It’s week two of Throwback Weekends, and rather than go into all the parameters again I’ll just dive in to the music (you can read the guidelines for these weekends on last week’s post if you’d like).
Today we’re throwing back to the week of April 23, 1983, when English pop band Dexys Midnight Runners topped the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Come On Eileen.’ This is a classic one-hit wonder in the States, though the band had a decent number of hits in their home country.
As is so often the case with pop hits of my youth, I have never really listened to the lyrics of this song, but rather just bopped along mindlessly until barking out the chorus.
Reading the lyrics now, I see ‘Come On Eileen’ is both bawdier and more contemplative than I would have guessed. It finds the lead singer trying to take his titular girlfriend to bed, due to his general horniness but also the existential dread he feels witnessing the fates of previous generations.
‘Come On Eileen’ claimed the top spot on the Hot 100 for exactly one week, sandwiched between #1 appearances for Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ the week before and ‘Beat It’ the week after.
Come on, Eileen
Come on, Eileen
[Verse 1]
Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio
Moved a million hearts in mono
Our mothers cried
Sang along, who’d blame them?
You’re grown (You’re grown up)
So grown (So grown up)
Now I must say more than ever (Come on, Eileen)
Toora, loora, toora, loo-rye-aye
And we can sing just like our fathers
[Chorus]
Come on, Eileen
Oh, I swear (Well, he means)
At this moment
You mean everything
You in that dress
My thoughts, I confess
Verge on dirty
Oh, come on, Eileen
[Post-Chorus]
Come on, Eileen
[Verse 2]
These people ’round here
Were beaten down, eyes sunk in smoke-dried face
They’re resigned to what their fate is
But no, not us (No, never)
No, not us (No, never)
We are far too young and clever (Remember)
Toora, loora, toora, loo-rye-aye
Eileen, I’ll hum this tune forever
[Chorus]
Come on, Eileen
Oh, I swear (Well, he means)
Ah, come on, let’s
Take off everything
That pretty red dress
Eileen (Tell him yes)
Ah, come on, let’s
Ah, come on, Eileen
That pretty red dress
Eileen (Tell him yes)
Ah, come on, let’s
Ah, come on, Eileen
Please
[Bridge]
(Come on, Eileen, ta-loo-rye-aye)
(Come on, Eileen, ta-loo-rye-aye)
Now you are grown, now you have shown (Toora, toora, ta-loora)
Oh, Eileen, said
Come on, Eileen (You’ve grown)
(Come on, Eileen, ta-loo-rye-aye)
These things, they are real and I know (So grown)
(Come on, Eileen, ta-loo-rye-aye)
How you feel
Now I must say more than ever (Toora, toora, ta-loora)
Things ’round here have changed, I said
Toora, loora, toora, loo-rye-aye
(Come on, Eileen, ta-loo-rye-aye)
(Come on, Eileen, ta-loo-rye-aye)
(Toora, toora, ta-loora)
[Chorus]
Come on, Eileen
Oh, I swear (Well, he means)
At this moment
You mean everything
You in that dress
My thoughts, I confess
Verge on dirty
Ah, come on, Eileen
Come on, Eileen
Oh, I swear (Well, he means)
At this moment
You mean everything
In that dress
Oh, my thoughts, I confess
Well, they’re dirty
Come on, Eileen
Come on, Eileen
Woah (Well, he means)
Oh-ho-ho-ho
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on (Everything)
In that dress
Woah (I confess)
Meet Me In Montauk 
Ah, this does bring back nostalgia! What a fun song! And I too had never considered any deeper meaning to the lyrics beyond trying to sleep with the girl.
A Carpe Diem ode to a girl using the philosophical pretense to get some action. At least the classic poems throw in some rich figurative language to accomplish the task though you have to appreciate his banal pleading. Come on, Eileen, what are you waiting for? (I prefer Billy Joel’s even more blatant “Come on, Virginia, don’t make me wait”)