Come On Eileen - Wikipedia

1982 song by Dexys Midnight Runners

"Come On Eileen"
Single by Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express
from the album Too-Rye-Ay
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)
Released	25 June 1982 (UK)January 1983 (US)
Genre	New wave[1] Celtic folk[2] blue-eyed soul[2] pop[2] pop rock[3]
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)
Label	Mercury
Songwriters	Kevin Rowland Jim Paterson Billy Adams
Producers	Clive Langer Alan Winstanley
Dexys Midnight Runners singles chronology
"The Celtic Soul Brothers" (1982) "Come On Eileen" (1982) "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" (1982)

"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 credited to 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 18 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '80s"[7] and was Britain's best-selling single of 1982.[8]

Composition

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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

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The 1982 music video was directed by Julien Temple and filmed in the inner south London district of Elephant and Castle 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 Máire 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

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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 as well as several other Top 40 singles, "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 chart 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] Chart (1982–1983) Peakposition Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] 9 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] 2 France (IFOP)[20] 5 Germany (GfK)[21] 6 Ireland (IRMA)[22] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 7 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 1 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[26] 1 Spain (AFYVE)[27] 17 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[29] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[30] 1 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[30] 31 US Billboard Mainstream Rock[30] 6 US Cash Box[31] 1

Year-end charts [edit] Chart (1982) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[32][33] 12 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[34] 8 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[35] 32 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[36] 28 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[37] 34 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[38] 5 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[39] 1 Chart (1983) Position US Billboard Hot 100[40] 13 US Cash Box[41] 12

Certifications and sales

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Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[42]	Gold	50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[43]	Gold	50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[44]	Gold	45,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[45]	Gold	300,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[46]	6× Platinum	180,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[47]	3× Platinum	1,800,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

"Come On England" version

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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.[48]

See also

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• List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
• List of best-selling singles by year in the United Kingdom
• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1983
• List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1983
• List of number-one singles of 1982 (Ireland)
• List of number-one singles from the 1980s (New Zealand)
• List of number-one singles of the 1980s (Switzerland)
• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s

References

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1. ^ 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.
2. ^ 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.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ "New Musical Express". NME. London, England. 19 June 1982. p. 34.
5. ^ Moyes, Jojo (21 January 1997). "Rock star admits stealing song". The Independent. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
6. ^ 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.
7. ^ 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.
8. ^ Copsey, Rob (12 March 2021). "The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1982". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
9. ^ 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
10. ^ "5 Things You Didn't Know: "Come On Eileen" By Dexys Midnight Runners". WCBS-FM. 29 March 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
11. ^ 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.
12. ^ "Channel 4 - 100 Greatest Number One Singles in the UK". Classic Whitney. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
13. ^ "Lists :: Best :: VH1 - 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders". Dave Tompkins. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
14. ^ Ali, Rahsheeda (2 May 2013). "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s". VH1. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015.
15. ^ Copsey, Rob (19 September 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
16. ^ "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1980s". World Charts. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
17. ^ "Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express – Come On Eileen" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
18. ^ "Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express – Come On Eileen" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Image 6194". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
20. ^ "Le Détail par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Dexy's Midnight Runners" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
21. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
22. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Come On Eileen". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
23. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express - Come On Eileen" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
24. ^ "Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express – Come On Eileen" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
25. ^ "Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express – Come On Eileen". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
26. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (D)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
27. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
28. ^ "Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express – Come On Eileen". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
29. ^ "Official Singles Chart on 7/8/1982 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
30. ^ a b c "Too-Rye-Ay – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
31. ^ "CashBox Top 100 Singles-April 23, 1983" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
32. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. 3 January 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.
33. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1982" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
35. ^ "The Top Singles of 1983". RPM. Vol. 39, no. 17. Library and Archives Canada. 24 December 1983. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
36. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
37. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
38. ^ "End of Year Charts 1982". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
39. ^ 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.
40. ^ "Top 100 Hits for 1983". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
41. ^ "Top 100 Singles". CashBox. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
42. ^ "Platinum and Gold Singles 1982". Kent Music Report. 28 February 1983. Retrieved 10 November 2021 – via Imgur.
43. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen". Music Canada.
44. ^ "Danish single certifications – Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
45. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dexys Midnight Runners; 'Come On Eileen')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
46. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Dexy's Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen". Radioscope. Retrieved 28 February 2026. Type Come On Eileen in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
47. ^ "British single certifications – Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 July 2024. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Come On Eileen Dexys Midnight Runners in the "Search:" field.
48. ^ "Come on England – 2004". Hamptons.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013.

