I’ve been daydreaming about a long-overdue trip to Paris. Gosh, now that I think about it, I haven’t been once this year, how could I! If I had some serious money and could spend my dream weekend in Paris, here is what I would do:

My friend Tara who runs the fabulous, Paris-based  Oh La La Vintage has invited me so many times to spend a day with her, attending one of her vintage masterclasses and just spending the afternoon rummaging in her enormous treasure trove of vintage delights while sipping some champagne. Last time I saw her in London she gave me the most fantastic Forties red vintage dress (which I wore to Rhythm Riot), so I’d love to find out what other amazing gowns she has unearthed.

I could also do with a trip to my favourite Parisienne shopping mecca, the Marais. Free P Star (on 8 Rue Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie), is supposed to be one of the best vintage shops in town, and affordable at that.  Come on Eileen (16-18 rue des Taillandiers) is another must recommended by my friend Lucie, who said it was like a fashion museum rather than a vintage shop. I just adore YSL and am dreaming of owning some Courrèges – not even mentioning Chanel – so I just must go there and check out their designer vintage section.

The Sant Ouen flea market is also top of my list, it’s the most enormous place stuffed full of antiques and vintage. Considering how much I love art deco (which originated at the Paris World Exposition), I’m sure I could spend a fortune there.

Lastly, I’d love to just sit in a cafe, sip on a coffee, read the New York Herald Tribune and imagine I’m the terrific Jean Seberg in Breathless or the adorable Virginie Ledoyen in 8 Women

1. Sometimes singing a song very very fast will obscure the fact that most of the lyrics don’t make sense.

2. Johnnie Ray “sounded sad upon the radio” even if “he moved a million hearts in mono” because the chances of him getting laid are remote since his groupies are just “mothers (who) cried and sang along.”

3. You can “hum this tune forever” (Toora loora toora loo rye ay) but no one will understand what the fuck it means.

4.  Trying to convince a girl by telling her “we are young and far too clever” then asking her to “take off everything” only works with hookers.

5. Even Eileen would be smart enough to know that lines like “you mean everything” is pure horse shit to get girls in bed.

Según quien te la cuente, la historia de Dexy’s Midnight Runners es la de la típica banda one hit wonder de los 80 o la de uno de los grupos más visionarios de esa década, por integrar el soul al pop, sonido que permitió la aparición de los Waterboys.

Sea lo que sea, para mí lo más curioso de los de Birmingham es la polémica sobre el origen de su hit más conocido “Come On Eileen”, porque ilustra perfectamente un caso de robo creativo.

Todo empieza por el carácter frío e insoportable de su líder, Kevin Rowland quien, al parecer, durante las giras obligaba al resto del grupo a viajar en autobús mientras él se desplazaba cómodamente en avión. Aunque lo mismo les hubiese dado estar juntos porque, según contaron después el resto de la banda, Rowland ni siquiera se dignaba a dirigirles la palabra.

La tensión entre los miembros del grupo hizo que Kevin Archer -fundador junto a Rowland- se hartara y dejara a los Dexy’s para formar The Blue Ox Babes. Y, según cuenta el propio Archer en una entrevista a Mojo, el mismo día en que anunciara su marcha a Rowland, éste que ni pestañeó, encima le obligó a enseñar los acordes de las canciones a su sustituto, Billy Adams.

Ya una vez fuera de los Dexy’s, Archer fue tan ingenuo como para dejar a Rowland una cinta con tres canciones para su futura formación, entre las que se incluía “What Does Anybody Ever Think About”. Y lo siguiente que supo es que “Come On Eileen” estaba incluida en el nuevo disco de Dexy’s, “Too-Rye-Aye”, llegando a número 1 en todo el mundo.

Pero lo peor no fueron la similitudes en los arreglos de violines de ambas canciones, sino la traición de la cantante de folk Helen O’Hara, que grabó junto a Archer la demo y a la que Rowland, tras escucharla en la cita de marras, convenció para que se pasara a los Dexy’s.

Rowland no reconoció el robo creativo hasta 1993, pero al final tuvo que pagar a Archer los royalties por “Too-Rye-Aye”.

