Adam writes… A fiddle-driven vignette of Catholic sexual repression. On paper, it’s not the ideal pitch for a chart-topping pop single back in 1982. Yet Dexy’s Midnight Runners took Come on Eileen to the top of the charts all across the globe.
Sound & Vision
Dexys Midnight Runners go the extra mile. Their sound always accompanied by an aesthetic. The Romany Chic look of the hugely successful album Too Rye Ay (1982) was a memorable departure from the longshoreman/soul boy/Mean Streets-extra look of the previous period (that saw Geno hit number one). From Too Rye Ay they moved to a preppy, Ivy League style. MTV launched in 1982, so the timing was perfect for the visual storytelling of the new video age.
The theatrical “costumes” may seem a little cheesy and showbizzy today. And it certainly wasn’t cool at the time. Can you imagine the pitch for the project? “It’s a song about Catholic sexual repression with violin as the lead instrument and a video featuring gypsies dancing outside a corner shop in a back street in Kennington.” Yet the 360 degree storytelling concept, the wholehearted execution, coupled with infectious chorus, hooky fiddle, identifiable lyrical narrative took it to No.1 all over the world.
Julien Temple directed the video. Temple also directed The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle and Absolute Beginners. In the video the role of Eileen is played by Máire Fahey, sister of Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama and Shakespears Sister. If you’re down Elephant & Castle way, the location is still recognisable, despite the fact the the corner shop is now a house.
Map
Remind yourself of the video here…
More Dexys
Kevin Rowland never stopped making music. He retains a devoted fanbase comparable to that of Paul Weller in its fierce loyalty. For the uninitiated, here’s my highly personal playlist of faves to get you started. Impossible to sum-up such an eclectic career in six songs, but here we go…
And for another London Dexys video location, head way across the River Thames to Cricklewood in North London where The Celtic Soul Brothers video was shot. Watch HERE.
About London Music Tours
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