his name across North London, often alongside his tagging partner Mike “Mr. B” Barson, who later became Madness’ keyboardist. If you’re interested in 70s graffiti culture, The Writing on the Wall by Roger Perry is a brilliant book that covers this era, and features some of Kix tags.
But Kix’s background had darker elements, too. His family had ties to right-wing politics, and his older brother was a leading member of a far-right skinhead gang. Meanwhile, his teenage sister, Tracy, had a secret—a Black boyfriend. When she became pregnant, her revelation was met with anger and rejection. She was ostracised. The “embarrassment” of the title was her daughter, Hayley.
As a dad to two mixed-race kids, that story hits hard.
A Song of Defiance
The lyrics of Embarrassment aren’t poetic—they’re a raw transcript of the cruel, bigoted remarks hurled at Tracy. Some lines barely follow grammatical rules: “Can I have a head on my shoulder / I’m feeling twice as older.” But that rawness makes the song even more powerful.
Musically, it stands apart from Madness’ earlier singles. Instead of their signature ska shuffle, it’s built on a driving Motown beat in F minor. As the track progresses, its tone shifts. What starts as a barrage of abuse transforms into resilience. Every insult is batted back. What begins as darkness morphs into inspiration, as Kix and his sister refuse to bow to their family’s prejudice.
Why Embarrassment Still Matters
Britain grows more diverse every year, and mixed-race kids are no longer an anomaly. That doesn’t mean their journey is always easy—bigotry still exists, sometimes within families.
Yet, Embarrassment only becomes more relevant as time passes. Its deceptively simple lyrics carry a deep and timeless message: stand up, push back, and don’t let ignorance define you.
Madness closed that night with Grey Day, a song just as dark and poignant as anything The Specials or The Selecter ever recorded. Had it been released by one of those bands, it might have been hailed as a classic.
One by one the band left the stage as it filled with dry ice, until only Kix and Chas were left, playing sax and trumpet. Chas waved, and walked off, leaving Kix alone on the stage, dry ice swirling around him.
Kix stopped playing and started to levitate, rising through the dry ice to hover above the stage. In one of the most incredible bits of musical showmanship a roadie had fastened a wire to him hidden by the dry ice.
Suspended above the stage he played the foghorn opening to Night Boat to Cairo. The dry ice cleared, and the band were back for their encore. The crowd reaction was incredible, people leaping out of their seats to dance.
Showmanship like that is why Madness were never regarded as hip as the Specials, but Kix levitating above the stage was one of the coolest things I have ever seen at a gig.
Madness closed each date on that tour with a cover version from the 60s or 70s. That night at Newcastle they played It Must Be Love, by Labi Siffre. Their manager realised they had a hit on their hands, and on their way back from the gig stopped the coach at a small recording studio in Durham, getting the engineer out of bed. They recorded it there and then, playing it just as they had a few hours earlier in Newcastle.
I think this makes it the biggest selling hit single recorded in my home town.
When you are teenager, particularly a teenage boy, being cool matters a lot, and Madness were too fun to be really cool. But that run of singles through 80 and 81 is as fine a set of pop tunes as any band ever recorded.
And Embarrassment for me stands alongside Up The Junction and Waterloo Sunset as one of the all time greats.