Cover version of the month #95
Madness cover Labi Siffre
One of Scotland's most beloved musicians is Bobby Bluebell of The Bluebells. I really enjoy following Bobby on X/Twitter where he regularly posts about his love of music, political beliefs (right on!), Celtic and Glasgow sunsets.
Towards the end of 2023, Bobby retweeted a black and white video, stating that this was a performance by 'the most overlooked British songwriter ever'.
Naturally, I had to check it out! Who was it? What was the song?
I was surprised to find that it was a performance of the song It Must Be Love and the original tweet stated; December 11th 1971, this little piece of magic was climbing the charts at no.17.
Hang on a second! Isn't It Must Be Love a Madness song?! 1971?!?!
Well, It Must Be Love is yet another example of me thinking a cover was an original. Labi Siffre is the artist that Bobby was proclaiming to be the most overlooked British songwriter ever.
Siffre released It Must Be Love as a single in 1971 (peaking at 14 in the charts in January 1972) and then on his 1972 album Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying. Madness released their version 10-years after the original in late-1981. Siffre makes a cameo appearance as a violin player in typically brilliant Madness video.
It's pretty easy to hear why Madness were attracted to the song. And after listening to a couple of Siffre's albums, it's clear to hear why Bobby declared Siffre the most overlooked British songwriter ever.
Siffre's melody and song are immediately captivating. The song starts with a countdown into a kind of skiffle groove with that incredible vocal melody over the top. Siffre is heartbroken, pining for a lost love and recognising how much he needs her. It's the classic - don't know what you've got 'til it's gone song!
I never thought I'd miss you
Half as much as I do
And I never thought I'd feel this way
The way I feel
About you
A gentle beat and horns come in for the bridge which underlines how much Siffre has woken up and recognised how head over heels he was. The chorus is simple and extremely effective
It must be love, love, love
It must be love, love, love
Nothing more, nothing less
Love is the best
There is another short verse, bridge, chorus, bridge and chorus. That's it. Siffre keeps it beautifully simple. he is never rushed, just hits the sweet spot and flows. There is a lovely freshness to the song.
Madness take Siffre's melody and just put their own unique stamp on it. Piano replaces the skiffle riff, Suggs accent is quintessentially English and the video is quite poppy - white room with the band predominantly in black, saxaphone and guitar solos in a swimming pool. And Suggs (at least going by the start of the video) is singing to someone who has died.
Madness don't really stray too far from the original ... yet they don't really appear to have ever truly highlight that they didn't actually write the song.
I guess you could say they made it their own ... Their version definitely stands out and is very memorable, but having now discovered the original, I definitely prefer it.
Siffre's original and the Madness cover version are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE
Previous covers of the month blogs
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U
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