People are shocked to realise what Madness' song 'House Of Fun' is actually about

People are only just finding out what Madness' song 'House of Fun' is actually about - and they are shocked by the x-rated meaning.

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 take a closer look, you'll realise that the verses actually tell a story about a 16-year-old boy buying condoms.

Yep, that number one 80s hit was actually a crude coming-of-age tale.

Don't believe us? Take a look at some of the lyrics: "Sixteen today, and up for fun / I'm a big boy now, or so they so / 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 goes on to describe how the teen hopes he doesn't get caught by people he knows, singing: "Miss Clay on all corners, has just walked in."

And if you're still not convinced, you will be after rewatching the music video:

While plenty of people had bothered to think about the lyrics, just as many admitted to them going over their heads in a recent Reddit thread on the matter.

As said by one Redditor: "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."

Another commented, "Mind also blown. I was thinking why is he trying to buy party stuff for his 16th birthday in a chemist," while a third added, "Oh. My. God... I had never even thought about the lyrics."

A fourth pointed out: "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)."

Others threw out some trivia about the track, including that 'House of Fun' was number one during the reigning Pope's first ever official visit to England in 1982.

Wonder if he knew what the lyrics meant back then?

Topics: Music, UK News, Reddit

Daisy Phillipson

Daisy graduated from Kingston University with a degree in Magazine Journalism, writing a thesis on the move from print to digital publishing. Continuing this theme, she has written for a range of online publications including Digital Spy and Little White Lies, with a particular passion for TV and film. Contact her on [email protected]

@DaisyWebb77