Today’s song is by a British ska and pop band and was released in November 1982. In the MTV friendly days of the day, the video made all the difference for a new song’s chances of becoming a hit.
In this video, The band portrays a working-class family, including one with a stubbly face, dressed in an apron and bonnet, playing the mother. The band members perform with their instruments in the living room, as they prepare for work and school. In some scenes, the family plays squash and relaxes in a hot tub. The video also includes exterior shots of other houses including the "Playboy Mansion," AND Buckingham Palace.
This song feels new again because it deals with the '80s when a tough economy forced many young people to live with their parents. The song is filled with joyful nostalgia, but at the same time, the singer knows he should probably move out. We hear this voice of reason in the line "something tells you that you've got to move away from it."
This song was part of a mini british invasion when British bands were trending in the States, with colorful acts like The Human League, Culture Club and Eurythmics also making an impact.
The core of today’s band formed as the North London Invaders in 1976. After briefly changing their name to Morris and the Minors, and many lineup changes, the band renamed itself in 1979 to what it’s known as today. The new band name was their way of paying homage to one of their favourite songs by ska/reggae artist Prince Buster.
The band had many hits and was something of a pop culture phenomenon in their native UK but today’s song was the one that broke through in the US thanks, again, to MTV.
They’ve continued to perform since the 80’s including festivals, their self-titled annual Christmas Show and you may remember at the 2012 Olympic Games, they performed this song in the closing ceremonies during an elaborate light show with scores of dancers.