“One Step Beyond…” album by Madness includes four cover versions, and “Swan Lake” is one of them. Interestingly, it’s a cover of The Cats’ version, released between 1968 and 1970, which itself was a reggae version of “Swan Lake.” Mark describes Madness‘ version as a straightforward copy of The Cats’ version. It’s worth noting that The Cats’ second single was a cover of “My Girl,” unrelated to the Madness song but a funny coincidence.

“I don’t remember much about it, except that I enjoyed recording it,” says Clive. “It was more of a Madness-style than an attempt to emulate ska music.” In this song, the guitar takes a backseat to the keyboards, giving them more space to lead. Clive explains, “We had the English pop sound that came through all of us playing in New Wave and punk bands.” With Alan Winstanley‘s recording expertise and producer Martin Rushent’s help, they managed to capture the spirit of the time by reinventing music from the previous decade with a fresh, innocent, and raw sound, according to Woody.