v t e Dexys Midnight Runners
Kevin Rowland Lucy Morgan Sean Read Michael Timothy Andy Hobson Al Archer Jim Paterson Pete Williams Pete Saunders John Jay Steve Spooner Geoff Blythe Jeff Kent Bobby Ward Andy Leek Andy "Stoker" Growcott Mick Talbot Billy Adams Mickey Billingham Seb Shelton Paul Speare Brian Maurice Steve Wynne Giorgio Kilkenny Helen O'Hara Steve Brennan Roger MacDuff John Edwards Andy Hamilton Nick Gatfield Spike Edney Robert Noble Vincent Crane Tim Dancy Julian Litman Mick Bolton Pol Coussee Fayyaz Virji Penn Pennington Jerry Preston Philip Blakeman Neil Hubbard Julian Crampton Crispin Taylor Volker Janssen Paul Taylor Madeleine Hyland Tim Cansfield David Ruffy Siobhan Fahey Billy Stookes Mark Kavuma
Studio albums	Searching for the Young Soul Rebels Too-Rye-Ay Don't Stand Me Down One Day I'm Going to Soar Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul The Feminine Divine
Compilations	Geno The Very Best of Dexys Midnight Runners BBC Radio One Live in Concert Let's Make This Precious: The Best of Dexys Midnight Runners The Projected Passion Revue
Singles	"Dance Stance" "Geno" "There, There, My Dear" "The Celtic Soul Brothers" "Come On Eileen" "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" "This Is What She's Like"
Related articles	Discography The Blue Ox Babes The Bureau General Public The Killjoys

v t e Brit Award for Song of the Year
1970s	"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen / "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum (1977)
1980s	"Tainted Love" by Soft Cell (1982) "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners (1983) "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club (1984) "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1985) "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears (1986) "West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys (1987) "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley (1988) "Perfect" by Fairground Attraction (1989)
1990s	"Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins (1990) "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode (1991) "These Are the Days of Our Lives" by Queen (1992) "Could It Be Magic" by Take That (1993) "Pray" by Take That (1994) "Parklife" by Blur (1995) "Back for Good" by Take That (1996) "Wannabe" by Spice Girls (1997) "Never Ever" by All Saints (1998) "Angels" by Robbie Williams (1999)
2000s	"She's the One" by Robbie Williams (2000) "Rock DJ" by Robbie Williams (2001) "Don't Stop Movin'" by S Club 7 (2002) "Just a Little" by Liberty X (2003) "White Flag" by Dido (2004) "Your Game" by Will Young (2005) "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay (2006) "Patience" by Take That (2007) "Shine" by Take That (2008) "The Promise" by Girls Aloud (2009)
2010s	"Beat Again" by JLS (2010) "Pass Out" by Tinie Tempah featuring Labrinth (2011) "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction (2012) "Skyfall" by Adele (2013) "Waiting All Night" by Rudimental featuring Ella Eyre (2014) "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2015) "Hello" by Adele (2016) "Shout Out to My Ex" by Little Mix (2017) "Human" by Rag'n'Bone Man (2018) "One Kiss" by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa (2019)
2020s	"Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi (2020) "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles (2021) "Easy on Me" by Adele (2022) "As It Was" by Harry Styles (2023) "Escapism" by Raye featuring 070 Shake (2024) "Guess" by Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish (2025) "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean (2026)

