Come On Eileen

The Story Behind The Song

Originally an eight-piece soul band, Dexys Midnight Runners were successful from the get-go. Influenced by the UK’s Northern Soul scene, they released ‘Geno’, the first single from their debut album, in March 1980, and scored an early No.1 hit with what was just their second 45. A tribute to the legendary British soul artist Geno Washington, it was an apt introduction to the heavily soul-influenced Searching For The Young Soul Rebels, which hit the streets in July 1980. The album climbed as high as No.6 in the UK charts and earned them a silver disc.

Tellingly, the opening track, ‘Burn It Down’, found Kevin Rowland name-checking a plethora of famous Irish writers, including Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde. There was never any doubt about the loyalty he felt to the ould sod. Indeed, much later on, the band would release an album of traditional standards, Let The Record Show: Dexys Do Irish And Country Soul (2016). But, really, there was no need to look further than Dexys' second album to understand just how thoroughly Kevin Rowland embraced his Irish roots.

In their earlier incarnation, Dexys had favoured a New York street look, influenced by the films On The Waterfront and Mean Streets, followed by a style that emphasised dramatic hooded tops, boxing boots and ponytails. Fascinated with the idea of presentation in pop, Rowland dramatically altered their image for Round Two.

The title of the band's second album, Too-Rye-Ay, was derived from ‘Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral (That’s an Irish Lullaby)’, written by the Irish-American composer James Royce Shannon for the Tin Pan Alley musical, Shameem Dhu (1913), which became a US No.1 hit that year for Chauncey Olcott. To match the Irish flavour in his album's title, Rowland introduced a distinctive new look, including dungarees, scarves and leather waistcoats, described in one summary as “a raggle-taggle mixture of gypsy, rural Irish and Steinbeck Okie.” The album was recorded at Genetic studios in Berkshire through late 1981 and early ‘82.

Musically, the record was a radical departure for the outfit. Where brass had been of the essence on Dexy’s previous outing, Too-Rye-Ay saw the introduction of a new violin section, dubbed “The Emerald Express” – another Irish reference – by Rowland. Led by Helen O'Hara (real name Helen Bevington) , the violins – or fiddles – were especially to the fore on the concluding track on the LP, ‘Come On Eileen’, which was immediately recognised as a song with major hit potential. It was duly selected as the lead single. However, no one in the record company had anticipated quite how explosively it would take off – like a rocket, propelling the band right to the frontline of contemporary music across the world.

The song opens with an allusion to a ‘50s singer beloved of the previous generation – “Poor old Johnnie Ray/ Sounded sad upon the radio/ Broke a million hearts in mono” – before Rowland goes on to sing about a teenage love affair, the track benefitting from the frontman’s inspired, typically mannered, but marvellously expressive vocal delivery, which took the form of an idiosyncratic soul croon.

‘Come On, Eileen’ actually quotes the James Royce Shannon original, which had gone on to become a sentimental standard: in addition to its initial No.1 placing, a cover version by Bing Crosby became a million-selling No.4 hit; and it was recorded by dozens of big other name artists, including Bobby Darin, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney and Connie Francis. “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra Too-Ra-Loo-Rye, Ay,” Kevin Rowland pronounces, in a cathartic moment in ‘Come On, Eileen’, “and you'll hum this tune forever.” It was a compelling – and gloriously self-perpetuating – tribute to the power that songs uniquely can attain, to capture people’s hearts – and to enter their very spirits.

Though his parents were “beaten down” by life, the narrator in 'Come On, Eileen' suggests that he and Eileen are “far too young and clever” to suffer the same fate. Over the years, there has been considerable speculation as to the identity of the real Eileen, although Rowland always insisted that she didn’t exist. “In fact she was composite,” he explained, “to make a point about Catholic repression.”

Either way, the blend of Rowland’s stirring lyric and the immaculately realised folk-pop backing produced a rare kind of magic – the sort of era-defining classic single that’s destined to soundtrack parties, weddings and celebratory occasions for decades to come. As well as the trad dimension to the music, meanwhile, the album version of ‘Come On Eileen’ featured an a cappella coda from Rowland, based on Thomas Moore’s Irish folk song, ‘Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms’. (a musical figure that in later years was often placed at the start of the song). Elsewhere on this most Irish-influenced of albums, Too-Rye-Ay’s opening number was titled ‘The Celtic Soul Brothers’, and there was also a cover of Irish songwriter Van Morrison’s classic, ‘Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile)’.