Music Video of the Day: Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners (1982, directed by Julien Temple)


One it comes to one-hit wonders, there really aren’t many that hold up as well as Come On Eileen. In a year dominated by Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Come On Eileen managed to take first place on the Billboard 100, displacing Billie Jean before then being displaced itself by Beat It.

The music video of Come On Eileen was filmed in the inner south London district of Elephant and Castle in the vicinity of the corner of Brook Drive and Hayles Street, then known as Austral Street and Holyoak Road.  Playing the role of Eileen was Máire Fahey, the sister of Bananarama’s Siobhan Fahey.  “Poor old Johnnie Ray” appears as himself, via footage of him arriving at Heathrow Airport in 1954.

Director Julien Temple is perhaps best known for his association with the Sex Pistols, having directed both The Great Rock and Roll Swindle and The Filth and the Fury.

Enjoy!