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Breeze · 07-25-2019, 06:58 AM

2. Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen (1983)

Total Points – 205
Charts – 5
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 2
Top 10 – 2
Total Ranking – 3, 4, 11, 13, 62, NR

The band’s name is derived from Dexedrine a stimulant typically used to treat ADHD or narcolepsy but was extremely popular as a street drug in Birmingham, England, where people would take it so they could dance all night. The band was signed by Clash manager Bernard Rhodes and they cut their first single. Rhodes was critical of lead singer Kevin Rowland’s singing style noting that it lacked emotion, so Rowland started trying to sound like General Johnson of Holland–Dozier–Holland band Chairmen of the Board. After opening for The Specials, who wore suits on stage as part of their image, Rowland decided Dexys needed a distinctive look (something that would become a theme for the band) they started with leather coats and woolly hats, like DeNiro’s character in “Mean Streets”. Their first single, “Dance Stance” made it to #40 on the UK singles chart, and their second single “Geno” was a #1 hit in the UK. Despite the early success things inside the band were extremely unsettled, in fact from the late 70s to the early 80s the band went through so many line up changes the only constant was Rowland. This song was released in June of ’82 and it was the band’s second #1 hit in the UK, and their first and only hit in the US, also reaching #1. By this time the band had adopted the baggy overalls as their look, one that would last for several years, but ultimately would be replaced by suits (just like The Specials originally did). Eileen won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards and it was ranked #18 on VH1’s list of the best songs of the 80s. There are actually several versions of this song with most of the differences coming during the intro. One version has a fiddle intro and a second has an a cappella coda, both of which are based on Thomas Moore’s Irish folk song “Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms”. Interestingly, this song reached number 1 on the US charts April 23, 1983, and it prevented Michael Jackson from having back to back number 1 hits. “Billy Jean” was number one for 7 weeks prior to Dexy hitting the top spot. Immediately after Come on Eileen’s 1 week at top, “Beat It” became the number 1 song for 3 weeks. After the release of the Too-Rye-Ay album, which contained this single, the band took 3 years to have a follow up, then the 4th album wouldn’t be released until 2012 - 27 years later. These long gaps may have contributed to their inability to create a second hit in the US, but it didn’t really hinder them in the UK, where the managed 9 top 40 hits, including 2 number 1s and 2 other top 10 hits.

07-25-2019, 06:58 AM	#247
Breeze Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL	2. Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen (1983) Total Points – 205 Charts – 5 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 2 Top 10 – 2 Total Ranking – 3, 4, 11, 13, 62, NR The band’s name is derived from Dexedrine a stimulant typically used to treat ADHD or narcolepsy but was extremely popular as a street drug in Birmingham, England, where people would take it so they could dance all night. The band was signed by Clash manager Bernard Rhodes and they cut their first single. Rhodes was critical of lead singer Kevin Rowland’s singing style noting that it lacked emotion, so Rowland started trying to sound like General Johnson of Holland–Dozier–Holland band Chairmen of the Board. After opening for The Specials, who wore suits on stage as part of their image, Rowland decided Dexys needed a distinctive look (something that would become a theme for the band) they started with leather coats and woolly hats, like DeNiro’s character in “Mean Streets”. Their first single, “Dance Stance” made it to #40 on the UK singles chart, and their second single “Geno” was a #1 hit in the UK. Despite the early success things inside the band were extremely unsettled, in fact from the late 70s to the early 80s the band went through so many line up changes the only constant was Rowland. This song was released in June of ’82 and it was the band’s second #1 hit in the UK, and their first and only hit in the US, also reaching #1. By this time the band had adopted the baggy overalls as their look, one that would last for several years, but ultimately would be replaced by suits (just like The Specials originally did). Eileen won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards and it was ranked #18 on VH1’s list of the best songs of the 80s. There are actually several versions of this song with most of the differences coming during the intro. One version has a fiddle intro and a second has an a cappella coda, both of which are based on Thomas Moore’s Irish folk song “Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms”. Interestingly, this song reached number 1 on the US charts April 23, 1983, and it prevented Michael Jackson from having back to back number 1 hits. “Billy Jean” was number one for 7 weeks prior to Dexy hitting the top spot. Immediately after Come on Eileen’s 1 week at top, “Beat It” became the number 1 song for 3 weeks. After the release of the Too-Rye-Ay album, which contained this single, the band took 3 years to have a follow up, then the 4th album wouldn’t be released until 2012 - 27 years later. These long gaps may have contributed to their inability to create a second hit in the US, but it didn’t really hinder them in the UK, where the managed 9 top 40 hits, including 2 number 1s and 2 other top 10 hits. Last edited by Breeze : 07-25-2019 at 07:32 AM.