Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen [1982]
Too-Rye-Ay
"Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen" Video
Amateur Video
"Poor old Johnnie Ray..." Video begins with clips of some long forgotten singer from the '50s (is this Johnnie Ray?) getting off a plane, entertaining his fans. Cut to a bunch of street urchins in overalls dancing a strange sort of Irish jig on the dirty sidewalks of a rundown neighborhood. One plays an accordion and the band also includes banjo and horn players. Lead singer makes a play for some blonde chick who just happens to stroll by.
"Come on Eileen" was the biggest hit in the States - hell it was the only hit as far as I know - for Dexy's Midnight Runners (according to some sources, the band's name was derived from the amphetamine Dexedrine). Apparently, this song is still a popular request at wedding celebrations for some unknown reason. It's a catchy tune but what the hell is it all about? And who the hell was Johnnie Ray anyway, you ask? He was a top singer during the early 1950s who is almost totally forgotten today. Ray's best-known tune, "Cry," spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the charts. He was also a drunk and drug addict who was arrested on a number of occasions trying to pick up male prostitutes, according to his biography. Ray died of liver disease in 1990.
Over here in the States, Dexy faded out faster than the "Black Rhino" lasted in the ring with Mike Tyson. Dexy's lead singer, Kevin Rowland, was interviewed recently on one of those VH1 '80s retrospective specials, looking a lot like Charles Manson's twin brother ("beaten down eyes/Sunk in smoke dried faces"). You've come a long way, man! "Go toora loora toora loo rye aye..."
User Comments - Add a Comment
AmeriKill - 2003-09-20 15:07:28
Even though the video itself was less than prime TV fare, I have to admit I've rediscovered the song in all its 80's glory, and find that it kicks even more ass now than it did then. I play it on a semi-regular basis, and for some stupid reason, it always puts me in a good mood.
Engelbert H. - 2009-05-06 02:38:57
It was filmed in Reading, PA. One of my all-time favorite songs...
holly - 2009-09-13 22:28:23
It was filmed in London. "Near to the Elephant and Castle. After the initial Johnnie Ray section, most of the video features the band singing and playing in the streets just to the west of the Elephant, particularly in Brook Drive, SE11 ( the road sign is visible in the film). The corner where they stand by a shop is at the junction of Brook Drive and Hayles Street. The pub in the background - the Two Eagles - was later replaced with flats." (Transpotine)
Dave Cass - 2003-07-16 09:47:06
Does anyone know where the video was filmed - love to know