The Sun And The Rain

Madness’s “The Sun and the Rain” was released in 1983 and 1984, respectively. It climbed to number 5 on the UK Singles Chart and number 72 on the USA Billboard Hot 100.

Critics loved the song for its catchy tune, lively pub piano, and Beatles-inspired string section. Debi Voller called it “the Madness we’ve all come to adore,” while Julie Burchill praised its childlike charm and cosmic vision, though she also noted its mediocrity.

The music video for “The Sun and the Rain” features Madness performing in a rainy street, with references to Christmas and the holiday seasons. Fans join in the dancing at the end. The band enters ‘Holts’ shoe shop in Camden Town, now called British Boot Company. Scenes show them dressed in red with umbrella hats, supposedly causing trouble inside Suggs’ ear, and Lee Thompson running around with a rocket strapped to his back, referencing the single’s b-side.

“The Sun and the Rain” was the last Madness single written solely by Mike Barson until 2009. It was also their last original release to reach the UK top 10 until 1999.