I tuned in a bit late but was wondering if anyone mentioned that the reference to Johny Ray had significance in the fact that his career was destroyed when he was accused of child molestation. "Come on, Eileen," takes on a different meaning with this in mind.

http://www.dexys.info/

'not a "butt end" of one-hit-wonder-jokes'

Maura, I totally agree w/ you and here Kevin is alive in UK.

I neither love nor hate "Come On Eileen," but it's always bothered me that so many Americans think it's the only thing Dexys Midnight Runners ever did. Dexys were an often brilliant, always distinctive hybrid of punk, soul, and Celtic influences, and their first album in particular was (much as I hate to agree with Pitchfork about anything) a great record, start to finish. Listen to "Burn It Down" or "Geno," and you'll be left with a very different impression of the band. Kevin Rowland is a true original, for better and for worse, and the band deserves to be remembered for more than "Come On Eileen."

John you mocked the band names from the 80s. How bout Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and all those other bands whose names are a whole sentence. I always imagine some guy from a band sitting next to some guy on an airplane. "What do you do"? and having to rattle off the name of his group-"...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead".

And you mention Kajagoogoo- how bout Lady Gaga?

Ladies and gentlemen, remembering this tune as just one hit wonder is very limited American imagination. Kevin Rowland has reached his rock royalty status in UK scene years before--I am not sure if this is his kind of thing, though, given his ultimate rebel posture; anybody knows his days of crack addiction and drag phase before his real come back?--- and the reason is simply his very embodiment of UK rock history. Irish-Irish folks do love him as well for his 'Celtic Soul' statement and his representation as Irish descent grew up in UK. "Eileen" is simply his representative song, not an end of one hit wonder jokes.

I disagree with some of the comments here decrying the inanity of the subject of this segment. I'd love to hear an entire show on supremely silly 1970's Brit pub rock bands. If nothing else, it would be funny as all get out.

It never occurred to me before your show, but the actual melody that undergirds "Come On Eileen" is actually a rhythmic augmentation of the catchy Blues Brothers vamp. Think about it... Thank you Oberlin for giving me the tools to uncrack the code!

while this sound does not merit a whole conversation on this show, i don't mind if you discuss it, just please don't play it again - not even for a second...please!

That riciculous look that you guys are referring to was worn by ever other club kid. (Remember Dancetaria which you discussed last week) There were several bands wearing that look as well including members of Culture Club other than Boy George.

Brits heh? Since first seeing the cover art for "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels" I've always thought they were Irish.

its fun!

is not part of the "problem" that we unfairly evaluate a tune simply because it is a one hit wonder. rock snobs just can't wrap their cynical little neurons around that.

The sax player in Dexy is the sax player in Black 47...Geoff (can'gt remember his last name). Any similarities in Celtic plus punk...

I can't believe you are doing this show! My husband and I joke about this song all the time. It is our benchmark song we against which we measure all things unlistenable in pop music. Except MAYBE "Lady in Red".

It's fun and peppy and gets your toe tapping for the first 20 seconds, but like honey straight from the jar, it becomes cloying and sickening really fast.

Really? A whole segment on this song? Really?

Anyway, my girlfriend is named Eileen and dislikes any mention or reference to this song (except for when she sang it to herself at karaoke). So of course now I'm sick of it. Still this improvement over the situation with my previous girlfriend, whose name was Roxanne. I hate THAT song.

I was a child when this song came on the radio and recall my siblings and I getting raucous to this.
I still love this song!

"Come on Eileen" is an over-played college bar song. AND The words are offensive (if you can even understand them).

I think the name Dexy's Midnight Runners comes from dextroamphetamine/dexedrine, a speed like drug use at Northern Soul nights in the UK in the 70s. So it's not quite as nonsensical as those other names that UK bands had in the 80s.

John, not Jon, Schaefer. Sorry!

Mention of that song brings me back. It was one guaranteed to get everyone onto the floor at my teen discos.
All this just an excuse to make a general observation that Jon Schaefer you do a fabulous job of making a music program interesting--this from someone who's not particularly into music and never, before now, could endure prorgrams about music.