Dexy’s Midnight Runners – “Come On Eileen”

I do not feel like talking about the game last night. So instead I present “Come on Radim” sung to “Come on Eileen”. What can I say? Yotesgurl and I get bored at time and make up songs. Her latest? “Who let the dogs out? Pru Pru Pru”. So without further ado….

Poor old Robert Lang
Looked sad upon the hockey rink
He moved a million hearts in the Czech
Our mothers used to skate along who’d blame them
You’re grown, so grown, now I must say more than ever
Come on Radim
Toora loora toora loo rye aye
And we can cheer just like our fathers

Come on Radim, you need a goal
At this moment, you need to score
With you in that sweater my thoughts I confess
Verge on scoring
Ah come on Radim

Come on Radim
These people round here wear Red Wing sweaters
not coyotes jerseys
Resigned to their home team still
But not us, no not us
We are far too young and fast
Remember
Radim I’ll skate this line forever

Come on Radim, you need a goal
Ah come on, let’s beat this team already
That pretty red sweater Radim (get a goal)
Ah come on lets
Oh come on Radim

We are far too young and fast
and things wont ever change

Come on Radim, you need a goal
At this moment, you need to score

You need to score

The ultimate one-hit-wonder of 80’s! ^^ So high-school but killer dance tune and such a fun song.

More Information on Dexys Midnight Runners or Official Web Site

I've never worn that dress.

I call it “The Midnight Runner.”

Do you get it? DO YOU GET IT???

Obvious hint:

Believe me, I already regret it

The past couple of months going through all of my old stuff and other things I’ve found things that were long gone from my current memory.  I laughed when I pulled out thing after thing out of these packed away boxes.  These small things from my past.  Toys, music, books, and other little trinkets. This post will be dedicated to the music I listened to.

Music

I love music, but I did not know what good music was there for a little bit when I was younger.  I realize now how easily swayed I was as a young child into believing that some music was better than others.  I also had an older sister and she often would influence me. I didn’t really ever like Leann Rimes or the Spice Girls, but I definitely heard some of their music coming out of my sister’s door when I was growing up.

I did find my own way musically though.  Once I really understood music, I understood what GOOD music was, and not half the stuff you hear on the radio.  There was some music that I’m not even sure why I listened to it, but I know I did.

80’s music

So I went through an odd kick in High School where I only listened to 80’s music. I have no idea why. Maybe I thought it to be cool, but I could not get enough of “Come on Eileen”.  Tears for Fears was my major listen, but I made sure and added in good mix of Hall and Oats, A-Ha, Michael Jackson and almost anything else I could get my hands on. 80’s movies all the sudden started being some of my favorite, and I found myself wanting to have a haircut like the guys from Flock of Seagulls.

I now have no idea why I really liked them, but I know that I’m OK with that.  80’s music isn’t all bad.  I just needed to stop wearing that jean jacket and watching re runs of Mork and Mindy.  It wasn’t the worst thing I could do.  If anything it kept me from all that awful rap from the 90’s.

Awful Rock Music

Yes.  I know. I listened to Creed.  But most everyone did at one point.  They were really popular.  Do I regret it?  I might.  But anyways… I listened to some really awful rock music back in the day.  When my parents allowed me to start listening to something other than Steven Curtis Chapman and DC Talk I went a little haywire with the really bad rock music.

Creed is just the tip of the ice berg.  I don’t know if anyone remembers how bad Kid Rock’s early Rap/Rock stuff was, but it was just really awful.  Disturbed, System of a Down, and a good portion of Linkin Park.  There really is no excuse.  I listened to some of the music while I was going through some of my old CD’s recently, and I just threw some of those CD’s away I never know when I’m ever going to want to listen to any of that again.  I might’ve kept my Creed stuff… but don’t judge.

Country

Now I’m from a really small town in Texas so Country Music is part of my past so It’s hard for me to regret all of it, but I just know I think about how ridiculous half of all country music is.  My friend @connorham says in country music you don’t have to be as talented as you have to be clever.  I almost agree with that to a point, but I know most country musicians at least have some musical talent… Except Toby Keith.

