Keep track of the songs thru the week and then on Friday call in to name the 5 songs and their common theme to win a $25 Jersey Mike’s gift card
Number ONE song from 1982, and written by this band’s lead singer, Kevin Rowland, who was raised Catholic and served as an altar boy in church. For him, physical intimacy was a taboo subject, and considered "dirty" - something that fascinated him.
This song is based on a true story. The girl for whom the song is named was a girl that he grew up with. Their relationship became romantic when the pair were 13, and according to Rowland, it turned more intimate a year or two later. As a result, this song is about the thin line between love and lust.
As we have discussed, most videos at the time were slick and flashy productions with impossibly pretty people in fantastic locations, but this song’s video was different, with the overall-clad band acting out the love story on a gritty street. The lead singer doing an enthusiastic jig became a defining image from the early days of MTV.
The band's name was inspired by the amphetamine drug Dexedrine, which is commonly known as "Dexys" (Contrary to popular belief, the band's name does not have an apostrophe). The band itself steered away from drinking and drugs, saying nothing should interfere with their dedication to music.
Today’s song was the biggest-selling single of 1982 in the United Kingdom and when it hit #1 in the US, it knocked Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" off the top spot!
But despite that kind of success, this band was destined to fail because their lead singer was hated by the rest of the band.
A former guitarist for the band explained, “Kevin ruled the group with a rod of iron - he wouldn't speak to us personally. After shows we'd be in a room on our own, it became 'hate Kevin Rowland time...He was irritable, treating everyone like they were nobody...It got [to be] too much.”
Dexys Midnight Runners...Come On, Eileen...I Know That Song!