Madness – “Grey Day” (1981) Review | Cuts Will Only Sting Me Through My Dreams
Kronomyth 2.5: The reign of madness.
April is the cruellest month, so what better time for Madness to their release their most morose single, Grey Day? This is one of those songs that I wish I enjoyed more than I do. I say that because the melody behind it is pure sunshine, but the vocals and lyrics obscure all but a few strands of that goodness from getting into the listener’s head. Instead, you’re left with the sense that the song is hobbled by its own grey mood. A silly video didn’t clear up the confusion; even the people watching it don’t seem to know what to make of it. The B side is a nonalbum track, Memories, that sounds like Ian Dury in a depressed mood. It’s not Suggs singing, so my guess would be Chas (or maybe Chris Foreman, who wrote the track). The English didn’t seem to mind the sullen mood, as Madness continued their reign on the pop charts.
The Product
A1. Grey Day (M.W. Barson) (3:40)
B1. Memories (C.J. Foreman) (2:25)
Japanese EP version
A1. Grey Day (M.W. Barson)
A2. The Young and the Old (Graham McPherson/Mike Barson)
A3. The Business (Mike Barson)
B1. Don’t Quote Me on That (Peter Tosh/Chas Smythe)
B2. Deceives the Eye (Mark Bedford/Chris Foreman)
B3. That’s the Way to Do It (C.J. Foreman)
The Players
Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch and cassette single on April 17, 1981 in the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands (Stiff, BUY/ZBUY 112) and in 1981 in Japan (Stiff, VIP-5912) with picture sleeve. Reached #4 on the UK charts.