I did listen to Toby Keith back in the day too.  I mean he’s sold a lot of records, and he wasn’t as openly an idiot as he is now, back then.  Alan Jackon, Garth Brooks, George Strait, Clint Black and I could go on forever.  But most vividly I remember liking Alan Jackson.  It might’ve been all those  circles around the skate rink to “Chattahoochee” where we all know it gets hotter than a “hoochie coochie” (whatever that is).  I can’t say I regret the “country” I listened to because I know I could’ve been listening to something so much worse.  It also is my past, which I don’t want to ever give up.

Not All Bad

I’ve complained, but some if not all of this music still brings up memories of the past.  It brings up younger times when I was crazier and had no idea what was ahead of me.  I’m glad to say I’ve graduated to better music, but I still remember the old stuff I listened to.

I’ve kept a love for a good amount of the music I used to listen to, but I know when listening how ridiculous some of it was. Below is a list of music that I lasted throughout the time and proved that I wasn’t all wrong with my music love.

Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, John Mayer, Weezer, The Temptations, Outkast, Coldplay, Sugar Ray?

]]> http://sabiqqool.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/dexys-midnight-runners/ Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:37:32 +0000 sabiqqool http://sabiqqool.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/dexys-midnight-runners/ http://crypticbullshit.com/2009/05/30/a-mental-groundhog-day/ Sat, 30 May 2009 04:25:35 +0000 crypticbullshit http://crypticbullshit.com/2009/05/30/a-mental-groundhog-day/

“Come On Eileen” has been on a loop in my head for the past three days.

Thank you Dexy’s Midnight Runners for making such a catchy song AND video.  Today I bought some overalls, wore shoes without socks, and lip-synched “Come On Eileen” in the mirror AND did that little jig Kevin Rowland does in the video.

Don’t judge me!

99 Red Bowling Shirts

Aaah, the 80’s.  They’re definitely Generation X (and sometimes Y)’s version of our parents and their nostalgic-laden 60’s.  And since my boss, Paul, and I are huge fans of living in the past, Paul thought he’d double-dip in the ethers of remember-when, and present this list:

Top 5 Punk Covers of 80’s Songs

5. Smooth Criminal – Alien Ant Farm
“I was never a big Michael Jackson fan, especially his late 80’s work, but this version makes this song listenable.”

4. Boys of Summer – The Ataris
“While Don Henley’s original has some 80’s nostalgia to it, this is by far a better version.”

3. Come On Eileen – Save Ferris
“Awesome remake by this ska band wit the lead vocal hottie. I can actually understand Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ lyrics with this version.” [Ed. - When I saw saw them in concert, "vocal hottie" Monique Powell had this joke to say:]

What’s worse than Grease on Olivia Newton-John?  Come on Eileen!

2. Take On Me – Reel Big Fish
“One of the best ska bands from the 90’s doing the #1 80’s Hit from A-Ha.  Also, it was featured in the South Park creators’ movie, Baseketball.” [For those stuck more in the 80's than us, those creators would be none other than Trey Parker and Matt Stone, natch. - Ed.]

1. 99 Red Balloons – Goldfinger
“One of my favorite punk bands doing one the the better songs from the 80’s by Nena.”

Mycket (syskon)kärlek här! Härligt och glatt. Me like

I fear all my years of listening to Bass in the back of cars sitting next to giant speakers has finally taken it’s toll on my ears. 

Friday, in my Keyboard Confessions, I stated that it is impossible to be in a bad mood listening to Come On, Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners.  For real.  Find the song and listen to it and I am not kidding- it is impossible to have bad feelings.  It’s better than Prozac.  Maybe.

However, if you are like me, you are scratching your head because you can’t understand more than a handful of words. “Toora loora toora looray aye…” What the heck?

I am not alone in this.  I found this video on youtube from a guy with the same problem. 

And if you’re a lyrics junkie like me, here are the real lyrics for Come On, Eileen.  Not that they really help.

