"NW5" is a song by the band Madness, which was debuted live at the Brixton Academy in December 2006. The single was released in January 2008 on the band's own label, Lucky 7 Records, and entered the chart at no.24 on Sunday 20th Jan 2008, going to no.1 on the UK Independent Label Chart on Sunday 20th Jan 2008. It was very well received by fans and critics alike. The song was subsequently included on their critically acclaimed 2009 album, The Liberty of Norton Folgate and has become a regular at Madness concerts. The song's title is a reference to the UK postal code area for the north London district of Kentish Town, from where the band originated. It was written by saxophone player Lee Thompson and pianist

Mike Barson Michael Barson (born 21 April 1958) is a British multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning 45 years, Barson came to prominence in the late 1970s as the keyboard player for the band Madness. Early years Barson wa ...

, who also wrote some of the band's other hits including "

House of Fun "House of Fun" is a song by English ska/pop group Madness, credited to Mike Barson and Lee Thompson. Retrieved on 28 June 2007. It was released as a one-off single on 14 May 1982 and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, spending nine ...

". The b-side "Bittersweet" is a cover of a song by

The Undertones The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradle ...

, recorded for the Dangermen Sessions.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "NW5". *7" single #"NW5" ( Barson/ Thompson) – 4:14 #"Bittersweet" (O'Neil) – 2:43 *CD single #"NW5 (Radio Edit)" (Barson/Thompson) – 3:49 #"NW5" (Barson/Thompson) – 4:14 #"Bittersweet" (O'Neil) – 2:43 #"NW5 (Man Like Me Remix)" – 3:29 *DVD single #"NW5 (Video)" (Barson/Thompson) – 3:49 #"

Night Boat to Cairo "Night Boat to Cairo" is a song by British ska/ pop band Madness from their debut 1979 album '' One Step Beyond...''. It was written by Mike Barson and Suggs and was also included on the 1980 EP '' Work Rest and Play'', which peaked at number ...

(Video)" ( Barson/

McPherson McPherson is a Scottish surname. It is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic ''Mac a' Phearsain'' and ''Mac a Phearsoin'', meaning "son of the parson". Notable people with the surname include: In sports *Adrian McPherson, American football player ...

) – 2:38 #" My Girl (Video)" (Barson) – 2:43 #" It Must Be Love (Video)" ( Siffre)- 2:21 *iTunes download #"NW5 (Radio Edit)" (Barson/Thompson) – 3:49 #"NW5" (Barson/Thompson) – 4:14 #"NW5 (Man Like Me Remix)" – 3:29 #"NW5 (Instrumental) – 4:14

German release

The track "NW5" was originally released as a single in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

(titled "''NW5 (I would give you everything)''") after appearing in the film ', a sequel to ''

Der Wixxer Der Wixxer (; a reference to German "Wichser", ''wanker'') is a 2004 German parody of comparable German crime films based on works by Edgar Wallace, especially the film '' Der Hexer'' (1964) – a German adaption of ''The Ringer''. The fil ...

'' (2004). The 2007 version of NW5 is different to the 2008 Lucky Seven Record's version, with the earlier recording having a darker tone. That version also featured guitarist Kevin Burdette instead of original Madness guitarist

Chris Foreman Christopher John Foreman (born 8 August 1956), nicknamed Chrissy Boy, is an English musician, songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning 45 years, Foreman came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the English band Madness. ...

who had left the group in mid-2005. Foreman re-joined Madness later in 2007 and can be heard on the 2008 release. The B-side for the German release was a new recording of "'' It Must Be Love''". Two promo videos were made for "''NW5''" and the new "''It Must Be Love''", starring

Suggs Graham McPherson (born 13 January 1961), known primarily by his stage name Suggs, is a British singer-songwriter, musician, radio personality and actor. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the ska band Madness, which ...

, Carl Smyth, Daniel Woodgate, stand-in guitarist Kevin Burdette, and members of the film's cast.

Oliver Kalkofe Oliver Lars Fred Kalkofe (born 12 September 1965) is a German actor, comedian, satirist, writer and audiobook narrator. Life and career Kalkofe was born in Hanover and grew up in Engelbostel and Peine. After passing the Abitur in 1984, he fi ...

, leading actor, co-writer and co-producer of the film, is a fan of Madness since the 1980s and was responsible for the collaboration, which he described as a "dream coming true" for him. The new video for "''It Must be Love''" featured in the film's credits.

German track listing

*CD Single #"NW5 (I Would Give You Everything) (Radio Edit)" (Barson/Thompson) – 3:34 #"It Must Be Love" (Wixx-Mixx 2007) (Siffre) – 4:00 #"NW5" (I Would Give You Everything) (Album Version) (Barson/Thompson) – 4:14 #"NW5 (I Would Give You Everything) (Live@Wembley Arena 12/06)" - 3:54 #"It Must Be Love (2007) Video" #"NW5 (I Would Give You Everything) Video" #"Making of NW5 Video"

Chart performance

Notes

{{authority control 2008 singles Madness (band) songs Songs written by Mike Barson Songs written by Lee Thompson (saxophonist) Lucky 7 Records singles 2006 songs Song recordings produced by Clive Langer Songs about London UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles