Driving in My Car

"Driving in My Car"
Single by Madness
Released24 July 1982
Recorded1982
GenreNew wave, pop
Length3:17
LabelStiff Records
Songwriter(s)Mike Barson
Producer(s)Clive Langer
Alan Winstanley
Madness singles chronology
"House of Fun"
(1982)
"Driving in My Car"
(1982)
"Our House"
(1982)

"Driving in My Car" is a song by Madness. It was released as a stand-alone single on 24 July 1982 and spent eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number four. It reached number 20 on the Australian Singles Chart.

The B-side to the single was "Animal Farm", a mostly instrumental reworking of the song "Tomorrow's Dream" from the album 7. The 12" release of the single included the song "Riding on My Bike", which is basically a rewording of the main track, sung by Lee Thompson.

"Driving in My Car" was the 13th in a run of 20 consecutive UK top 20 hits for Madness, and is the only one of those 20 never to have been officially released on a Madness album in the USA. It was later included on the 2010 re-release of the band's 1982 album The Rise and Fall, as well as its two B-sides.

Video

The video shows Madness as car mechanics larking about in their workshop, and in their normal suits driving around in their "Maddiemobile" – a white 1959 model Morris Minor. The members of fellow ska/pop group Fun Boy Three make a brief appearance, trying (and failing) to hitch a ride to their home town of Coventry, which the A45 mentioned in the song passes through.[1]

Track listing

  • 7" single
  1. "Driving in My Car" – 3:17
  2. "Animal Farm (Tomorrow's Dream Warp Mix)" -4:02
  • 12" single
  1. "Driving in My Car" – 3:17
  2. "Animal Farm (Tomorrow's Dream Warp Mix)" -4:02
  3. "Riding on My Bike" – 4:35

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[2] Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Charts

Chart (1982) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[3] 4

References

  1. ^ Video on YouTube
  2. ^ "British single certifications – Madness – Driving in My Car". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Madness: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 December 2022.