The VH1 Blog has listed the “100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.”  After reading the list, I’m thinking it’s a stretch to call them all hits.  Some are great, though.  See what you think:

Here’s #1 – Come on Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners

Here’s the entire list (in VH1’s rank order):

1 Dexy’s Midnight Runners: “Come on Eileen”
2 Flock of Seagulls: “I Ran (So Far Away)”
3 A-Ha: “Take On Me”
4 Tommy Tutone: “867-5309 / Jenny”
5 Soft Cell: “Tainted Love”
6 Toni Basil: “Mickey”
7 Modern English: “I Melt With You”
8 Bow Wow Wow: “I Want Candy”
9 Kajagoogoo: “Too Shy”
10 Frankie Goes to Hollywood: “Relax”
11 Gary Numan: “Cars”
12 Animotion: “Obsesssion”
13 Thomas Dolby: “She Blinded Me With Science”
14 Big Country: “In A Big Country”
15 Devo: “Whip It”
16 Nena: “99 Luft Balloons”
17 Men Without Hats: “The Safety Dance”
18 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock: “It Takes Two”
19 Dead or Alive: “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”
20 Rockwell: “Somebody’s Watching Me”
21 Twisted Sister: “We’re Not Gonna Take It”
22 Michael Sembello: “Maniac”
23 Eddy Grant: “Electric Avenue”
24 Edie Brickell & New Bohemians: “What I Am”
25 Musical Youth: “Pass the Dutchie”

26 Cutting Crew: “I Just Died In Your Arms”
27 Stacey Q: “Two of Hearts”
28 John Parr: “St. Elmos Fire (Man In Motion)”
29 Madness: “Our House”
30 The Vapors: “Turning Japanese”
31 Bobby McFerrin: “Don’t Worry Be Happy”
32 Quarterflash: “Harden My Heart”
33 John Waite: “Missing You”
34 The Waitresses: “I Know What Boys Like”
35 Tom Tom Club: “Genius of Love”
36 Weather Girls: “It’s Raining Men”
37 Lipps, Inc.: “Funkytown”
38 Bruce Willis: “Respect Yourself”
39 Matthew Wilder: “Break My Stride”
40 The Buggles: “Video Killed the Radio Star”
41 Billy Vera “At This Moment”
42 Timbuk 3 “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”
43 Shannon “Let the Music Play”
44 Wall of Voodoo “Mexican Radio”
45 Robbie Nevil “C’est La Vie”
46 Georgia Satellites “Keep Your Hands To Yourself”
47 Pretty Poison “Catch Me I’m Falling”
48 Yello “Oh Yeah”
49 Philip Bailey (w/ Phil Collins) “Easy Lover”
50 Neneh Cherry “Buffalo Stance”
51 After the Fire “Der Kommissar”
52 Mary Jane Girls “In My House”
53 Taco “Puttin’ On the Ritz”
54 Chris DeBurgh “Lady in Red”
55 Johnny Kemp “Just Got Paid”
56 Til Tuesday “Voices Carry”
57 Jermaine Stewart “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off”
58 Don Johnson “Heartbeat”
59 The Outfield “Your Love”
60 Nu Shooz “I Can’t Wait”
61 E.U.: “Da Butt”
62 XTC: “Dear God”

63 Oran “Juice” Jones: “The Rain”
64 Robbie Dupree: “Steal Away”
65 Boomtown Rats: “I Don’t Like Mondays”
66 The Jeff Healy Band: “Angel Eyes”
67 Martika: “Toy Soldiers”
68 Peter Schilling: “Major Tom”
69 T’Pau: “Heart And Soul”
70 Harold Faltermeyer: “Axel F”
71 Jack Wagner: “All I Need”
72 Swing Out Sister: “Breakout”
73 Paul Hardcastle: “19″
74 Information Society: “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)”
75 Bertie Higgins: “Key Largo”
76 J.J. Fad: “Supersonic”
77 General Public: “Tenderness”
78 Aldo Nova: “Fantasy”
79 Alannah Myles: “Black Velvet”
80 Eddie Murphy: “Party All The Time”
81 Josie Cotton: “Johnny Are You Queer?”
82 Red Rider: “Lunatic Fringe”
83 Paul Lekakis: “Boom Boom Boom Let’s Go Back to My Room”
84 The Church: “Under The Milky Way”
85 Ziggy Marley And The Melody Makers: “Tomorrow People”
86 Patrice Rushen: “Forget Me Nots”
87 Vixen: “Edge Of A Broken Heart”
88 Nik Kershaw: “Wouldn’t it Be Good”
89 Rodney Dangerfield: “Rappin’ Rodney”
90 Haircut 100: “Love Plus One”
91 Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson: “Friends And Lovers”
92 Frank Stallone: “Far From Over”
93 L.A. Guns: “The Ballad of Jayne”
94 Club Nouveau: “Lean On Me”
95 Midnight Oil: “Beds are Burning”
96 The Fabulous Thunderbirds: “Tuff Enuff”
97 Will To Power: “Baby I Love Your Way / Freebird”
98 Buckner & Garcia: “Pac-Man Fever”
99 Michael Damian: “Rock On”
100 Clarence Clemons (and Jackson Browne): “You’re A Friend Of Mine”

