With the launch of MTV in 1981, British bands swept into the U.S. with bright and edgy pop. Among the groups that had immediate success was Dexys Midnight Runners, with the hit “Come On Eileen.”Though the English band used mostly acoustic instruments, defying the synthesizer trend, the song’s MTV video in 1982 helped push the song to No. Recently, Kevin Rowland, the band’s leader, singer and songwriter, looked back at the making of “Come On Eileen.” An expanded edition of Mr. Rowland’s 1999 solo album, “My Beauty,” will be released by Cherry Red on Sept. 25. Kevin Rowland: In 1981, Dexys Midnight Runners were well-established in the U.K. We’d had a No. We also toured in Europe and performed in and around Birmingham, where all of us lived.

Source: Wall Street Journal September 16, 2020 15:33 UTC