One-Hit Wonders: Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen”
Dexy's Midnight Runners - "Come On Eileen" (Mercury, 1983)
A tumultuous band subject to the tumultuous whims of leader Kevin Rowland, Dexy’s Midnight Runners were a hit many times over in the UK. In the US, however, they’ve never managed to break free from the category known as One-Hit Wonders.
Named after dexedrine (“Dexy’s”) and the energy they gave revelers to dance all night (hence the “Midnight Runners”), the band was formed in 1978 by Kevin Rowland.
Their one US hit, “Come On, Eileen,” came from the second of their three albums, each finding the band taking on a different persona. For Too-Rye-Ay, the one that included “Eileen,” the band portrayed themselves as Celtic rock street urchins. (Their next album, Don’t Stand Me Down, found them in pinstripe suits).
Based on the 1960s soul tune, “A Man Like Me” by Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, inclusive of a snippet from the folk song “Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms” and aired endlessly MTV, “Come On Eileen” was different enough to capture record buyers’ attention in 1983. It reached #1 on April 23 of that year.
Come on Eileen
Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio
Moved a million hearts in mono
Gone but not forgotten, at least not at WNEW, find more tales of One-Hit Wonders here …
Leave a Comment Below
print