I’m hoping Alphainventions will like this.

Enjoy!

I remember my first “proper” disco. Not the cheesy ones we had in the afternoons after school, but the first real, stayin-up-late, 7-10:00pm, all the fashions, music loud enough to disturb the neighbors, young lovers snogging in the corner, disco.
It was organised by the local football club minors team, I was 11, and didn’t play but knew most of the lads socially.
What a night, I remember the whole place jumping to The Can Can by Bad Manners until the record started skipping, one lad dancing round with a chair to Adam and the Ants and all the girls moving self-consciously on the floor to Bucks Fizz.
Oh how we all jumped into the air shouting “Fame! I wanna live forever…”, some serious dancing took place to Don’t Go by Yazoo and Just An Illusion by Imagination, and then the evening climaxed with hands deep in pockets and we kicked our way through “Come on Eileen“.
It was 1982, and it was the first time I felt a part of the 80’s – a feeling that is still with me today..

A name is a person’s identity. Screw it up in copy and you’ll earn the ire of said person and any of said person’s true friends. Let’s cover the basics so that you can save yourself some angst and make the person (or animal or company) you’re writing about a happy camper:

• Use the person’s first and last name (and middle if he or she requests it) on first reference. Use the last name only on subsequent mentions.

• When referencing two people with the same last name (say you’re interviewing a married couple — Bob and Bobbie Bobbins), use first and last names on every mention to avoid confusion.

• When referring to young people (i.e., under 18), use their first name on subsequent mentions as long as the story or copy is not ultraserious (i.e., if they didn’t just commit a serious crime).

NOTE: The AP Stylebook has a rule about using first names for those under 15 and last names for those 18 and older; if the child is 16 or 17, AP says to use the surname unless it’s a light-hearted story. Why do 16- and 17-year-olds get this separation? I don’t get it. Maybe because if they commit a serious crime, they are more likely to be tried as an adult since they are so close to being 18. I don’t write for a newspaper, so I think that the “under or over 18” distinction is plenty good enough for other types of writing that don’t deal with this sort of issue. Anyway, I’d be a little leery of using a little kid’s real name (especially the first name) very often — especially if there is a picture attached. There are nutzos out there and anything we can do to make the realization of their intentions more difficult is a good thing.

• Do not add a space between two initials, such as J.R. Ewing (not J. R. Ewing) and B.B. King. Why? Because typesetting can unwittingly cause one initial to stay on the tail end of a line and the other initial to land at the beginning of the next line — and that would look like poop.

• Team names and band names (take this one with a grain of salt and a raspberry margarita if you can) — according to AP, team and band names take plural verbs, even if it sounds weird. It should be The Wichita Wings are playing tonight, The Wichita Wind are not playing tonight, The Cult are an amazing band (with a fantastic lead singer) and The White Stripes rock like mad.

The Cult — Electric (released April 1987)

NOTE: This rule is a hard one to follow, in my opinion (and I think Bill Walsh would agree with me, since he wrote the following on Page 170 of his book “Lapsing Into a Comma”:

Follow the usual rules of subject-verb agreement when confronted with one of those newfangled singular collective team names that seem to be especially popular in Florida. (Let’s see, we have the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the non-Florida Colorado Avalanche and Utah Jazz, and too many teams to mention in the newer leagues, such as soccer and women’s basketball.)

