Embarrassment

‘Embarrassment’ was a brave choice for a band who had traded on their sense of fun. Thompson originally had in mind the melody from ‘Ghost Dance’ by Prince Buster, but Mike Barson had other ideas. He created a song which sounded as if Motown’s backing band ‘The Funk Brothers’ had recorded the theme tune for The Sweeney, and its irresistible melody and instrumental swagger rightly rewarded Madness with another Top Five hit single. The 7-inch was backed by an overlooked Barson song, ‘Crying Shame‘, a Coasters-flavoured ditty which was undeniably stronger – melodically, at least – than many of the tracks on Absolutely. Maybe this explained its later choice for the band’s encores.