v t e Best-selling singles by year in the United Kingdom
1950s	1952: "Here in My Heart" – Al Martino 1953: "I Believe" – Frankie Laine 1954: "Secret Love" – Doris Day 1955: "Rose Marie" – Slim Whitman 1956: "I'll Be Home" – Pat Boone 1957: "Diana" – Paul Anka 1958: "Jailhouse Rock" – Elvis Presley 1959: "Living Doll" – Cliff Richard (UK)
1960s	1960: "It's Now or Never" – Elvis Presley 1961: "Wooden Heart" – Elvis Presley 1962: "I Remember You" – Frank Ifield (UK) 1963: "She Loves You" – The Beatles (UK) 1964: "Can't Buy Me Love" – The Beatles (UK) 1965: "Tears" – Ken Dodd (UK) 1966: "Green, Green Grass of Home" – Tom Jones (UK) 1967: "Release Me" – Engelbert Humperdinck (UK) 1968: "Hey Jude" – The Beatles (UK) 1969: "Sugar, Sugar" – The Archies
1970s	1970: "The Wonder of You" – Elvis Presley / "In the Summertime" – Mungo Jerry (UK) 1971: "My Sweet Lord" – George Harrison (UK) 1972: "Amazing Grace" – Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (UK) 1973: "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Dawn featuring Tony Orlando 1974: "Tiger Feet" – Mud (UK) 1975: "Bye Bye Baby" – Bay City Rollers (UK) 1976: "Save Your Kisses for Me" – Brotherhood of Man (UK) 1977: "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" – Wings (UK) 1978: "Rivers of Babylon" / "Brown Girl in the Ring" – Boney M. 1979: "Bright Eyes" – Art Garfunkel
1980s	1980: "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – The Police (UK) 1981: "Tainted Love" – Soft Cell (UK) / "Don't You Want Me" – The Human League (UK) 1982: "Come On Eileen" – Dexys Midnight Runners (UK) 1983: "Karma Chameleon" – Culture Club (UK) 1984: "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – Band Aid (UK) 1985: "The Power of Love" – Jennifer Rush 1986: "Don't Leave Me This Way" – The Communards (UK) 1987: "Never Gonna Give You Up" – Rick Astley (UK) 1988: "Mistletoe and Wine" – Cliff Richard (UK) 1989: "Ride on Time" – Black Box
1990s	1990: "Unchained Melody" – The Righteous Brothers 1991: "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" – Bryan Adams 1992: "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston 1993: "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" – Meat Loaf 1994: "Love Is All Around" – Wet Wet Wet (UK) 1995: "Unchained Melody" – Robson & Jerome (UK) 1996: "Killing Me Softly" – Fugees 1997: "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" / "Candle in the Wind 1997" – Elton John (UK) 1998: "Believe" – Cher 1999: "...Baby One More Time" – Britney Spears
2000s	2000: "Can We Fix It?" – Bob the Builder (UK) 2001: "It Wasn't Me" – Shaggy featuring Rikrok (UK) 2002: "Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen" – Will Young (UK) 2003: "Where Is the Love?" – Black Eyed Peas 2004: "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – Band Aid 20 (UK) 2005: "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" – Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay (UK) 2006: "Crazy" – Gnarls Barkley 2007: "Bleeding Love" – Leona Lewis (UK) 2008: "Hallelujah" – Alexandra Burke (UK) 2009: "Poker Face" – Lady Gaga
2010s	2010: "Love the Way You Lie" – Eminem featuring Rihanna 2011: "Someone like You" – Adele (UK) 2012: "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra 2013: "Blurred Lines" – Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams 2014: "Happy" – Pharrell Williams 2015: "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson (UK) featuring Bruno Mars 2016: "One Dance" – Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla (UK) 2017: "Shape of You" – Ed Sheeran (UK) 2018: "One Kiss" – Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa (UK) 2019: "Someone You Loved" – Lewis Capaldi (UK)
2020s	2020: "Blinding Lights" – The Weeknd 2021: "Bad Habits" – Ed Sheeran (UK) 2022: "As It Was" – Harry Styles (UK) 2023: "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus 2024: "Stick Season" - Noah Kahan 2025: "Ordinary" - Alex Warren

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