Wrong: The New Jersey Sludge are 7-0.
Right: The New Jersey Sludge is 7-0.

Yes, it sounds odd, but it sounds even more odd to trash logic in favor of consistency and make all teams plural. … Band names work the same way: The Beatles were great. The Who was great.

What’s my recommendation? If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: I follow the AP Stylebook on just about everything, but when a question arises, I defer to Bill Walsh. I suggest that you do the same.

• An animal with a given name is referred to as a he or a she. If you don’t know the name of the dog that bit the mailman, that dog is referred to as an it.

• Mom and Dad are uppercase when you’re writing about them as if those were their names: Mom let me bake cookies. Mom, let me bake cookies! The dog ate Dad’s cookie. Lowercase them when they are not name substitutes: I gave my mom a frog. My dad thought it was funny.

• Articles and prepositions with three or fewer letters are typically lowercase in proper names of movies, books, companies and such. This means that, despite what everyone says about lowercasing the t in that or the w in with, words with four or more letters are uppercase: “Gone With the Wind,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Naturally, it wouldn’t be a part of the English language if it didn’t have a few exceptions:

• When the short word begins or ends the name or title: “On the Road,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “That’s What Friends Are For.”

• When confusion would reign: Dexy’s Midnight Runners had a hit with “Come On Eileen.” Lowercase that O and there are some serious questions raised (not that they weren’t raised by every teenager within earshot anyway, but it’s the principle of the thing). No comma in that title just ups the ante for the uppercase O. “Fiddler on the Roof” doesn’t need an uppercase O (or T, for that matter) because it is what it is; there’s no confusion about the meaning.

• Names of people and companies, when they are being written by those very people or companies, can be capitalized whichever way they choose. If a man named Ebenezer wants to capitalize every other letter of his name, EbEnEzEr  — or eBeNeZeR — can go crazy with the shift key. When you’re the one writing about a person or company, however, stick with conventional capitalization. E.E. Cummings is good. e.e. cummings is weird. “Thirtysomething” (besides being an awesome show that taught me what I had to look forward to in my 30s) is fine to start a sentence; don’t lowercase the initial T just because the show’s logo had it that way. If you tried to follow the style of every logo out there, you’d be an amazing typist, for sure. Just stick with what you learned in grade school: If it starts a sentence, it gets a capital letter. Start a sentence with Ebay and you get a gold star for the day. Start a sentence with eBay and you’re catering.

You used grammar correctly!

• Triple-check the spelling of names. As a gal who spent 35 years as an Abderhalden and had to spell both first and last names each and every time to each and every George and Georgette out there, take it from me: Seeing your name in print correctly is about as big a thrill as any. A spelling gaffe just makes the rest of your work seem sloppy.

That’s it for a happy Monday.

Happy trails!

SAK

Le soleil brille, les oiseaux chantent, il fait chaud, il fait beau, j’ai mes quatre hommes avec moi (pour la journée), bref, tout va (presque) bien ! Une super semaine rythmée par l’école et les activités extra-scolaires, l’absence de mon homme (toujours), les invitations à déjeuner et à goûter, la recherche d’emploi (toujours), les activités ludiques et Disney à re-regarder, la météo qui donne le moral, les coups de fil qui le font rebaisser, bref… une semaine de réalité après celle vécue en suspension. Une semaine de vie et d’amour, pour continuer la précédente, préparer à la suivante, etc… D’ailleurs, Wall-E déémarre, le plus grand et le plus petit m’attendent sur le canapé.

Je te souhaite un bon week-end lecteur, un très bon week-end… remplis de baisers salés et sucrés comme je vais en avoir à la pelle.

l’incontournable tube printanier dans mes eaux…

If nothing else, his comedy maid’s outfit certainly drew attention from the bride’s black eye. She gulped her champagne like a furious bulldog. The chink of impatient cutlery. “This guy”, Gavin finally yelled into the microphone, slapping Adam severely on the neck;

“Well he’s always been there for me, yeah?” A wayward burst of the Friends theme made every toe curl. Shifting chairs. An anecdote about spooning in Corfu. Raised eyebrows. The groom wished for a rickety table and some rope.

