1982 song by Dexys Midnight Runners
"Come On Eileen"
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B-side
| - "Dubious" (7-inch in most countries & 12-inch)
- "Let's Make This Precious" (US 7-inch)
- "Liars A to E (New Version)" (12-inch)
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Released
| June 25, 1982 (UK)
January 1983 (US)
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Genre
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Length
| 4
:
12
(single version)
4:07 (without fiddle intro)
4:47 (with a cappella coda)
3:48 (video version)
3:28 (special DJ edit)
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Label
| Mercury
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Songwriter(s)
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Producer(s)
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"
Come On Eileen
" is a song by the English group
Dexys Midnight Runners
(credited to Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express), released in the United Kingdom in June 1982
[4]
as a single from their second studio album
Too-Rye-Ay
. It reached number one in the United States and was their second number one hit in the UK, following 1980's "
Geno
". The song was produced by
Clive Langer
and
Alan Winstanley
and was initially claimed to be written by
Kevin Rowland
, Jim Paterson and Billy Adams, although Rowland later stated that the essence of the tune should be attributed to
Kevin Archer
.
[5]
"Come On Eileen" won
Best British Single
at the
1983 Brit Awards
, and in 2015 the song was voted by the British public as the nation's sixth favourite
1980s number one
single in a poll for
ITV
.
[6]
It was ranked number eighteen on
VH1
's "100 Greatest Songs of the '80s"
[7]
and was Britain's best-selling single of 1982.
[8]
Composition
[
edit
]
According to Kevin Rowland, there was actually no real Eileen: "In fact she was composite, to make a point about
Catholic repression
."
[9]
Music video
[
edit
]
The 1982 music video was directed by
Julien Temple
and filmed in the inner south London suburb of
Kennington
in the vicinity of the corner of Brook Drive and Hayles Street, then Austral Street and Holyoak Road. The character of "Eileen" in the music video, as well as on the single cover, is played by Maire Fahey, sister of
Siobhan Fahey
from
Bananarama
.
[10]
Archival footage of
Johnnie Ray
arriving at London Heathrow Airport in 1954 was featured in the video.
[11]
Chart success
[
edit
]
In a 2000 poll by
Channel 4
, the song was placed at number 38 in the 100 greatest number one singles of all time.
[12]
Similar polls by the music channel
VH1
placed the song at number three in their "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders" of all time,
[13]
number 18 in their "100 Greatest Songs of the '80s"
[7]
and number one in their "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s".
[14]
(While the group had a previous number one single in the UK with "
Geno
" in 1980, "Come On Eileen" was their only US hit.) As of June 2013, "Come On Eileen" had sold 1.33 million copies in the UK.
[15]
The song reached number one in the
United States
on the
Billboard
Hot 100
charts during the week ending 23 April 1983. "Come On Eileen" prevented
Michael Jackson
from having back-to-back number one hits in the US: "
Billie Jean
" was the number one single the previous seven weeks, while "
Beat It
" was the number one song the ensuing three.
Weekly charts
[
edit
]
|
Year-end charts
[
edit
]
Certifications and sales
[
edit
]
|
"Come On England" version
[
edit
]
In 2004, the band 4?4?2 was formed to cover the song as "
Come On England
" with altered lyrics to support the
England national football team
during their appearance in the
2004 European Championships
.
[46]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Mann, Brent (2003).
99 Red Balloons...and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders
.
Citadel Press
. p. 46.
ISBN
978-0-8065-2516-7
.
New Wave spawned some of pop music's classic one-hit wonders, artists who are vividly remembered today: Dexys Midnight Runners ("Come on Eileen"), Nena ("99 Luftballons"), and Thomas Dolby ("She Blinded Me with Science"), to name just a few.
- ^
a
b
c
Huey, Steve.
"Dexys Midnight Runners ? Artist Biography"
.
AllMusic
.
All Media Network
. Retrieved
28 July
2013
.
"Come on Eileen," a distinctive fusion of '80s pop, Celtic folk, and blue-eyed soul.
- ^
Billboard Staff (19 October 2023).
"The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved
19 February
2024
.
The deliriously upbeat, fiddle-and-banjo fueled confession of thoughts that "verge on dirty," transforming an Irish folk tune into a pop-rock classic.
- ^
"New Musical Express".
NME
. London, England. 19 June 1982. p. 34.
- ^
Moyes, Jojo (21 January 1997).
"Rock star admits stealing song"
.
The Independent
. Retrieved
15 June
2020
.
- ^
Westbrook, Caroline (25 July 2015).
"The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One: 12 more classic 80s chart-toppers which didn't make the cut"
.
Metro
. Retrieved
27 July
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '80s" Preaches to the Choir with Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" Taking the Top Spot"
(Press release).
New York City
:
VH1
. 24 October 2006. Archived from
the original
on 26 June 2007.
- ^
Copsey, Rob (12 March 2021).
"The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1982"
. Official Charts Company
. Retrieved
14 March
2021
.
- ^
Simpson, Dave (16 October 2014).
"
'We were always hard workers': Kevin Rowland and Big Jim Paterson on their favourite Dexys songs"
.
The Guardian
.
