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One Step Beyond (song)

"One Step Beyond"
Madness - One Step Beyond.jpg
Single by Madness
from the album One Step Beyond...
B-side
  • "Mistakes"
  • "Nutty Theme"
Released 26 October 1979 (1979-10-26)
Format
Recorded 1979
Genre Ska
Length 2:17
Label Stiff
Writer(s) Cecil Campbell
Producer(s)
Madness singles chronology
"The Prince"
(1979)
"One Step Beyond"
(1979)
"My Girl"
(1979)
Audio sample
file info · help
One Step Beyond... track listing
Side One
  1. "One Step Beyond"
  2. "My Girl"
  3. "Night Boat to Cairo"
  4. "Believe Me"
  5. "Land of Hope and Glory"
  6. "The Prince"
  7. "Tarzan's Nuts"
Side Two
  1. "In the Middle of the Night"
  2. "Bed and Breakfast Man"
  3. "Razor Blade Alley"
  4. "Swan Lake"
  5. "Rockin' in A-flat"
  6. "Mummy's Boy"
  7. "Madness"
  8. "Chipmunks Are Go!"
Divine Madness track listing
"The Prince"
(1)
"One Step Beyond"
(2)
"My Girl
(3)

"One Step Beyond" is a tune written by Jamaican ska singer Prince Buster as a B-side for his single "Al Capone". It was made famous by British band Madness who covered it for their debut 1979 album, One Step Beyond..., also named after the song. Although Buster's version was mostly instrumental except for the song title shouted for a few times, the Madness version features a spoken intro by Chas Smash and a barely audible but insistent background chant of "here we go!". The spoken line, "Don't watch that, watch this", in the intro is from another Prince Buster song, "The Scorcher". Also, that line became a trademark during the early promos of MTV, where the video was in heavy rotation.

According to Alan Winstanley, one of the producers, the released Madness version was a rough mix, created by taking the original 1 minute 10 second instrumental and repeating it, with the second half treated with an Eventide harmonizer to make it sound slightly different. Langer and Winstanley intended to do a full remix but found that the double-length rough mix had already been sent for mastering before they got the opportunity.

The song is often used to begin live performances by the band.

The single produced the band's first music video, directed by Chuck Statler. The video mainly features a performance on the Hope and Anchor stage in Islington, which was filmed on 7 October 1979. The video also features Chas Smash, performing the lead vocals, although he was not at the time a member of the band. Lead singer Suggs is present in the video in front of the band, holding a microphone, although he does not sing the lead vocals.


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