The real meaning of Madness' House of Fun is very x-rated

A lot of our favourite songs have hidden meanings behind them, some more naughty than you might think.

One of those is the classic 1982 track 'House of Fun' by Madness, which has a surprising X-rated meaning.

People are only just finding out about this hidden meaning after all these years of singing the classic song from pub karaoke to the car journey back home from work.

If you don't know either, chances are you did the same as a lot of the fans and only focused on the line 'welcome to the house of fun' while filling in the blanks with 'dun dun dun dun dun'.

Madness/YouTube

But if you listen closely to them lines you've been muttering for the best part of 30 years, you'll notice that the verses actually tell a story about a 16-year-old lad buying condoms.

A bit unexpected, really - so let's take a look at some of the lyrics: "Sixteen today, and up for fun / I'm a big boy now, or so they say / So if you'll serve, I'll be on my way.

"Box of balloons, with the feather-light touch / Pack of party-poppers, that pop in the night."

The song then continues by going on to describe how the teen hopes he doesn't get caught by the people he knows.

The lyrics say: "Miss Clay on all corners, has just walked in."

The music video even provides more evidence of the song's hidden meaning.

The true lyrics of the song were discussed on a Reddit thread, with many admitting that they had no clue on the true meaning of 'House of Fun'.

One Redditor said: "Holy s**t; I honestly never listened to the lyrics. Just looked them up.

"Sometimes these things are an interpretation of the lyrics, but not in this case - it's literally a story of a 16-year-old boy going to buy condoms from the pharmacy, and worrying someone he knows will see him."

A second added: "The video makes it a lot more obvious but the chances of people under 40 having seen the music video is slim.

Madness/ YouTube

"I think I was about 14 when I first saw the video, made the realisation and as a 14-year-old, thought it was the funniest thing in the world (possibly after Red Dwarf)."

Meanwhile, another remarked: "Mind also blown. I was thinking why is he trying to buy party stuff for his 16th birthday in a chemist."

So, there you have it. We hope your feelings towards the song haven't changed as it is still a music great.