The Celtic Soul Rebellion of Dexys Midnight Runners in '82

5 hours ago

Hello hello silver bloggers, music lovers and Hello hivers!

One of my favourite days because it means a post on Hive will be written by me, and I get to hear other music that Hiveians enjoy. Well for the select band that participate in ttt anyway!

We are going back to my Silver Chronicles post of a few weeks ago My Soundtrack for the 80s my favourite decade

Quite a self-explanatory title and it is my inspiration for the next few posts on ttt!

The year is now 1982 and we are diving into a band that underwent a dramatic and successful reinvention in that year!...

3 tunes from 1982 by Dexys Midnight Runners

It is Tuesday and that of course means that it's #ttt or #threetunetuesday and so it's time to share some tunes with you!

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Do go support @ablaze as without him we would not have this mental fun musical activity that you can win HSBI from! I am happy to be one of the SIX sponsors and it is kinda fun checking out music from all over this global village of ours!

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Long live #ttt 😁🎼 and #threetunetuesday

The Band - Dexys Midnight Runners

Few bands underwent a more dramatic and successful reinvention that year than Kevin Rowland’s Dexys Midnight Runners.

After the brassy, northern soul-infused success of their 1980 debut Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, lead singer Rowland completely dismantled and rebuilt the band.

Out went the brass section...
Out went the slicked-back hair...
Out went the leather jackets.

In came fiddles...
In came banjos...
In came accordion...
In came a look that was part Gypsy traveller, part vintage dungaree-wearing folk hero.

The result was the masterpiece album Too-Rye-Ay, a beautiful collision of classic soul passion and traditional Irish folk music—a genre they proudly dubbed "Celtic Soul."

Here are three awesome tunes from Dexys during that magical 1982 run.

Tune 1 - Dexys Midnight Runners - The Celtic Soul Brothers

This was the opening track of the Too-Rye-Ay album and the lead single that introduced the world to the band's brand new sound. It’s an upbeat, joyous anthem driven by frantic fiddles and Kevin Rowland's unmistakable, passionate vocal delivery. It serves as a statement of intent for the new collective, inviting everyone to join their musical rebellion.

Tune 2 - Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen

You can’t talk about 1982 without this cracker of an ear worm!

Come on, Eileen, oh I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
You in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty, ah, come on, Eileen

It knocked off every other hit to become the biggest-selling single of the year in the UK and even conquered the US Billboard charts.

From the slow teasing fiddle intro to the famous acceleration section that gets every pub and wedding dancefloor moving to this day, it is a flawless pop masterpiece wrapped in Celtic folk clothing.

Tune 3 - Dexys Midnight Runners - Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)

A brilliant cover of the classic Van Morrison track and it was released as a single in the autumn of '82.

Dexys injected it with an absolute burst of energy, blending the brass they were known for with their new string-heavy sound.

Fun fact for UK telly fans ~ when they performed this on Top of the Pops, the BBC graphics department famously got confused and projected a giant picture of darts player Jocky Wilson behind the band instead of soul singer Jackie Wilson!

Jocky Wilson was a wee character and hailed from the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy which is where I live, hence the lead image of our newly installed heart on the Esplanade!

So there you have it 3 songs released in 1982 from Dexys Midnight Runners this week with my 80s Soundtrack post as the inspiration!

Which was your favourite tune? Or have you never heard of them?

Note: The 3 YouTube videos that I have shared are not owned by me, I am simply spreading great music on Hive.

I wish that you all have a brilliant happy fun and terrific Tuesday until we meet again enjoy your tunes 🎶🎵🎶

Thanks for visiting!

The images and ramblings are from me, with some assistance from gemini on the verbage and the lead image, the mad Scotsman TengoLoTodo unless otherwise stated.

@tengolotodo June 2nd 2026