“Then Wendy came on the scene…” Gavin lurched, cheeks resembling two bowls of roasted beetroot, “… and I was evicted from my own home.” A forlorn yelp: “No more pissing in the sink! No more Die Hard marathons…”

He hacked away a concerned arm and wept, quoting the Auden poem from Four Weddings. Wendy’s father stepped in with a gruff scruff of the neck: “Car park. Now.” The buffet-disco kicked off early with Come on Eileen and lamb kebabs.

Gavin studied a crow’s reflection in the muddy puddle.

]]> http://rudismusicbox.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/dexys-midnight-runners-come-on-eileen/ Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:18:41 +0000 Bernd Dahlenburg http://rudismusicbox.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/dexys-midnight-runners-come-on-eileen/

Yes, come on, Eileen!

Entschuldigt meine unanständige Ausdrucksweise….

Come on Eileen

Because I said so…

Dexy’s Midnight Runners – “Come On Eileen”
Put on your Osh Kosh B’Gosh and dance to this one Ferris.

Thanks Shawn.

From 1983-1986 80s music hit its high point.  There was a plethora of good songs released during this four year period, and many were forced off the list that would probably have been included in previous years.

20. “She’s A Beauty”, The Tubes- I love the syncopated style of the guitar and keyboard at the beginning of the song.  The funhouse theme of the video was cool, and the woman in the mermaid suit was hot, hot, hot.

19.  “Up Where We Belong”, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes- Joe Cocker has a face for radio and a voice that is the male version of Fran Drescher, but his hyper-affected style, and gravelly sound proved just right for this great 80s love song.  It was the theme song for the great movie, An Officer and a Gentleman.  The song made a clean sweep of the awards topping the charts, winning a Grammy, a Golden Globe and an Oscar.

18.  “Overkill”, Men At Work- “Overkill” is generally regarded as the best song by the Australian band Men At Work.  It was more mature than many of their early hits, but 80s music had matured faster than the band did, so even though I like it better than “Down Under”, it is further down the list in 1983.

17.  “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)”, Eurythmics- This was the first big hit for the band that was fronted by Annie Lennox.  Her strong alto vocals matched well with the synthesized sound of the music.  The video is very surreal, and features the Lennox and keyboardist Robert Crash in a field with cows and cellos at one point.  This song proved that the synthesizer alone had the ability to make a song that was distinctively 80s.

16.  “Photograph”, Def Leppard- Def Leppard pulled hard rock music into the pop music genre.  They were the first (and really the only) hard rock group that I have ever liked.  Their songs were still very melodic and singable.  All you really need to say is, “One armed drummer!”

15.  “Electric Avenue”, Eddy Grant- Eddie Grant was just cool.  The synthesizer and bass give this song a disco-funk feel.  You have to move when you hear this song, and it is still played quite a bit today.

14.  “Der Kommissar”, After The Fire- This song was released the year before in German by the unknown (at that time) Falco, and it was the B-side a few years later on “Rock Me Amadeus”.  After the Fire released the song in English in 1983.  The song is still very popular today, and has been repeatedly sampled by Hip Hop artists.  Most notably it was the basis for MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” in the 90s.  When I hear it, I see myself looking down at the Frogger machine at the local skating rink as I was growing up.  You could count on hearing it about once an hour.

13.  “Modern Love”, David Bowie- This is easily my favorite David Bowie song.  The beginning of the song almost sounds like and Eagles’ song, until the keyboard and Bowie enter.  The song is upbeat, toe-tapping, and the sax part is nice.  The background singers really make the song.  If I had liked Bowie more at the time, this probably would have been one of my favorite songs of the 80s.

12.  “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”, Air Supply-  This song signaled the end of Air Supply’s run, but it was a great way to end it.  The beginning with just the keyboard is iconic, and the tenor’s voice seems to go into the stratosphere.  The song is still heard often today.

11.  “Tell Her About It”, Billy Joel- The bee-bop style with the horn back-up in this song is excellent.  Billy Joel proved again that he could sing almost any style with this song.  The Rodney Dangerfield appearance in the video is nice.

