Song · Madness
“Baggy Trousers” by Madness
From the album Absolutely (1980)
“Baggy Trousers” by Madness appears on 9 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 1999 and 2025. It was first released in 1980 on the album Absolutely. Its best result is #174 on the Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,774 alternative song of all time.
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"Baggy Trousers" is Madness looking back at their school days with a grin and a smirk, from their second album, Absolutely, in 1980. The band had been road-testing it at gigs since April of that year, and on record it's a full-tilt romp, the whole band charging around the playground while Suggs rattles off memories of classroom chaos.
Stiff Records put it out on 5 September 1980, and it stuck around the UK charts for 20 weeks, peaking at #3 and ending up the 28th best-selling single of the year there. It landed between "My Girl" and "Embarrassment" in the band's run of singles.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 713 | Q101 | Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1017 |
| 2001 | 422 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 500 |
| 2002 | 857 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1026 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2004 | 486 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 500 |
| 2005 | 269 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 500 |
| 2006 | 174 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) | 500 |
| 2021 | 814 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2025 | 692 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs | 800 |
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