"Michael Caine" is a song by English ska band Madness, released on 30 January 1984 as the lead single from their fifth studio album Keep Moving (1984). The song was written by Carl Smyth and Daniel Woodgate, and features Smyth on lead vocals in place of usual Madness vocalist Suggs. "Michael Caine" spent eight weeks on the British chart, peaking at number 11. Lyrical content The song is about an informant during the Troubles, and the lyrics suggest a state of paranoia and mental disintegration. It is named after English actor Michael Caine and includes his vocal samples, recorded specifically for this song. The song's hook, a repetition of Caine introducing himself by name, recalls his role in the spy film The Ipcress File (1965), in which his character, Harry Palmer, repeats his name while trying to stay sane under torture. When he was approached to appear on the record, Caine initially turned it down, but his daughter on hearing his decision made him change his mind, telling him how popular they were. Speaking of the song's lyrics and the idea behind the use of Caine's name, Carl Smyth told Record Mirror in 1984, "The record's about informers. If you think of informers who are current news then that's a clue. At the same time, I wouldn't do a song just about Michael Caine – it's not a tribute or anything like that. I was trying to think of who could be used to illustrate it, and his name seemed right – his film The Ipcress File had the sort of atmosphere I wanted to create – we even used some of the phrases." Music video The music video was also based on The Ipcress File, and featured a lightbulb being shot, as seen in the title sequence from the television spy series Callan. A photograph of Michael Caine from the 60s is also seen being shredded in the video. The video took longer to complete than usual, due to being shot on 35 mm film as opposed to 16 mm. As a result, Mike Barson is absent for much of the video; he had a plane to catch, and could not stay for the whole filming session. Critical reception Upon its release, Neil Tennant of Smash Hits stated, "This new Madness single is world-weary and melancholy, although it's brightened up by the man himself declaring 'I am Michael Caine'