Live Moment: Dexy's Midnight Runners, "Come on Eileen"

When I was about 13 I got a copy of Dexy's Midnight Runners' Too-Rye-Ay album, because that was the way I operated back then. One of the bonus tracks was a live recording - I believe this exact one - of "Come On Eileen," and it always impressed me how they were able to use the dynamics of the song to really work the audience - sure they were just stretching it out a lot, but that audience is with it, man, and it was one of the first indications I got of the power of music to move and join people.

The Other One: Dexys Midnight Runners, "Geno"

Before they were the "Come On Eileen" band, Dexy's Midnight Runners were, at least in the UK, dangerously close to being the "Geno" band, because their first hit there was with this catchy-ass tune about soul singer Geno Washington. I actually read where a lot of contemporary reviews hated the band, and I guess they got the last laugh in the end, but fair's fair because this song has something to it, and in hindsight, is just as rocking as the later hit (which is objectively one of the best songs ever written, says I.) Like the later hit, it depends on certain elements of character which might not have jived with the times, but mark it as distinct from its influences, as does Kevin Rowland's always completely impossible vocals. What survives is the groove and spirit of it, which I dig.

Cover: Dexys Midnight Runners, "Respect"

As evidence of Dexy's poetential, I submit this blistering take on Aretha Franklin's (definitive version of Otis Redding's) "Respect." Aside from some slight cheese in the spoken-word portion, they really burn it down and, if not topping the originals, sitting comfortable along with them.

Serious Contenders: Dexys Midnight Runners, "Come On Eileen"

Kevin Rowland was a man with a vision. A very specific, almost incomprehensible vision. And that vision involved horns, country fiddles, banjos and hurdy-gurdys, denim overalls, armpit hair, and hats with poofy balls on top. It all resulted in something where, you're really not sure how anyone would come up with the idea, let alone why they'd think it would work, but the truth is "Come On Eileen" is a completely irresistible song. While even some of the best 80's songs sound dated due to the inevitable aging of their then-new techniques and equipment, Rowland bet the house on the timeless qualities of bluegrass, Celtic folk, and soul, all wrapped around an ultimate pop song with its barely-understandable lyrics and impossible-to-ignore singalong chorus. On paper the band's premise sounds dumb (this was after all during a time when it was impossible to be cool without having a keytarist in your band) but in execution it sounds incredibly obvious.

Of course, lightning of that kind rarely strikes twice. "Come On Eileen" being such a potent song due to its uniqueness meant that it was also something of a novelty (not a rare commodity in the early 80s) meaning the public attention span had room for exactly one song by them. They had other songs, but none of them had that star quality that this one did.