Archived
from the original on 18 October 2023
. Retrieved
9 July
2015
.
From rehearsals in a warehouse to battles with record companies, lineup changes, and an attempt to write the new Bohemian Rhapsody, the singer and his long-serving trombonist share the stories behind the hits
- ^
"5 Things You Didn't Know: "Come On Eileen" By Dexys Midnight Runners"
.
WCBS-FM
. 29 March 2013
. Retrieved
3 June
2017
.
- ^
Mann, Brent (2003).
99 Red Balloons: And 100 Other All Time Great One-Hit Wonders
. Kensington Publishing Corporation. p. 185.
ISBN
0-806-52516-9
.
- ^
"Channel 4 - 100 Greatest Number One Singles in the UK"
. Classic Whitney
. Retrieved
21 July
2013
.
- ^
"Lists :: Best :: VH1 - 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders"
. Dave Tompkins
. Retrieved
11 July
2014
.
- ^
Ali, Rahsheeda (2 May 2013).
"100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s"
.
VH1
. Archived from
the original
on 12 July 2015.
- ^
a
b
Copsey, Rob (19 September 2017).
"The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed"
.
Official Charts Company
. Retrieved
1 May
2018
.
- ^
"Australia No. 1 hits -- 1980s"
.
World Charts
. Archived from
the original
on 9 January 2017
. Retrieved
9 June
2013
.
- ^
"
Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express ? Come On Eileen"
(in German).
O3 Austria Top 40
. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^
"
Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express ? Come On Eileen"
(in Dutch).
Ultratop 50
. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^
"
Top RPM Singles: Issue 6194
."
RPM
.
Library and Archives Canada
. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ^
"Le Detail par Artiste"
(in French). InfoDisc. Select "Dexy's Midnight Runners" from the artist drop-down menu
. Retrieved
14 May
2016
.
- ^
"
Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express ? Come On Eileen"
(in German).
GfK Entertainment charts
. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^
"
The Irish Charts ? Search Results ? Come On Eileen"
.
Irish Singles Chart
. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^
"
Nederlandse Top 40 ? Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express - Come On Eileen"
(in Dutch).
Dutch Top 40
. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^
"
Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express ? Come On Eileen"
(in Dutch).
Single Top 100
. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^
"
Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express ? Come On Eileen"
.
Top 40 Singles
. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^
"South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 ? 1989 Acts (D)"
. Rock.co.za
. Retrieved
28 July
2013
.
- ^
Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005).
Solo exitos: ano a ano, 1959?2002
(in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundacion Autor-SGAE.
ISBN
84-8048-639-2
.
- ^
"
Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express ? Come On Eileen"
.
Swiss Singles Chart
. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^
"Official Singles Chart Top 100"
.
Official Charts Company
. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^
a
b
c
"Too-Rye-Ay ? Awards"
.
AllMusic
.
All Media Network
. Retrieved
1 June
2013
.
- ^
"CashBox Top 100 Singles-April 23, 1983"
(PDF)
. p. 4
. Retrieved
28 May
2024
.
- ^
"National Top 100 Singles for 1982"
.
Kent Music Report
. 3 January 1983
. Retrieved
22 January
2023
– via
Imgur
.
- ^
"Forum ? ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts ? Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts ? 1980s"
. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien
. Retrieved
11 July
2014
.
- ^
"Jaaroverzichten 1982"
(in Dutch).
Ultratop
. Hung Medien
. Retrieved
11 July
2014
.
- ^
"The Top Singles of 1983"
.
RPM
. Vol. 39, no. 17.
Library and Archives Canada
. 24 December 1983
. Retrieved
7 July
2019
.
- ^
"Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982"
(in Dutch).
Dutch Top 40
. Retrieved
11 July
2014
.
- ^
"Jaaroverzichten ? Single 1982"
(in Dutch).
Single Top 100
. Hung Medien
. Retrieved
11 July
2014
.
- ^
"End of Year Charts 1982"
. Recorded Music New Zealand
. Retrieved
16 May
2016
.
- ^
Lane, Dan (18 November 2012).
"The biggest selling singles of every year revealed! (1952-2011)"
. Official Charts Company. Archived from
the original
on 13 March 2013
. Retrieved
11 July
2014
.
- ^
"Top 100 Hits for 1983"
. The Longbored Surfer
. Retrieved
11 July
2014
.
- ^
"Top 100 Singles"
.
CashBox
. Retrieved
28 May
2024
.
- ^
"Platinum and Gold Singles 1982"
.
Kent Music Report
. 28 February 1983
. Retrieved
10 November
2021
– via
Imgur
.
- ^
"Canadian single certifications ? Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners ? Come On Eileen"
.
Music Canada
.
- ^
"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dexys Midnight Runners;
'
Come On Eileen
'
)"
(in German).
Bundesverband Musikindustrie
. Retrieved
15 March
2024
.
- ^
"British single certifications ? Dexys Midnight Runners ? Come On Eileen"
.
British Phonographic Industry
. Retrieved
8 October
2021
.
- ^
"Come on England ? 2004"
.
Hamptons.org.uk
. Archived from
the original
on 15 October 2013.
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Studio albums
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Compilations
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Singles
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