Don’t Quote Me On That

OVERVIEW, VIDEO, LYRICS, COMPOSERS, AND REVIEWS

LYRICS

It’s all eggs, bacon, beans and a fried slice

Did you hear the one, yeah yeah
The one they wrote in the paper just the other day
Well, well, would you believe it
Well I said they took it all the wrong way

Now you’ve gotta be careful ’bout what you say
Cause they’ve got a bad habit
Were you’re reading between the lines?
Or is that what I said?, now I just can’t remember

They seem to have a very good memory though
But as far as I’m concerned, as as far as I’m concerned
You don’t have to be black, white, Chinese or anything really
Just enjoy, shut up, listen and dance

It’s all eggs, bacon, beans and a fried slice

(Don’t quote me on that) don’t quote me on that
(Don’t quote me on that)
Please don’t quote me (don’t quote me on that)
(Don’t quote me on that)

Hey Hey, you know something, I said I liked that guy
But that’s not what I read in the paper
I don’t have anything against them
It’s just eggs, bacon, beans and a fried slice

(Don’t quote me on that)
Hm, don’t quote me on that (don’t quote me on that)
Please don’t quote me (don’t quote me on that)
(Don’t quote me on that)

You know, now we get worried about what we say
You know, we shouldn’t be that way
You know, I don’t care who comes
Cause as far as I’m concerned
It’s eggs, bacon, beans and a fried slice

Don’t quote me on that [x2]
Please don’t quote me

Mama, mama, you know I’m still friends with Mickey
They say that I shouldn’t like him anymore, ’cause I’m all white
Well, he’s allright by me

Don’t Quote me on that (don’t quote me on that)
Please don’t quote me (don’t quote me on that)
(Don’t quote me on that)

Now what I do is
I bring all my old friends along to see the show
And if you have the wrong ideas well

It’s all eggs, bacon, beans and a fried slice

(Don’t quote me on that, oh no) (don’t quote me on that)
Please don’t quote me (don’t quote me on that, oh no)
(Don’t quote me on that) I never said that
(Don’t quote me on that) that’s not what I meant
Well, I suppose you could take it that way (don’t quote me on that, oh no)
But that’s not what I meant to say (don’t quote me on that, oh no)
Won’t you give me another chance (don’t quote me on that, oh oh oh)
Please, please
Don’t quote me on that

(Don’t quote me on that, oh no)
I’d like to say thank you to Pete, Peter Tosh
And all the other people who come and they believe in us for the fun and the music
Cause all I’ve got to say to you press now is:
It’s all eggs, bacon, beans and a fried slice

Eggs, bacon, beans and a fried slice
Go to Maggies caff
132 Liverpool road
Just down the road, just round the corner
Only there’s not much corner
It’s just chairs and tables and they’ve even got a Space Invaders machine
A cup of tea, that’s fine for me
‘Cause it’s all eggs, bacon, beans and a fried slice

Are you sure you turned that tape recorder off?
Are you sure?

OVERVIEW

“Don’t Quote Me On That” was a commentary on press coverage which had tried to paint the band as racists who supported the National Front (NF). Some of the band’s shows had been disrupted by skinhead violence, and, in a 1979 NME interview, Madness member Chas Smash was quoted as saying, “We don’t care if people are in the NF as long as they’re having a good time.” This was quoted to add to the speculation that Madness was a racist band supporting the National Front. However, the band members denied those allegations, “Lots of stupid stuff was said about us and racism,” says Suggs, “when we were on the road with black people, friends of ours, of Cathal in particular—and he was the one getting castigated.”

The riff is lifted from ‘Bush Doctor’ by The Music Doctors,” says Chris, and fires up his Wurlitzer jukebox to play me the original. Peter Tosh had a hit with a song by the same name, and Tosh‘s publishers thought that some money was on the cards as a Madness co-write. Chris gleefully whips the single out of the jukebox and shows me who wrote the Music Doctors’ tune. It says ‘Thompson’ on the label. Nice grey area for the writing credit, then.

Composer	Role
Cathal Smyth	Music & Words
Winston McIntosh	Musical or Lyrical Contribution

EDITORS REVIEW

I highly recommend checking out these three exceptional music mixes that are a must-listen.

(Mix 1) Work, Rest & Play EP (BUY 71) (approx 4:32)
“It’s All Eggs Bacon Beans and a Fried Slice” with a full piano intro then kicks in with all instrumentation mixed into the entire track. It ends with a “Are you sure…” echo to fade (no guitar).

(Mix 2) 12″ Hot Biscuit Promo (MAD-1) (approx 3:59)
“It’s All Eggs Bacon Beans and a Fried Slice” with (edited) piano intro then kicks in with just bass and drums, sax and organ kicks in at 30 seconds, the guitar comes in at 55 seconds, but the mix holds Mikes piano until 1:29 minutes into the track. It ends with “are you sure” dead stop, with guitar, echoed to fade.

(Mix 3) Japanese 12″ Grey Day (VIP-5912) (approx 3:56)
“It’s All Eggs Bacon Beans and a Fried Slice” with (edited) piano intro then kicks in much the same as the hot biscuit mix with just bass and drums, sax and organ kicks in at 30 seconds, the guitar comes in at 50 seconds, the mix still holds Mikes piano until 1:29 minutes into the track. It ends with “Are you sure…” echos to fade (no guitar).

Let’s examine the initial Hot Biscuit Promo (Mix 2) that was planned for release somehow. However, the endeavour was a total flop; the mix has yet to be made available in any format.

The journey of Madness’s Singles Box Vol. 1 was an audacious attempt to recreate the magic encapsulated in each of their singles, leading up to the iconic Cardiac Arrest. One particular gem that fans eagerly awaited was the legendary 12″ Hot Biscuit Promo. Alas, fate had a cruel twist in store, as Mix 1 made not just one, but two appearances – on disc 5 for the recreated 12″ Hot Biscuit Promo and on disc 4 for the recreated Work, Rest, Play.

It felt like an eternal cycle of Mix 1 haunting us. But fear not, dear fans, as there is a glimmer of hope shining through the mist of disappointment – the beacon of Mix 3 graces the coveted Japanese 12″ Grey Day (VIP-5912). Rest assured, our dreams of encountering Mix 3, the holy grail, are beckoning us with a promise of pure musical bliss.

TRACK RATING: 10/10

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Representation	Company	Notes
Publisher	EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
Publisher	Nutty Sounds Ltd.
Publisher	Warner Chappell Music Ltd.

Extensive efforts have been made to gather factual information and knowledge on madness from various sources and document them. These sources include publicly accessible websites, books and publications, historical artefacts, and other pertinent materials. As a result, a comprehensive index of resources has been compiled and integrated into the website. These resources, if relevant to this article, are listed below.

Reference	Source
wikipedia.org	Website
Madness' One Step Beyond... (Terry Edwards)	Book
discogs.com	Website