Song of the day for August 7 2024
Come on Eileen by Drexys Midnight Runners and The Emerald Express is today’s featured song.
On this date in 1982 Dexys Midnight Runners were at No.1 on the US and UK singles chart with ‘Come On Eileen’ their second and last No.1. It was the Best-selling single of 1982 and the song won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards. The “Eileen” as featured in the video is Máire Fahey, sister of Siobhan Fahey, former singer with Bananarama and Shakespears Sister. The American singer Johnnie Ray, mentioned in the opening lyrics, was also featured in the video using old film footage.
VH1 placed the song at number three in their “100 Greatest One Hit Wonders” of all time, number 18 in their “100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s” and number one in their “100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the ’80s”. (While the group had a previous number one single in the UK with “Geno” in 1980, “Come On Eileen” was their only US hit.)