10.  “She Blinded Me With Science”, Thomas Dolby- This song features a great keyboard player providing some great keyboards.  You know the song in about two notes.  It is a little quirky with the weird old man screaming, “Science!”, but that chick in the video with the violin drawn on her back may have the best figure that I’ve ever seen.

9.  “Cuts Like a Knife”, Bryan Adams- I always liked the tone of Bryan Adams voice.  This sing one of the all-time great “na-na” songs, and is easy to sing along with.  I like it better than his other hit from that year, “Straight From the Heart.”

8.  “Maneater”, Daryl Hall and John Oates- You know this song in just a couple of notes.  The baseline with the echoing, whammy keyboard sound is memorable, but the sax makes the song.  This is one of my favorite Hall & Oates songs.  According to Hall, Kelly LeBrock was the inspiration for the song.  I remember those legs from Woman in Red, and I have to admit they inspired my 14 year old hormones quite a lot.  This is another Hall & Oates song that is sampled a lot by Hip Hop groups.  I chose it over “One on One” which also charted this year.

7.  “Billie Jean”, Michael Jackson- I really did not want to put any Michael Jackson songs on the list, what with all of the pedophilia and all, but I just had to include the greatness of Billy Jean.  Most people regard it as his best song, and it carries with it the complicated issue of teen pregnancy.  The bass line and percussion part are iconic.  The addition of an orchestra made the feel of the music much deeper and less disco, than it would have seemed without it.  The song garnered two Grammies for Jackson, and the video featured the stylistic dance style that because a hallmark of Jackson videos in the next few years.

6.  “Every Breath You Take”, The Police- This is one of the best of the Police songs.  It is a little more of a vocal feature for Sting, and a lot more mellow than some of their earlier releases.

5.  “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”, Bonnie Tyler- I love this song, and it is the rare true female power ballad.  The piano is the feature instrument with a memorable four note repetition.  The piano is great but not as great as Bonnie Tyler’s vocal.  She’s incredible, and the emotion that she conveys with her vocal is moving.  The background vocal is also an important part of the song.  It is interesting to note that the song was inspired Wuthering Heights.

4.  “Faithfully”, Journey- This is the second of the two great and enduring power ballads by Journey to make it onto the list.  You can find some of Steve Perry’s best vocals on this song.  I chose it over “Separate Ways” and “Send Her My Love” both of which are great songs.

3.  “Africa”, Toto- This is the second and last great song for this band of musical ringers.  The keyboard part carries the song.  The vocal has an ethereal quality until it hits the chorus, and then it soars.

2.  “Always Something There To Remind Me”, Naked Eyes-  This song and the #1 song on this list from 1983 would probably make my top ten for the who decade. They both still get a lot of play, and you can hear them almost anywhere.  The four note keyboard part is iconic, and stays in your head.  In the end, this song is just cool, and is why chose it over their other great hit, “Promises Promises” from the same year.

1.  “Come On Eileen”, Dexy’s Midnight Runners-  1983 presented us with several great one-hit-wonders, including the number one hit which I consider the greatest to be the best one-hit-wonders of the 80s.  This song exposed me to my own Irish musical heritage, eventually leading me to other music like Folk Like Us, The Chieftains, Lorenna McKennitt and even Enya.  I love the sound of an Irish fiddle, and this song definitely delivers.  I liked this song so much that I eventually bought an imported album called The Very Best of Dexy’s Midnight Runners.  What could go wrong?  I mean they claimed that this album contained the very best music that Dexy’s Midnight Runners had to offer.  After listening to all 25 songs (most of which were a whip), I realized that I knew two of them, period.  They were “Come On Eileen” and the live version of “Come On Eileen”.

Top 20 80s Pop/Rock Songs (Category)

Top 20 1980’s Pop/Rock Songs By Year (Criteria)

Top 20 Pop/Rock Songs from 1980

Top 20 Pop/Rock Songs from 1981

Top 20 Pop/Rock Songs from 1982

 Top 20 Pop/Rock Songs from 1984

 Top 20 Pop/Rock Songs from 1985

 Top 20 Pop/Rock Songs from 1986

 Top 20 Pop/Rock Songs from 1987