“Come On Eileen” is a song by English group Dexys Midnight Runners, released in the United Kingdom on 25 June 1982 as a single from their album Too-Rye-Ay. It reached number one in the United States, and it was their second number one hit in the UK, following 1980’s “Geno”. The song was initially claimed to be written by Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson and Billy Adams, and it was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, although Rowland later stated that the essence of the tune should be attributed to Kevin Archer.
“These people ’round here
Were beaten down, eyes sunk in smoke-dried face
They’re resigned to what their fate is
But not us (no, never), no, not us (no, never)
We are far to young and clever
(Remember)
Too ra loo ra too ra loo rye aye
And you’ll hum this tune forever”
“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 in a poll for ITV. It was ranked number eighteen on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s.
Listen to the one hit wonder below:
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